Religion and Politics, Oil and Water...

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I've had enough with people.
When you just read the word 'people' a few questions might have popped into your head:

1. People being used as a synonym for society?
2. What people?
3. Dude pass me some more of this shit please?
When I mean people, I am referring to Americans and our distorted view of politics, morals, religion, society and their links that intertwine them together in present day America.
Now, I'm not normally a very religious person. However I was reading Newsday today and they had a special about the Republican Convention considering it's only 30 minutes away from here.
The newspaper listed some startling statistics:
An issue was given then the people were to respond yes or no after they told the newspaper their level of faith.
_____________________________________________
Support stem cell research
34% of highly religious voters
55% of moderately religious voters
66% of somewhat/not at all religious voters.
_____________________________________________
A stem cell is defined at (http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/) as: "Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell."
WHY THE HELL WOULDN'T ANY PERSON SEE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM THIS?
These cells have the ability to develop into ANY CELL in the body. Theoretically, scientists may have the potential to create and repair entire organs from these stem cells. Stem cells do not only have these future applications but have been used for years to treat kidney cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and diabetes. The potential benefits that have not yet been discovered include a varitey of genetic diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other conditions like spinal cord injuries, burns, strokes, arthreitis and heart disease.
The ethics issues arrive on the cultivation of embryonic stem cells. In order to harvest stem cells, right now it is needed to destroy the embryo to get the stem cells. However research has been ongoing in trying to find a solution to this problem. Even if this continues to be the norm for the cultivation of stem cells, do people not see the GREAT benefits that can result from stem cell use?
Abortion is currently legal. I do not see why the doctors that are doing the abortion cannot take stem cells along with the fetus if the woman so chooses? Not only would researchers gain stem cells, but they would also prevent stem cells to be taken from other sources.

_____________________________________________
Support display of Ten Commandments in government buildings
84% of highly religious voters
78% of moderately religious voters
56% of somewhat/not at all religious voters
_____________________________________________
Blatant violation of church and state. Are Americans so blinded that they do not see this breach? Or do they simply not care?
Religion is a private issue. Everyone has the freedom to worship in the privacy of their home and their place of worship for they are private institutes as well. A government facility however, is as far from a private domain as possibly. Religion should not be displayed to the public at large and placed in government buildings at the expense of the general public, which for a great part, do not even agree with the commandments that would be posted.
What say the minorities of the United States? Or better yet, what say the proponents of this say TO the minorities that will see this on a daily basis?

_____________________________________________
Agree or disagree: It's important to me that a president have
strong religious beliefs.
31% Completely agree
41% Mostly agree
14% Mostly disagree
10% Completely disagree
_____________________________________________
WHAT THE FUCK?
YES AMERICANS, IN ORDER FOR A PRESIDENT TO BE A GREAT FUCKING LEADER AND COMMANDER (if need me) HE MUST BE A GREAT FUCKING CHRISTIAN!
THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!
Come on people. Seriously. Why do the majority of you think that a canidate must be a good Christian in order for one to be a good president? Im asking you this. Why?
It must be because if he's not a good Christian then he has absolutely NO morals whatsoever. He is naturally a horrible person if he does not believe in God.
I follow this up with:
_____________________________________________
Percentage that thinks that one needs to believe in God to be
moral
89% Pakistan
85% Nigeria
80% Brazil
61% Mexico
58% UNITED FUCKING STATES OF AMERICA

(Survey based on 38,000 people in 44 nations, released in 2002)
_____________________________________________
I just don't understand the ignorance; I really cannot comprehend how a person can say, "You MUST believe in a widely accepted religion in order to be a moral person."
Statistics have shown that both there is a higher rate of murder committed by African Americans and that at normal, they are more religious (on average). Can one truly say that they are still moral eventhough they have committed the ultimate crime?
Hell, look at crimes in not only America, but worldwide. Islamic terrorists are some of the most devoted Muslims in the world, and ITS THEIR FAITH that has been manipulated into their belief that they must kill to remain moral.
I leave you with Cynthia Goodrow's( aged 20 from Brookville, New York) reason for voting for Bush, "Praise him because he's a Christian."

...It's downright scary that the president in the United States is potentially being chosen because of their religious faith.

-- -- (dermondstate@citywoxley.org), September 23, 2004

Answers

When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell." WHY THE HELL WOULDN'T ANY PERSON SEE THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS FROM THIS?

Because stem cell research is a euphamism for abortion. That's where they get the stem cells from, innocent children. If you want to say "stem cells obtained from post-delivery cord blood", no one has a problem with that. OTOH, many people have a problem with encouraging a mother to kill her child and claiming it's a good thing.

Even if this continues to be the norm for the cultivation of stem cells, do people not see the GREAT benefits that can result from stem cell use?

You know what's even easier? If you need a heart, kill an adult and take theirs. By killing one healthy person (shoot them in the brain and put them on life support) you can save a dozen people, harvest the lungs, kidneys, heart, carve up the liver, bone marrow, how can you not see the benefit of THAT? Aren't 10 people's lives worth more than one person's? The only question is whether it is acceptable to kill one person for the benefit of another. It's the same debate as with stem cells.

Abortion is currently legal. I do not see why the doctors that are doing the abortion cannot take stem cells along with the fetus if the woman so chooses?

How long would it take before researchers gave "incentives" for cell lines that were desired? Do you really want to live in a world that tells women to kill children for the good of society? I don't.

but they would also prevent stem cells to be taken from other sources.

What other sources are "they" getting stem cells from?

Support display of Ten Commandments in government buildings ... Blatant violation of church and state.

How do you figure? This isn't the state setting up an official religion, and for the first 200 years of our country no one had a problem with it, so obviously the founders and their direct descendents would disagree with you. If a Bhuddist judge wanted to hang up a scroll from Bhudda, what's it to you?

Everyone has the freedom to worship in the privacy of their home and their place of worship for they are private institutes as well.

Well, you've said one thing that's ALMOST true, better to say that you can worship in any religion your government currently finds acceptable. For example the group of Indians that used peyote in their religious rituals found the government at their doorstep, and freedom of religion was NOT found to cover their use of peyote. How is it in the public's interest to punish them for trying to follow God in their own way.

. Religion should not be displayed to the public at large and placed in government buildings at the expense of the general public,

I agree with this, the state shouldn't pay for religious monuments, and on a similar note, we should also quit funding the NEA, which I'm sure you'd agree with. The government has no business wasting taxpayer money supporting artists or art, or decorating any public building in any way. Waste of money.

What say the minorities of the United States?

What does being a minority have to do with religion?

Come on people. Seriously. Why do the majority of you think that a canidate must be a good Christian in order for one to be a good president?

Uhhh, you'd better read that again, the question was about "religious beliefs", not about Christianity. It is YOUR anti-Christian bias that made you interpret that in an anti-Christian fashion. Personally, I'd much rather have a religious person as a leader because all major religions pretty much teach the same things, truth, discipline, honor, respect, protection of the innocent, etc. OTOH, someone without any religion could believe anything, or nothing, who knows? If someone comes up to you and says, "I try and follow the tenets of Mohammed", you know where they stand, in general, but if someone comes up and says, "I let my inner-being define my life-outlook" what does that mean about how he's likely to vote on abortion or foreign policy?

Statistics have shown that both there is a higher rate of murder committed by African Americans and that at normal, they are more religious (on average). Can one truly say that they are still moral eventhough they have committed the ultimate crime?

This is really a separate thread, but as a general answer, you should differentiate between someone who is black by genetics, and the society they live in. You can find areas of the world with very violent white people if you look.

Hell, look at crimes in not only America, but worldwide. Islamic terrorists are some of the most devoted Muslims in the world, and ITS THEIR FAITH that has been manipulated into their belief that they must kill to remain moral.

That's right, someone MANIPULATED their faith to support killing. How many upper class muslims do you see strapping bombs on themselves? None. The poor and disenfranchised do. OTOH, look at Indonesia's recent elections! Good people come forward eventually. Compare for a minute how many people *all* the muslims have killed to how many people Stalin killed, who killed more?

...It's downright scary that the president in the United States is potentially being chosen because of their religious faith.

Some people vote for President based on who looks better, that's life. You can find one person who votes for someone for nearly any reason. I'd bet you can find someone who will vote for Kerry because he does NOT seem to really believe in his faith. Is that person equally scary to you?

Hey, I've got a question for you: Let's say you were on death row for a crime you didn't commit, who would you rather have the governor be who's looking at your appeal? Gov. A who is a staunch anti-abortion anti-stem cell Christian or Gov. B who is pro-abortion, pro-stem cell who lists their religious beliefs as "none". Be honest now.

Bazooka Joe

-- 2 (1@3.4), September 23, 2004.


If Governor A is George W. Bush, you might as well plug the chair in now...

-- Anti-Bush (comrade_bleh@hotmail.com), February 27, 2005.

"Hey, I've got a question for you: Let's say you were on death row for a crime you didn't commit, who would you rather have the governor be who's looking at your appeal? Gov. A who is a staunch anti-abortion anti-stem cell Christian or Gov. B who is pro-abortion, pro-stem cell who lists their religious beliefs as "none". Be honest now."

[doesn't matter,pro stem cell and pro abortion has nothing to do with death penalty...bush is pro abortion and he executed so many...however if this guy was a TRUE christian,no let's put it in a better way,if this guy trully wants to follow jesus and be more like him,he would never execute me...]-sdqa

-- sdqa (sdqa@sdqa.Com), February 28, 2005.


Dude...watch the news...Bush is very anti-abortion...duh...

-- Anti-Bush (comrade_bleh@hotmail.com), February 28, 2005.

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