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[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1mpT1-uTu4]grow taller[/url]

‘God’, the ‘Universe’ ‘evolution’, read whatever deity you personally subscribe to, equipped us with free will and the ability to evaluate data to form opinions and make decisions. Therefore, keep it real simple and say that no human being should be allowed to interfere with other’s free will (or basic human right to exist as they wish and make decisions).

The collective human race has a responsibility to improve the environments and societies in which they live to make it better for their immediate situation and for future generations.

Your personal goal should be to leave the world a better place than you found it. Remember this when you wake up tomorrow morning.

And don’t even ask me about pre-determinism

Witness the movements within mainline denominations for complete acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered into full participation in church life. These movements have also made herculean efforts to give all marginalised folk full inclusion in society.

Witness the same movements working towards ending war, ending poverty, taking good care of the ecological environment and ensuring food security and adequate housing.

The impetus towards building community comes from somewhere. Religion tends to gather people together. I honestly do not understand from where or what Atheists, Freethinkers and Humanists form a basis for their values. I am not one of them. But, I can offer my open mind to listen to what they have to contribute to the common good, the flow of life and peaceful co-existence.

You are absolutely entitled to your opinions about what you call “lifestyle”. If you don’t like eg.: homosexuality, for whatever reason, maybe it grosses you out or because it goes against what you were taught, that’s your right that no one here would try to take from you. But they are not damaging anyone’s life.

When Moxie speaks of human rights, she is not speaking of pushing her beliefs upon people as to what should be morally acceptable, the point is the way these people are TREATED. Bigotry itself is not what is dangerous, it is the ACTS COMMITTED by the bigots, against whoever their hate is directed towards, that defines them as wrong.

Gays are highly unlikely to lynch your house for your opinions, bash you for intolerance or try to tell you who you can share a legal union with. But a paedophile is directly damaging the life of a child, religious extremists stoning people to death over ridiculous ancient rules are directly damaging their victims.

Human rights are not about opinions but about the way people are treated.

I wonder if you know at least a little about biochemistry? Because the expression “chemical imbalance” sounds WTBT at my ears. I say that because when people don’t understand a weebit about biochemistry and therefore cannot explain it say “chemical imbalance”. It’s like explaining that diseases and death is caused by “sin”. Sounds stupid? Yes it is.

Bravo Moxie for your article. I PERFECTLY agree with you. Only difference with you: I’m a future scientist (finishing my studies in bilogy) and yes, atheist.

For those that don’t agree with Moxie, I strongly recommend

Richard Dawkins’ book: God Delusion.

Its time for humanity for pass though childhood to adulthood.

I’m actually embarrassed for you concerning your comment (above). Your blatant ignorance and bigotry couldn’t be more offensive. I suggest you do some research specifically with reference to your opening sentence before you make such completely incorrect statements.

You’re welcome to express your own opinion but your comment about homosexuality is absolutely incorrect. This kind of ignorant view will not go unchecked here.

Marriage was meant to be done only once between a man and a women because it makes sense. Once would force the person to choose wisely-no divorce, between a man and a women so they could reproduce, role models, and security. The entire concept makes sense but if you want to destroy that go ahead, history is surely not an indicator of what has been right or wrong.

So you are saying that by being an Atheist it implies that a person will take the place of God and run things selfishly? I take personal offense to that. I’ve been an Atheist since attending a Catholic high school, and I have to say I’m in no way a selfish person who runs around doing what I please just because there are no other-worldly repercussions. In fact I have a high tendency to put the needs of my friends/family/coworkers above my own and hold myself to strong ethical standards. And from the other Atheists I’ve met, they are typically the same way.

On the flip-side, are you saying that religious people are not selfish or corrupt? What about evangelists who abuse their followers for money, or the Vatican and it’s hordes of gold and precious items and information. I have no facts to back it up, but I’ve heard that the Vatican has enough money laying around to end world hunger several times over. Plus, the pope, a MAN, is essentially the direct link to god for the catholic church, supposedly infallible. Putting a single MAN in such a position can breed only selfishness and corruption, and if you look at some of the things the current pope has said, well, it does all the talking for itself.

Let me say immediately that homosexuality is NOT A CHOICE AND NOT A LIFESTYLE. If you had broadened your horizons at all and tried to talk to a gay person without pigeon-holing them, you would know that the majority of them would never have chosen to be gay if they could because of how much harder their life is because of people like you. No intelligent and rational person still believes that it is a choice. Who would choose it?

On to your next point: you CAN NOT COMPARE HOMOSEXUALITY TO PEDOPHILIA OR PROSTITUTION. Homosexuality is two CONSENTING adults, pedophilia is an older person having sexual relations with a child who is too young to understand what is going on and be able to make a decision as to whether or not they want to have sex with an older person. Can you not see how inherently different they are? We will never regress to Rome’s standards because we have intellectually matured after thousands of years, and can understand that what two consenting adults do together is up to them but what an adult and a young child do together is inherently wrong on a humanity level.

Same argument with prostitution. We can not compare a woman often forced to sell her body against her will to two people that care about each other.

Your points on gay marriage are weak and blind. Just because marriage used to be about a woman a man and god does NOT mean that is the way that it is now. There are many things we used to do that we do not anymore, because we have seen that they are wrong and degrading and unfair. Gay people will NEVER have the same rights as you and I until they can get married. They DO NOT have the same rights as all of us. Without getting married, they are barred from an obscene amount of rights and basic securities that come with an official marriage bond. You do not have the right to deny someone a GOVERNMENTAL procedure because of religious beliefs that people may OR MAY NOT share. No one bars atheists from getting married because they don’t include “god” in their ceremonies, because weddings don’t HAVE to involve the church! It is fair enough if you don’t want to have gay weddings in YOUR church, because your religion says that gay people shouldn’t get married. But you CANNOT say the same about a legal proceeding that has no ties to the church! It is not a matter of whether or not “you approve of their lifestyle” or not, because your approval DOES NOT MATTER AT ALL. If you came over to my house and said I don’t like you, I don’t like the way you live, and my god says I should hate you and you shouldn’t get married, can’t you see that that is not up to you? I have a right to get married because I am a human being that pays taxes and lives in this country. You can’t pass judgement on whether or not I am worthy enough to get married because your opinion of what my life is like doesn’t matter in the slightest. It’s MY LIFE that you have NOTHING to do with and I will do whatever the hell I want to! You wouldn’t like gay people controlling your life and your right to happiness because they have nothing to do with you and don’t know you at all and don’t have the right to tell you what you can and can’t do!

Gay marriage is NOT A CRIME because no one is being killed, no one is being raped, no one is being subjected to torture or to do something against their will or being threatened or stolen from or ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE CONSIDER A CRIME. We CAN make these statements and we CAN define crimes, because when two people love each other so much that they want to be together forever, they shouldn’t be discriminated against because of who they love.

“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.” — Steven Weinberg

Yes, bad deeds are committed in the name of all sorts of ideas. Atheists however have no unifying belief system upheld by unsupported holy books and myths. An atheist can choose to be a moral person because it’s beneficial to society and human life… because it’s simply the right thing to do. Not because they seek a reward in heaven. A pious person is moral because they are told to be, under penalty of death or spending an eternity in hades. Conveniently, the big reward promised by God always seems to come after you die.