this is a response to nicole's question. "Do you think rituals and traditions of other cultures should be tossed aside because we find them amoral? Or is our perception of morality simply too rigid"

Well to go out on a limb and answer that one. Of course not. we cannot simply toss aside anything becuase it is different. otherwise life around the world and in our influential spectrums would become very boring and closed-minded. Our perception of morality is varied depending on cultural and historical factors. What might be considered immoral 500 years ago is probably considered commonplace nowadays. Take for instance teen pregnancy or premarital sex. Nowadays itws commonplace. 500 years ago.... it was commonplace too! cuz people didn't live as long and when the couple was engaged, the were expected to act the same way as a married couple. But say, 100 years ago, it was a complete travesty if that occured and now we have adjusted to the occurance and adapted. Becuase values change over time. And simply because they are not fashionable now, does not mean they never will be. So no, we cannot simply toss aside the morals and actions of another culture simply becuase we do not agree with it. Rituals can be fantastic and important and influential to changing some societies and improving others. If we simply eliminated things becuase they were different, then there'd hardly be anyone alive now, so to speak.

So my question to you all, is how does an idea of something immoral become commonplace over time, where is the turning point?