Because it references several posts, what follows rambles a bit. Please bear with me.
Islam’s Other Handicap
In Islam’s Other Handicap, 
Teresa Rice at Catholibertarian wrote an interesting post about desecration of religious items. I won’t steal her pig, so to speak, but I will show an image that she found on the Internet:
The image of the Qur’an defiled by bacon would indeed be horrific to Muslims, and an incitement to violence for jihadists which make up too large a percentage of them. (continued here).
Aside: Note that
Thread Hijack Time
What I found curious about Islam’s Other Handicap is that the comment thread almost immediately shot off onto another topic. 
ford_prefect42 decided he wanted to talk about abortion (starts here). What ensued was a discussion of the appropriate time to do an abortion. The participants recognized that a moral issue is involved, but they differed over when we have an obligation to protect human life.
Consider again the subject of
What is a free society about? What makes a society free? Consider this statement.
A free people reveres the individual’s rights to life, liberty, and property. Therefore, so long as an individual does not trample upon the rights of others, a free people protects the individual’s right to do whatever he or she wishes to do.
That’s what makes abortion a knotty issue. When does a baby become a person entitled to legal protection?
Two Approaches
We seem to have two basic approaches to solving this dilemma.
- The first is the moral issue. Based upon our religious beliefs, we each decide when a baby becomes a person. Then we debate with each other what law should say.
- The second is whatever the law says. Some people take whatever the law says, and they equate legal practice with morality. These I believe are very confused people.
Why do some people equate legal practice with morality? I am not exactly certain, but I have observed that a lame argument that teens use with their parents seems to carry a great deal of weight. Many people actually do believe that if “everybody else” does something that something must be okay. I suppose that explains why the pro-abortion crowd is so determined to make government pay for abortions. In their minds, if everyone does it (via government funding), they must have the morally correct position.
Ideological Warfare
Thus, we end where we started. Because we instinctively fear that others will force their beliefs on us, we find the very existence of differing beliefs offensive.
With respect to abortion, THE FAMILY FOUNDATION BLOG addresses the ideological war over abortion in this post, A Lethal Assault Against The Very Idea Of Human Rights That Destroys The Moral Foundation Of Our Democracy. Here is the video that post highlights.
What a great discussion you are prompting here! Yes, I know people who equate whatever laws are on the books with morality and these days, especially, that is a dangerous mindset. (But it is the easy way out, isn’t it? Who wants to take the time and energy to really think about these things? Best to just let the government do it for you!)
I must say it makes parenting a bit of a hopskotch. I tell my teenage son that he must obey the law but he must never relinquish the right to question law or fight to change bad law.
I wish I had a simple answer for your teenage son. What we can say that ultimately God’s law trumps man’s law.
But when does God’s law trump man’s law? What will your son decide? I expect he will begin with the example of his parents.
I believe you nailed it, Tom. “God’s law trumps Man’s law.” I jokingly (1/2?) tell my son that I promise I won’t get thrown in jail until he’s old enough to take care of himself!
Freedom, by the way – It is just as well you are only 1/2 joking. If we obey God law, then whenever the time comes, we must do what is right.