[HackOfAllTrades]

@pugio (Interpreting Bonhoeffer) "If you put your fear of God (in other words, some power higher than, and distinctly external to, any social group) you begin to liberate yourself from caring too much about what other people think."

And as such he is making exactly the same mistake, because he is assuming that his God is a higher power, when in fact his God is defined by his community.

Where did he learn what it means to live "The responsible life before God"? From the community he grew up in of course. (My assumption is that God did not appear and teach him in person.)

When stripped of the appeal to the authority of God, his argument becomes "My community values independent thought over group conformity."

I totally agree with him. I just don't find it a solid argument.