Should we legislate morality?

[giani_g]

Since no-one else has asked this question, I thought this would make a good discussion. Many Christians think so, Iran (Islam) is an example of this, the Chinese (Communists) have done so (the Cultural Revolution) so what do Sikhs think?

[jsb]

iran is not equivalent to islam... for years they've tried to clarify that.. i beileve the majroity of Iran is Bah'ai.....

[giani_g]

This the government of Iran according to Encarta:

Iran’s constitutional monarchy, founded in 1906, was ended in 1979. In the same year a new constitution, approved by referendum, established an Islamic republic in which the principles of Islam were to be the foundation for social, political, and economic relations. It gives supreme authority to the Spiritual Leader, or wali faqih, making the country a theocracy. This position was held by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini until his death in 1989. He was succeeded by Ayatollah Ali Khaman’i. The constitution was amended in 1988 to restrict the powers of the Council of Guardians (which advises the wali faqih), which oversees the operations of the government. The principle of uelyat-e-faqih, or the guardianship of the wise, is Ayatollah Khomeini’s legacy to Islamic government.

Microsoft® Encarta® Premium Suite 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

And this what Encarta says about religion in Iran:

The official religion of Iran is Ithna-Ashari (Arabic, “Twelverâ€) Shiism, a major sectarian division of Islam, which is followed by more than 90 per cent of the population. Some of the most sacred Shiite places are in Iran; the city of Qom, south of Tehran, is a noted place of pilgrimage. Sunni Muslims form about 9 per cent of Iran’s population, and the country also has dwindling communities of Christians and Jews (0.5 per cent together), as well as followers of Zoroastrianism and Bahai. Except for the followers of the Bahai faith, these religious minorities have inferior, but protected, status in law. As a Muslim reformist sect, those admitting to Bahai sympathies are subject to the death penalty.

Microsoft® Encarta® Premium Suite 2003. © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Where you get the idea about Iran being mainly Bah'ai I don't know :roll: but let's stick to the question at hand: "Should we legislate morality?"