Thankfully you are in a huge minority and shrinking by the day
Bob Lee said:
I assume you mean the same legal standings as marriages, but without terming it a marriage. Absolutely not. I don't think gay couples should be able to adopt children or purchase eggs, or pay a brokerage to rent the wombs of poor women to grow children for them to have and raise for example. I don't think people have a right to have a child of their own.
I think we should encourage people to get married and have children, which gay couples can never do, because it's a net benefit for society. To the extent tax credits and benefits encourage that, I think they're good. I can't see a benefit to society of offering tax credits to men who sleep with each other, for no other reason than because they sleep with each other.
kurt vonnegut said:Bob Lee said:
I assume you mean the same legal standings as marriages, but without terming it a marriage. Absolutely not. I don't think gay couples should be able to adopt children or purchase eggs, or pay a brokerage to rent the wombs of poor women to grow children for them to have and raise for example. I don't think people have a right to have a child of their own.
I think we should encourage people to get married and have children, which gay couples can never do, because it's a net benefit for society. To the extent tax credits and benefits encourage that, I think they're good. I can't see a benefit to society of offering tax credits to men who sleep with each other, for no other reason than because they sleep with each other.
I know I'm responding with a lot of questions - I appreciate your responding.
What should be the legal criteria for determining who can adopt or have a surrogate? Assume we agree on the basics and ensuring the adopting persons have income, stability, clean records, etc. What is the thing that specifically disqualifies same sex persons from adoption?
As follow up questions, can a single person adopt / have a surrogate? Straight Hindu couple? Or Muslim couple, Jewish couple, atheist couple? How about an openly Satanist couple?
I'm fine with tax incentives for people to have children. These already exist and already apply only to couples with children. There are economic and tax related benefits purely associated with marriage that applies to straight couples that do not have children and plan to not have any children. If 'tax benefit' is something purely attached to having children, and nothing else, is it fair to apply it evenly to all couples not producing children?
Macarthur said:
Thankfully you are in a huge minority and shrinking by the day
Bob Lee said:
No, you should have the same freedoms I do. The question always is who should win out in a conflict of wills. Which philosophy is freeing, and which one stifles freedom. If a woman prostitutes herself to afford her heroin addiction, in large part because she lives somewhere those are permitted, is she more or less free than a woman who has managed to avoid the near occasion of sin because she lives somewhere those things are forbidden?
If someone's "religion" includes prostitution and drug use, but I want to raise children where those things aren't allowed, who should win?
Bob Lee said:
The crux of the differences between our worldview is in that first paragraph. You view freedom as the ability to choose. I view it as the pretext for a uniquely human existence wherein we have a responsibility to choose to do things that are worthwhile.
Quote:
W/r/t your second paragraph, there are no purely private sins. We're political creatures. We live with each other and interact with each other. Societal norms and taboos inform our consciences. We draw boundaries all the time.
Bob Lee said:
If a child is up for adoption, their circumstances are already less than ideal. The criteria you gave are good minimum requirements. I would add married to the list. I don't think it's practical to have religious tests for secular adoption agencies, but I hope Catholic adoption agencies would try to place children with good Catholic families if they can. Placing children with avowed satanists would be a horrible injustice and I hope agencies who have the children's best interest in mind would pass if a better option were available. But like I said, it may not be practical in every situation. We should consider single parents in cases where they're the child's family member. I don't have hard and fast rules except we should choose the best option available, which is almost always 2 parents of opposite sex.
If I had my way, I would limit tax benefits to married couples, widows, and widowers with children for the reasons I gave. But I think marriage as a vocation is still a societal good, even if it can't produce children because of some malady or something. So I don't have an issue with it.
kurt vonnegut said:Bob Lee said:
The crux of the differences between our worldview is in that first paragraph. You view freedom as the ability to choose. I view it as the pretext for a uniquely human existence wherein we have a responsibility to choose to do things that are worthwhile.
I don't object to your definition of freedom. I accept that my freedom comes with a moral duty to do something worthwhile. However, I hold this as a personal truth. And what exactly 'moral duty' entails is a personal belief and decision. For me, the problem arises when we endow government with the authority to determine for us what is and is not worthwhile.Quote:
W/r/t your second paragraph, there are no purely private sins. We're political creatures. We live with each other and interact with each other. Societal norms and taboos inform our consciences. We draw boundaries all the time.
I understand what you are saying, but, for legal purposes, I think we must draw some line or distinction between 'private' and 'public' in this case. And I don't think it is hyperbole to say that the First Amendment hinges on it. If what my wife and I do behind close doors is your business, then what your preaches says from the pulpit is now my business. Right? The idea of 'no private sins' is also recipe for the dissolution of church autonomy to decide how and what it teaches.
Those societal norms and taboos are a product of a collective formed by the sum of 300+ million individuals. We each ought to have 1/300 millionth say in what those norms and taboos are. No more, no less. I think that people have become comfortable with the idea of government placing its thumb on the scales of those norms when it suits them. And we've become comfortable with expressing outrage when it places its thumb on the scales that doesn't suit us.
Quote:
But societal norms and taboos are also the product of our laws. do you think it's a coincidence that abortion has become so pervasive that some women will even proudly say they've had one or more, since Roe v. Wade was decided, and not before then?
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Sapper Redux said:Quote:
But societal norms and taboos are also the product of our laws. do you think it's a coincidence that abortion has become so pervasive that some women will even proudly say they've had one or more, since Roe v. Wade was decided, and not before then?
Boy, have I got news for you…
Oh, and people not being stuck in violent / abusive relationships is a good thing. Kids are better off in a safe single parent home than in an abusive two parent home.
kurt vonnegut said:Bob Lee said:
The crux of the differences between our worldview is in that first paragraph. You view freedom as the ability to choose. I view it as the pretext for a uniquely human existence wherein we have a responsibility to choose to do things that are worthwhile.
I don't object to your definition of freedom. I accept that my freedom comes with a moral duty to do something worthwhile. However, I hold this as a personal truth. And what exactly 'moral duty' entails is a personal belief and decision. For me, the problem arises when we endow government with the authority to determine for us what is and is not worthwhile.Quote:
W/r/t your second paragraph, there are no purely private sins. We're political creatures. We live with each other and interact with each other. Societal norms and taboos inform our consciences. We draw boundaries all the time.
I understand what you are saying, but, for legal purposes, I think we must draw some line or distinction between 'private' and 'public' in this case. And I don't think it is hyperbole to say that the First Amendment hinges on it. If what my wife and I do behind close doors is your business, then what your preaches says from the pulpit is now my business. Right? The idea of 'no private sins' is also recipe for the dissolution of church autonomy to decide how and what it teaches.
Those societal norms and taboos are a product of a collective formed by the sum of 300+ million individuals. We each ought to have 1/300 millionth say in what those norms and taboos are. No more, no less. I think that people have become comfortable with the idea of government placing its thumb on the scales of those norms when it suits them. And we've become comfortable with expressing outrage when it places its thumb on the scales that doesn't suit us.
Those are the only two options? Why do you assume that the only alternative to a single parent home is an "abusive" two parent home?Quote:
Oh, and people not being stuck in violent / abusive relationships is a good thing. Kids are better off in a safe single parent home than in an abusive two parent home.
Bob Lee said:
But societal norms and taboos are also the product of our laws. do you think it's a coincidence that abortion has become so pervasive that some women will even proudly say they've had one or more, since Roe v. Wade was decided, and not before then?
Is it a coincidence that divorce and single parent households are more pervasive since no fault divorce became the norm?
Have those things had positive impacts on society? Wouldn't it be better if we hadn't done them?
AGC said:
Why does legally neutral punish religion? Why does neutral expect Christians to be closeted rather than gays? How is this not simply someone else tipping the scales (like you or sapper)?
kurt vonnegut said:Bob Lee said:
But societal norms and taboos are also the product of our laws. do you think it's a coincidence that abortion has become so pervasive that some women will even proudly say they've had one or more, since Roe v. Wade was decided, and not before then?
Is it a coincidence that divorce and single parent households are more pervasive since no fault divorce became the norm?
Have those things had positive impacts on society? Wouldn't it be better if we hadn't done them?
I think it all still comes down to what you believe the government's role should be. There are many things that are 'legal' that could be argued to be a net negative on society. Where do you stop and where do you draw the line?
Jabin said:
Kurt, let's take this another direction. Do you think that Muslims should be allowed to conduct honor killings or Hindus to practice sati here in the US? Why or why not?
Why? Aren't you imposing your values and morals on Muslims and Hindus? Isn't that a religious/philosophical/moral belief that you are imposing on others?kurt vonnegut said:Jabin said:
Kurt, let's take this another direction. Do you think that Muslims should be allowed to conduct honor killings or Hindus to practice sati here in the US? Why or why not?
No, I would not support those things. Generally, limiting a freedom is a acceptable where it is necessary to protect someone from being harmed or where it is necessary to keep from unjustly limiting someone else's freedoms.
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Jabin said:
Why? Aren't you imposing your values and morals on Muslims and Hindus? Isn't that a religious/philosophical/moral belief that you are imposing on others?
In Muslim or Hindu cultures, your attitude would be seen as ludicrous.
At the end of the day, the true test of whether someone is actually principled when it comes to the issue of freedom is whether they still believe in it even when it's uncomfortable. And conservatives (including many in this thread, and the vast majority of F16, and nearly the entire Republican Party under Trump) consistently fail this test.kurt vonnegut said:
The First Amendment only works with some degree of mutual respect. You have to regard as me worthy of those individual rights and I have to regard you as equally worthy. Which is why I have been saying - if you only care about religious freedom for Christians, then you don't care about religious freedom. If you or Bob do not share the values expressed in the First Amendment, then lets be open about it.
barbacoa taco said:
At the end of the day, the true test of whether someone is actually principled when it comes to the issue of freedom is whether they still believe in it even when it's uncomfortable. And conservatives (including many in this thread, and the vast majority of F16, and nearly the entire Republican Party under Trump) consistently fail this test.
Quote:
The type of society that Sapper proposes, for example, I find extremely offensive. It is an imposition of his moral values on me and my children. His proposal is to allow only secular views and the relativistic moral values that are incorporated in secularism
Sapper Redux said:Quote:
The type of society that Sapper proposes, for example, I find extremely offensive. It is an imposition of his moral values on me and my children. His proposal is to allow only secular views and the relativistic moral values that are incorporated in secularism
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
Except you guys won't let me raise my children how I like. You are increasingly taking away parental rights over children to fit your worldview dogma. You won't allow Christians to teach Christianity in public schools, yet you blanket those schools with secular propaganda.Sapper Redux said:Quote:
The type of society that Sapper proposes, for example, I find extremely offensive. It is an imposition of his moral values on me and my children. His proposal is to allow only secular views and the relativistic moral values that are incorporated in secularism
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
Jabin said:Except you guys won't let me raise my children how I like. You are increasingly taking away parental rights over children to fit your worldview dogma. You won't allow Christians to teach Christianity in public schools, yet you blanket those schools with secular propaganda.Sapper Redux said:
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
kurt vonnegut said:Jabin said:Except you guys won't let me raise my children how I like. You are increasingly taking away parental rights over children to fit your worldview dogma. You won't allow Christians to teach Christianity in public schools, yet you blanket those schools with secular propaganda.Sapper Redux said:
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
Can you expand on the things that secularists are doing that restrict how you raise your children?
are you saying that not allowing Christians to teach Christianity in public schools is an infringement of your religious freedom?Jabin said:Except you guys won't let me raise my children how I like. You are increasingly taking away parental rights over children to fit your worldview dogma. You won't allow Christians to teach Christianity in public schools, yet you blanket those schools with secular propaganda.Sapper Redux said:Quote:
The type of society that Sapper proposes, for example, I find extremely offensive. It is an imposition of his moral values on me and my children. His proposal is to allow only secular views and the relativistic moral values that are incorporated in secularism
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
You are so sure that you're right that you can't even see your own inconsistency.
barbacoa taco said:are you saying that not allowing Christians to teach Christianity in public schools is an infringement of your religious freedom?Jabin said:Except you guys won't let me raise my children how I like. You are increasingly taking away parental rights over children to fit your worldview dogma. You won't allow Christians to teach Christianity in public schools, yet you blanket those schools with secular propaganda.Sapper Redux said:Quote:
The type of society that Sapper proposes, for example, I find extremely offensive. It is an imposition of his moral values on me and my children. His proposal is to allow only secular views and the relativistic moral values that are incorporated in secularism
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
You are so sure that you're right that you can't even see your own inconsistency.
If you want your kids to be in a Christian school, then send them to a private Christian school.
This is exactly the attitude I was talking about in my earlier post
I find it odd that people equate a secular setting with an anti-Christian setting.Bob Lee said:kurt vonnegut said:Jabin said:Except you guys won't let me raise my children how I like. You are increasingly taking away parental rights over children to fit your worldview dogma. You won't allow Christians to teach Christianity in public schools, yet you blanket those schools with secular propaganda.Sapper Redux said:
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
Can you expand on the things that secularists are doing that restrict how you raise your children?
The wrong assumption is that "not religion" is practically different than anti-religion. Leaving children to their own devices when it comes to first principles: how did the world come to exist? Where do our rights come from? Questions about the nature of the human person and epistemological questions. The most basic questions that are the foundation for even just our ability to know anything at all. It's anti Christian. Our entire reason for existing is to love God and serve God. But just pretend God doesn't exist while at school. My kid's not allowed to sing a Marian antiphon in a school talent show but, if she wanted to sing a Miley Cyrus song about how she doesn't need a man and she can love herself better, that's a-okay.
barbacoa taco said:I find it odd that people equate a secular setting with an anti-Christian setting.Bob Lee said:kurt vonnegut said:Jabin said:Except you guys won't let me raise my children how I like. You are increasingly taking away parental rights over children to fit your worldview dogma. You won't allow Christians to teach Christianity in public schools, yet you blanket those schools with secular propaganda.Sapper Redux said:
What I'm proposing is equal rights under the law regardless of beliefs. You can raise your children how you like. You shouldn't get to tell me how I have to raise my children.
Can you expand on the things that secularists are doing that restrict how you raise your children?
The wrong assumption is that "not religion" is practically different than anti-religion. Leaving children to their own devices when it comes to first principles: how did the world come to exist? Where do our rights come from? Questions about the nature of the human person and epistemological questions. The most basic questions that are the foundation for even just our ability to know anything at all. It's anti Christian. Our entire reason for existing is to love God and serve God. But just pretend God doesn't exist while at school. My kid's not allowed to sing a Marian antiphon in a school talent show but, if she wanted to sing a Miley Cyrus song about how she doesn't need a man and she can love herself better, that's a-okay.
School is not church, and simply acknowledging that is not forcing anyone to "pretend God does not exist." Individual prayers and other religious acts by students are protected. What's not protected is school sponsored prayer or endorsement of any religion. There are Christian student groups, moments of silence, and See You At The Pole. There are even some schools that teach the Bible as literature in English class.
Yet again, you seem to think the lack of special treatment is the same as oppression.