You and I obviously live in a different parts of the country. I find the opposite here, though I'm sure there are places where it is as you say. I've seen it happen, but not in a LONG, LONG time.
I live on the internet.
Never said it was. I said it was a belief, but I also said I would be upset if my child believed the opposite of me on moral issues too. The way I said it kinda linked them, but whatever.
Well, in that case, I'd agree. Morals are fundamental to a peaceful world. However, it shouldn't matter if they come from some type of god, or just knowing what the right thing to do is.
If it isn't a moral issue, what is it? I'm not sure what word I could have used there other than belief or opinion.
I think the only way Religion can be a moral issue is if you're talking about the institution and its rules. I don't remember what it was that made me stand up and say "that's it, I'm done." with catholicism, but I think it had something to do with a gay bishop being excommunicated after years of service or some such. The institution just continue to conflict with what I believe to be right and wrong.
However, there are a core group that would bother me, and religion is one of them.
Again, it's an incredibly personal issue, and if your child should be more inclined to follow, say, Buddhism, I don't see a problem. Do you believe they truely are going to burn for an eternity in a lake of fire for 90 years of "oops, I was wrong. God does exist, I guess those 90 years of good moral standing mean nothing." I just.. I can't fathom this.
Why is it horrible if I am disappointed if my child does not believe in something that I believe in and feel strongly about?
Because as long as they are upstanding citizens of the world, show kindness and love towards other people, what the hell does it matter who or what they worship, or if they choose not to worship at all? Again, I can't wrap my head around being disappointed that my child or anyone did not think the same way I did.
Why should you, or even my hypothetical child, give a damn if I'm disappointed?
I don't, honestly, since I don't know you, but it troubles me greatly when my friends would be disappointed for these very reasons. As a child, the most terrible feeling in the world is disappointing your parents, and it scares me to death that parents put so much pressure on their children to think a certain way without
knowing or thinking about what that means.
As an aside, if I should be so lucky as to be blessed with children, I will attempt to expose them to different schools of thought, and allow them to come to their own conclusions, and offer my beliefs only when asked.
You do make a good point though. I have wondered what drives an atheist to be a good person. I guess that's kinda silly. There are lots of good atheists, just like there are lots of evil religious people.
From my understanding of the Atheist Groups, what drives them to be good is the fact that we're all stuck on a floating rock in a nearly infinite space for less than a cosmic blink, so why not make the best of things.
Again, you're talking apples and oranges. Having a religious symbol on a town's shield should have no impact on people who aren't of that religion. Most likely, that symbol was put there because the town was settled by people of that particular religion way back when. Since the entire town was made up of people of that faith, they would put that symbol on the town shield, and maybe in the courthouse. That doesn't mean that somebody with a different belief is going to be discriminated against in that town today.
I concede this, and do kind of have to kind of wonder about the grandfather clause on some of this stuff. I wouldn't demand, for example, if "God" was on the Liberty Bell for it to be buffed out, obvioulsy. History is history.
Maybe this whole difference of opinion is linked back to our different experiences based on living in different parts of the country where religion is treated much differently.
I doubt it. I lived in Buffalo NY where it was ... I dunno, blue collar and everyone watched out for everyone else, but religion was never shoved down your neck. I think it's been more recent where it's really become a fad to love god.
A town near here has a large church in the center of town. There was a large cross on the steeple of that church. Some guy sued the town and the church years ago and won, forcing them to remove the cross from the steeple. IMO, that is lunacy.
I agree, that is absolutely ludacris. However, on the other hand, a church out here rang it's bells loudly several times every hour every day. The noise angered some folk around town, and eventually sued the church to stop the bells so they could .. you know.. sleep. The Church, of course, claimed it was infringing on their freedom of religion and expression. Both of these examples are just stupid.
Argue to change venue because you don't think you could get a fair trial in that courtroom. Whatever. It's not that big a deal IMO. But then again, it may be more of a big deal elsewhere.
As I said earlier, if it's old, and on a historical building fine, but if it's a new erection or a new addition to what's already there, it has no place.
edit: formatting.
