Atheism

by avatar 837 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  cofty

  4 minutes and nobody has risen to james' ongoing attempts to stir the shit. Well done
• 

  tec

  For that reason alone, perhaps it would have been wiser to not always come to her defense. Many times, the insults, name-calling and jabs from her were carried over from a variety of other threads.

  And vice versa as well.

  I did not always come to her defense, though. Sometimes it seemed like she opened up a can of worms on herself, and while I cringed at what was sure to follow, I let it be.

  You didn't see all that was going on.

  Of course not. Neither have any of you seen all that is going on. But I will tell you why I have a hard time taking yours (or anothers) perspective without a grain of serious salt. First, I have seen her be misunderstood, even when she has tried to explain. But more than that, you have accused me of things I have not said, nor done, way back before all of this progressed into ugliness to begin with. Back when it was still just a discussion and difference of opinion. That might be lost on everyone who wasn't around for the original thread... but it is not lost on me. I mean, I KNOW I did not say the things accused of me, and I KNOW I did not do the things accused of me.

  But you truly think I did them.

  What am I supposed to do about that?

  Peace,

  tammy
• 

  james_woods

  4 minutes and nobody has risen to james' ongoing attempts to stir the shit. Well done

  Well, actually -
• 

  cofty

  8 minutes and nobody has risen to james' ongoing attempts to stir the shit. We can do it.
• 

  tec

  I think you're disproving your statement, Cofty, lol.
• 

  NewChapter

  No, you are arguing your position in ignorance of the full spectrum of arguments. There are arguments against it couched on secular grounds. Some argue that the legal institution of marriage exists to protect the ability of society to reproduce, and that this has no application to same sex marriage (since it cannot produce offspring). Other secular arguments against it exist as well.

  Not one of the nonreligious arguments you have pointed out has played any major factor in the issue. The driving force behind the issue is religious. And you have your view of government in marriage, but your view is not the reality. Marriage affords certain protections and benefits under the law--child custody, taxes, benefits, property. We don't need marriage to protect our ability to reproduce. And that is not the only benefit to marriage.

  No----perhaps you are a bit ignorant. This is an issue that is driven almost solely by religion. I'm sure a few may have other objections here and there, but this rests in the laps of some believers. Your twisting the issue will not change that, neither will your libertarian view of marriage. We as a society have accepted that with marriage, comes certain benefits. They are not all reproductive---so it is a bogus argument.

  Leading the fight are the bible thumpers---and their objections are always religious.

  NC
• 

  james_woods

  Perhaps, Cofty.

  Perhaps.
• 

  cofty

  Dammit!
• 

  botchtowersociety

  Not one of the nonreligious arguments you have pointed out has played any major factor in the issue. The driving force behind the issue is religious.

  You must not listen very well, but it doesn't matter, NC. You said there were no secular arguments, yet there certainly are. These arguments play a major role in the public debate--although they are often couched in religious terms. The institution of marriage is widely believed to exist to protect the most important social unit that is larger than the individual: the traditional family. Sick dysfunctional families may lead to sick dysfunctional societies. By nearly every metric, individuals participating in traditional families outperform everyone else. In fact, much of the dreaded income inequality gap that has widened in recent decades is explainable by the demise of traditional marriage and family.

  And you have your view of government in marriage, but your view is not the reality.

  My view is as real as anyone else's. If anything, it is more based on reality than others'. I understand that people will never agree on this, and that it really shouldn't be something that government has anything to do with beyond contract enforcement, as government is bound to do in any legal partnership. Dismissing it does not make it go away.
• 

  james_woods

  Well.