BALLSY ATHEIST OPINIONS WANTED

Veronica	Posted Aug 17, 2005 5:23 PM Link to this discussion
VERONICA_G61 Albuquerque, NM Post #: 9	What are your opinions, from an atheist's perspective, on the following subjects. (Please answer if you have the cojones) 1. Death Penalty 2. Pro Choice / Right to Life 3. Same sex marriage 4. Adoption for same sex couples 5. Atheist Activism and community outreach AND 6. The war in Iraq. Edited by Veronica on Aug 30, 2005 4:40 PM
Robin	Posted Aug 17, 2005 9:43 PM Link to this reply
revellr Belton, SC Post #: 6	Death penalty- It may not bring a victim back, but it sure evens the score. Pro choice/Right to life- His sperm has literally embedded in my egg, which is in my body. Therefore it now belongs to me, and I can do with it what I want. Same sex marriage- Go for it. No skin off my nose. Adoption for same sex couple- Better than foster care or children's home (orphanage). Atheist activism and community outreach- We need to ratchet up the cause, and get loud about it.
nige_the_atheist	Posted Aug 19, 2005 3:12 AM Link to this reply
nige_the_atheist Houston, TX Post #: 70	1. Death Penalty - I'm very much against the death penalty. The state or any other institution or majority opinion has no right to take the life of an individual for a crime. 2. Pro Choice / Right to Life - Pro-choice. Bringing an unwanted child into this world is tragic and unnecessary. 3. Same sex marriage - Why not? If people are committed to one another they should have the same legal status regardless of gender. 4. Adoption for same sex couples - Kids need stability and if same-sex couples can provide this then why not? 5. Atheist Activism and community outreach - I think atheists need to be seen and not hide their atheism - which is why I make t-shirts and bumper stickers. We should be proud of our independent thinking and that we don't follow the rest of the unquestioning crowd. We need to defend church and state separation so that all Americans are dealt with equally under the law.
Marjeta	Posted Aug 19, 2005 11:00 AM Link to this reply
marjeta Columbia, MD Post #: 165	1. Death Penalty - once someone is dead, it's impossible to bring them back. Can we ever be 100% sure that they were really guilty? What if the person just had a bad lawyer? 2. Pro Choice / Right to Life - until the birth, foetus is part of the women's body, and it's her choice. I thing we should strive to minimize the number of abortions -- by educating women and men about birth control. Abortion against the woman's will should be a crime, though. 3. Same sex marriage - Marriage is a legal contract between the two people and the state/country. Once you're married, this triggers about 1400 federal laws, and who knows how many state laws. There's absolutely no reason to require that they be a man and a woman. You just need two consenting adults. 4. Adoption for same sex couples - There's so many children who are abused by their heterosexual parents or foster parents. Why prevent a loving couple to raise a child just because of their gender? 5. Atheist Activism and community outreach - People should be free to believe whatever they want and to belong to religious organizations if they want to. I don't want someone to try to force me into church - same way, I don't think we should thy to convince religious people that their beliefs are BS. I have another one: end-of-life issues, as in Terri Schiavo case. Unless there's 100% sure what the person wanted before they became unable to speak, I'd err on the side of life. I'm pro-life here. Once you pull the feeding tube, there's no way to go back.
A former member	Posted Aug 20, 2005 2:36 AM Link to this reply
Fountain Inn, SC Post #: 18	Getting the death penalty usually means never knowing which day your life will be terminated - for years on end. It's unnecessarily cruel. Our legal system has grown so complicated yet can only function by proving 'beyond any possibility of doubt' any sentence when there will, regardless of their confidence, always be exceptions. I don't think victims are served by being reduced to murderers, although their passion for revenge is understandable. Abortion should be a personal decision. Marrige shouldn't be a legal contract. There are already guidelines/criteria for adoption. I don't see what the problem is. Atheists need churches. Get together on the weekends, play some paintball, drink some beer and pool resources. Get one of those voting machines and everything?
Veronica	Posted Aug 26, 2005 7:22 PM Link to this reply
VERONICA_G61 Albuquerque, NM Post #: 10	Conclusion: One must “not think”, accept that his mind is inferior and incapable, accept his perception is faulty, accept that man is lowly, accept that nothing is something, have faith without proof, and that happiness is total ignorant confusion, in order to believe in the existence of a god.
Chet Dailey	Posted Aug 28, 2005 8:01 AM Link to this reply
chetaco Huntsville, AL Post #: 24	Death Penalty – I have vacillated over this issue for years. People like Jeffery Daumer and Ted Bundy make a case for the death penalty. But because I feel there is nothing after this life, I also feel a life time of incarceration works as both punishment and revenge. A dead mind feels no pain, guilt or remorse. Pro Choice / Right to Life – I’m pro choice. A woman has a right to control of her own body. A fetus has not emerged yet as a self sustaining being. But a much better solution is an after morning pill solution. That way no one knows and no one will care. Same sex marriage – Marriage is traditionally between opposite genders. I am comfortable with that. However, I think homosexuals should be granted the same rights and protections in a union as heterosexuals. I would just give that the legal term “civil union”. Adoption for same sex couples – Loving parents are so vital to the well being of our children that the gender of the adults should never be a reason to keep them out of a childs life. Atheist Activism and community outreach – I have no problem with atheist involvement in the community. It may seem like there is not a lot to build on but the truth is we will never have songs to sing or a place in culture until we establish ourselves as a socially involved identity.
A former member	Posted Aug 28, 2005 12:21 PM Link to this reply
Brockton, MA Post #: 18	What are your opinions, from an atheist's perspective, on the following subjects. (Please answer if you have the cojones) 1. Death Penalty I am against the death penalty for the sole reason that I am not comfortable the government having the unfair, sole right to kill, not because of any reason having to do with a belief / disbelief in a god. 2. Pro Choice / Right to Life I am prochoice -- my body, life, and future. 3. Same sex marriage I support same sex marriage, and see absolutely no sense in quibbling over semantics. I really don't understand the civil union vs. marriage debate at all -- together is together, and financial and legal benefits should be the same for 'together' people regardless, and they can call it whatever want -- I'll respect their togetherness whether they call it a marriage, a union, a sandwich, permanent liaison, partnership, whatever. 4. Adoption for same sex couples I believe adoption should be encouraged wherever possible - married, not married, single, same sex, different sex -- the point is to make sure that parentless or potentially parentless children are cared for. 5. Atheist Activism and community outreach I think that this can at times be appropriate, but should be pursued with caution and a high degree of respect for others. A dogmatic activism should be avoided. Standing up for what one thinks is right I encourage, but I don't feel the need to shove my beliefs/outlook onto someone else -- I've never appreciated it when someone does that to me. Certainly, I think that those in the atheist community should support one another. Edited by user 2279182 on Aug 28, 2005 12:25 PM
nodogma	Posted Aug 31, 2005 4:06 PM Link to this reply
nodogma Houston, TX Post #: 59	What are your opinions, from an atheist's perspective, on the following subjects. (Please answer if you have the cojones) I find it interesting that you posted these two next to each other, death penalty/pro-choice, pro-life. 1. Death Penalty As an atheist I'm somewhat on the conservative side of this issue in that if somebody is a convincted/known and a proven murderer, I say let the f*ker fry. I say that with no apologies whatsoever. Did they have mercy on their victims? Of course they didn't, therefore why should we have mercy on them. Sorry my fellow atheists but I don't have a bleeding heart for these scumbags in our society. I hear the anti-death penalty advocates saying we have no right putting them to death but neither did these blood thirsty killers have any right to kill their victims either, sometimes even very torturous at that. How about Carla Fye Tucker who tortured, mamed and brutally killed her victims with a pick axe? Just do a google search on how she killed here victims, it might get the anti-death penalty advocates to think twice. I think she got what she deserved. In my opinion the death penalty could be a lot worse, they could have been put to death exactly the way they tortured and killed their victims but the state is being very tolerant in my HO by giving them a nice easy death. It seems like these low life murderers are being allowed to die with more dignity than the victims they brutally murdered. 2. Pro Choice / Right to Life I think abortion should remain legal at the same time I think adults should be responsible when having sex relations. I still believe that life is precious and this is the only opportunity that a person will ever have at life. I am not in favor of the partial birth procedure. I believe it is barbaric. The baby is at the point of being fully human at birth. Would you think it's right to kill a newborn baby just after being born outside the mothers womb? 3. Same sex marriage 4. Adoption for same sex couples I have nothing against two consenting adults who want to marry each other and no problem if they choose to adopt an unwanted child. Two adults are quite capable of giving love to a child just as much as two adults of opposite sexes can. 5. Atheist Activism and community outreach I'm all for atheist activism and leading the faithful astray. I say why not, they're going to try to lead the non-believers down the road to ignorance so why not try and change their minds so they can enter into the world of reality and rational/objective thought. 6. The war in Iraq.** I personally think our president got us into an illegal war based on false information and 911 had nothing to do with Iraq. Bush got us into this mess but I also think we need to withdraw our troops from Iraq but not all at once. I think it has to be done in segments, until we don't have a presence there anymore. I feel this is a war that will never be won, just like Viet Nam maybe worse. Edited by nodogma on Aug 31, 2005 6:30 PM
whitemarlin	Posted Oct 7, 2005 1:31 PM Link to this reply
whitemarlin Alexandria, VA Post #: 1	1. Death Penalty We should not allow anyone to kill anyone else. If for no other reason the death penalty should be eliminated because of all the wrongly convicted. 2. Pro Choice / Right to Life I don't understand how I am the only one on this side of the argument. If the sperm and egg have connected, then that is a human being who has rights just like you and I. It makes no difference to me if that person is currently living inside or outside of another human's body. This debate tends to focus on a woman's right to do what she will with her own body but the woman (or man) living in that body needs people to stand up for their rights. 3. Same sex marriage 4. Adoption for same sex couples Why are we still arguing this? This is 2005 and we are still able to justify civil rights abuse? 5. Atheist Activism and community outreach We need to do something NOW. 6. The war in Iraq. Somebody please explain to me why we are there and then I will form an opinion. Right now I have no idea why we are in Iraq.