美国经典英文演讲100篇:Truth and Tolerance in America(7)
And how ironic it is when those very values are denied in the name of religion. For example, we are sometimes told that it is wrong to feed the hungry, but that mission is an explicit mandate given to us in the 25th chapter of Matthew.
Second, we must respect the independent judgments of conscience.
Those who proclaim moral and religious values can offer counsel, but they should not casually treat a position on a public issue as a test of fealty to faith. Just as I disagree with the Catholic bishops on tuition tax credits — which I oppose — so other Catholics can and do disagree with the hierarchy, on the basis of honest conviction, on the question of the nuclear freeze.
Thus, the controversy about the Moral Majority arises not only from its views, but from its name — which, in the minds of many, seems to imply that only one set of public policies is moral and only one majority can possibly be right. Similarly, people are and should be perplexed when the religious lobbying group Christian Voice publishes a morality index of congressional voting records, which judges the morality of senators by their attitude toward Zimbabwe and Taiwan.
具有讽刺意义的是，一些价值以宗教的名义被否决。例如，我们有时说，给饥饿的人吃的是错误的，但那是在《圣经·新约·马太福音》第25章里清楚地要求我们去做的事情。
其次，我们必须尊重对良心的独立判断。
那些宣称道德和宗教价值能提供忠告的人，不应该偶然地以此作为量度对一个公共问题的立场的忠诚。就像我不同意天主教主教关于学费抵税额的问题一样，我反对学费抵税额，其他天主教徒也不同意这个纳税等级，不同意建立在诚实基础上的核冻结。由此，关于“道德多数”的争论不仅是因为它的观点，在多数人眼里也是因为它的名字，这个名字好像暗示：一系列公共政策是道德的，多数总是正确的。与此类似的是，宗教游说团体“基督之声”发行了一个关于国会投票记录的道德索引，该索引通过参议员在津巴布韦和台湾问题上的态度判断他们的道德，人民必然会对此不知所措。
1. ironic a. 讽刺的
The latter charge was especially ironic.
后一项指责特别令人哭笑不得。
2. religion n. 宗教
It's difficult to live up to the proinciples of the christian religion.
实行基督教的教条是困难的。
3. explicit a. 详尽的，清楚的
He must underline and make heavily explicit.
他一定要刻意雕琢，力求明白。
4. mandate v. 命令，指令
It's the doctor's mandate.
这是医师的命令。
5. conscience n. 良心
I envy your peace of mind, your clean conscience, your unpolluted memory.
我羡慕你平静的心境，纯洁的良心和没有玷污过的记忆。
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