Who determines the extent of punishment? The one in the wrong or the one who is wronged.
It is clear that the Almighty takes obedience seriously. That I think, is the real rub in your reaction.
The real rub is that you, and others, are so blinded by divine command theory you can no longer tell right from wrong.
And you have no authority to judge right or wrong outside of absolute truth. Without it, all you have is a social construct.
There are some cultures where incest is not taboo. Where young boys live with older men...drink their semen...because it is believed that it is the path for their maturation.
What makes your atheistic morality superior to theirs?
Of course I can. Not only can I, I have a moral responsibility to do so.
It's actually pretty easy to develop a secular moral code. Begin with simple rules, greater well being, is generally preferable to lesser well being. Health is preferable to illness, eating is preferable to starvation. Look for Pareto optimal solutions (an action that will increase the well being of one or more people without decreasing the well being of any others), and implement them when you can. Work to eliminate dead weight loss, have a preference for trade over war....
As for your example above, which sounds like it comes from some place in Waziristan, is actually pretty easy to evaluate without the need for a God.
Does this action actually increase the well being of the boy, or is this just some horny old man looking to get his rocks off because his religion makes it impossible for him to get laid by a woman? We can also ask if there is any evidence to support the old mans assertion.
We know the answer to these question. NO there is no evidence to support his claim, and YES he is just a horny old man who doesn't really care about the well being of the boy. This if very easy to assess with out the need to invoke a god.
You didn't use logic or reason to get into this opinion, I cannot use logic or reason to get you out of it.
You cannot over estimate the unimportance of nearly everything. John Maxwell
