Not to generalize too much, but every single Mormon I've ever met (and I live in Arizona, plenty of them) has come from a loving family with both parents and good character. These people went on to create more loving families with good character.

I see no sense in mocking them. Even if their religion seems absurd to you - it seems to be building people with good morals, ethics and character. I condone that.

Of course, you can always pick out some individuals within any religion and criticize the whole religion based on their actions, but let's not go there :P

I understand the appeal of course. I was raised in a deeply religious Mennonite community from birth til the age of 18. I know what it's all about and the euphoria that one can experience from being a part of something you feel is bigger than you are.

I think, more than the "spiritual" element of being part of a church is the "being part of" a community of people who accept you and want everyone to feel welcome and happy. There's definitely nothing wrong with that part of religion... I just don't have any faith and have embraced science and Neil deGrasse Tyson as my prophet.

I'm part of a group called the CFI, Centre For Inquiry/Freethinkers... and there is a group of skeptics who have hymnals full of songs and they congregate and sing songs with NO religiousity to them whatsoever and not with a satirical tone. Personally, Im not into singing but I believe we get that same sense of belonging and community even though it's not in a church or revolving around religion.

oh really? get rid of the alcohol and tobacco taxes then, so that i don't have to pay extra to engage in my liberty. oh, and might as well get rid of the other taxes that are essentially forcing me to be charitable by paying for other people to live. if i want to be charitable, i'll find a church or charity and donate some money.

wait, so the church imposes excise taxes in your state?

guess so, because it sure as heck ain't there to pay for my healthcare.

I'm with you on opposing sin taxes. Taxes shouldn't be used to modify behaviors. Adults should be able to make their own decisions. Similarly, they should also be responsible for said decisions.

Romney is a misogynistic racist whose economic ideas are straight from the 1850's. The only thing he's any good at in any debate is the Gish Gallop.

(The idea of the holy trinity was added in hundreds of years later. Nicaea yo!)

responsible? does that mean that if i develop health problems because of my habits, then i should be the one to pay for them? what happens if i'm too poor to be able to eat properly and i develop health problems because of that, should i have to pay for them then? get rid of health insurance too. i coulda lived a perfect life, and i'd still end up dropping dead one day.

I'm distinguishing an active choice versus a passive choice. Your second example is passive, but for what it's worth, you would be on Medicaid and/or Medicare situation anyway thereby negating the point.

For the former, if you get into lots of accidents do you expect your car insurance to be the same or lower? Of course not. You're paying for a service that offered based on acturial tables.

oh, you mean your government does.. because the church sure doesn't.

unless i'm missing something incredibly obvious here?? if i am, apologies :P

sure, the agnostics/atheists might mock your faith more than you mock our lack of faith, however i'm pretty sure we haven't tried to limit people's freedoms in the name of religion.

when folks overwhelmingly deny homosexuals equal rights and women the option of control over their own bodies in the name of religious beliefs, i don't see how you can honestly say you accept other ways of peoples thinking at all...

oh, i was raised baptist and was baptised when i was in my early teens, renounced my faith when i was about 19 when christianity couldn't answer questions that i had. so yeah, i understand where you are coming from, but i've come to realize that where you guys are coming from is nowhere close to where i want to be.

i asked because a lot of times in my personal experience people find god after a big event in their lives. drug addiction, early pregnancy, suicide of a loved one, ect ect. i may not be a fan of your train of thought, but i am glad you were able to seek out your answers/faith on your own instead of a bad/horrible event leading you down that path.

still, <3

p.s. canada still smells like tinkle

auto insurance? what's that? oh, the thing which pretty much decided for me to give up car ownership because i got tired of paying for other people's accidents. there is no justice in auto insurance. now, i have my unicycle and a bus pass, which costs about the same as auto insurance, but least i don't have to buy any gas.

if i can afford to smoke and drink, then i make too much to receive charity health care anyway.



the voters are mostly christians, or were?

oh my. i'll probably be drunk before sunrise and banned by noon. should've stayed up late last night and finished my booze at the appropriate time and commuted today with a hangover. today i get drunk, tomorrow i grab a lever and move the world. oh, it's already moving, nevermind.