My Unpopular Opinion

Bahet

I think that if there is an unplanned pregnancy and the father does not want the child, before the baby is born, he should be able to write off his parental rights and not have to pay child support. I think the system is crazy that the males have no rights at all. If the woman does not want the child, she does not have to keep it, but if the father does not want the child, he is still forced to pay for that child, and I think that is crap.

I used to have a tee shirt that said

Look at Mary, exercising her right not to be a parent, she had an abortion.

Look at ****, exercising his right not to be a parent, we call him a deadbeat dad.

How is that equal rights?

**********

Now, just to be clear, I am not talking about people that were married and had kids or whatever and then they break up when the kid is like five or something. I mean, if she gets pregnant, and right from the get go, this guy is like, no no no, then he should have an out, same as she does.

I've been saying that for years! I'd expand on it a bit though and say that even if the child is born - he gets 3 months from the time he finds out he's a dad to sign away his rights and not have any more rights or responsibilities to that child. If he doesn't find out he has a kid until the kid is 5 he still gets 3 months to decide. It's not his fault the mom didn't know or didn't tell him.

However, while I don't think there should be a limit on the number of abortions a woman can have I do think there should be a limit on the number of times a guy can sign off his rights like that. Otherwise you're going to end up with itiots who think they're "players" (I hate that word) going around sleeping with anything that will let them, making dozens of babies a year, and walking away scott free.

zaithyr

I think that if there is an unplanned pregnancy and the father does not want the child, before the baby is born, he should be able to write off his parental rights and not have to pay child support. I think the system is crazy that the males have no rights at all. If the woman does not want the child, she does not have to keep it, but if the father does not want the child, he is still forced to pay for that child, and I think that is crap.

I used to have a tee shirt that said

Look at Mary, exercising her right not to be a parent, she had an abortion.

Look at ****, exercising his right not to be a parent, we call him a deadbeat dad.

How is that equal rights?

**********

Now, just to be clear, I am not talking about people that were married and had kids or whatever and then they break up when the kid is like five or something. I mean, if she gets pregnant, and right from the get go, this guy is like, no no no, then he should have an out, same as she does.

I've been saying that for years! I'd expand on it a bit though and say that even if the child is born - he gets 3 months from the time he finds out he's a dad to sign away his rights and not have any more rights or responsibilities to that child. If he doesn't find out he has a kid until the kid is 5 he still gets 3 months to decide. It's not his fault the mom didn't know or didn't tell him.

However, while I don't think there should be a limit on the number of abortions a woman can have I do think there should be a limit on the number of times a guy can sign off his rights like that. Otherwise you're going to end up with itiots who think they're "players" (I hate that word) going around sleeping with anything that will let them, making dozens of babies a year, and walking away scott free.

I agree with this to some extent. I don't support abortion, but I think that in some cases a guy should be able to sign away his rights. The reason I agree? My husband had a psycho ex-girlfriend (before we were ever dating) who, when she was dumping him for 4 other guys, specifically said she is going to try to get pregnant with any guy she can. So she did. Convinced the guy to marry her while pregnant, and then turned around and divorced him after the baby was born and milked him for all he's worth. The bad thing is she did this to 3 other guys (didn't marry them all). She'd use them to get pregnant, and then turn around and dump them just so she could get child support out of them and get more money. Honestly, I think most people know that when you have sex there is always a chance you could get pregnant but she would lie and say she was on birth control when she wasn't. Really sad situation. I feel sorry for the kids but I feel sorry for the guys too

sarahmoo12

I dont like over friendly people or neighbours... they are not related so why should I say anything more than hello when we dont know eachother, they are not interesting to me, I have my own friends I dont want to make new ones with he people next door incase we fell out lol
Sound harsh but there ya go ! I really am a nice person though lol

sarahmoo12

I love Glenn Beck and I listen to Rush Limbaugh whenever I can.

I'm also an atheist, I support gay marriage, the right to choose and I'll do almost anything to save the whales.

I also voted for Bush....twice.

Sue me.

I like your style lol

hesn92

I wish we could stop it with all the religious bull****.

hesn92

I dont like over friendly people or neighbours... they are not related so why should I say anything more than hello when we dont know eachother, they are not interesting to me, I have my own friends I dont want to make new ones with he people next door incase we fell out lol
Sound harsh but there ya go ! I really am a nice person though lol

Lol! I never talk to my neighbors. I have been living here for like 8 years and I still don't know any of my neighbors. I feel like such an outcast.

daffodilsoup

I really dislike children. Their voices are like nails on a blackboard to me. I don't like how they are always running, screeching, snotting, and getting filthy.

I think too many people ruin their lives by having kids that they should have known better than to have. I find it hard to feel sorry for them though, because these are the people who like to look down on me and tell me I lead an empty life because I don't want kids. They turn their wrath to me because it's kind of a social taboo to dislike the children you've already had and it might feel icky to say, "Gee, why didn't I think this through?"

I'll drink to that.

Also, no, your baby isn't really all that cute, and no, I don't really want to hold him. Mostly because he sh!ts himself.

daffodilsoup

I think the concept of a diamond engagement ring is ridiculous. If a man has the money and wants to spend it on that particular item, fine, but the tradition of women judging an engagement by the size of the "rock" has got to stop. I would rather my boyfriend propose to me with a modest ring (that is both environmentally and human friendly - hello wood!) and then take that cash and put it toward a house or a trip for us to go on together. He shouldn't be expected to put down that kind of money for some sparkly nonsense.

daffodilsoup

I love this thread.

hesn92

I think weddings are stupid. Other than all the presents and money.

jeffazi

I don't care how "pro life" you claim to be. If you aren't in favor of healthcare for all then you are really just pro-fetus. If you cared about life you'd care about every aspect of it not just making sure it's born and making sure it can't choose how it dies (euthanasia).

I don't understand how an intelligent person who isn't filthy rich and/or wants to live in a Theocracy could vote for Romney. I'm not a big Obama fan but when it comes to the lesser of 2 evils it's no contest.

When there are no 5+ year old kids waiting to be adopted then your argument about "all those poor families who want to adopt a baby" as a rebuttal against abortion will hold water. Until then those "poor, childless couples" are nothing more than selfish jerks who are ignoring all those slightly older kids.

Tolerance means allowing you to live as you choose. It does not mean I have to like it or lay down and let you try to force everyone else to live the way you think they should. I'm sick of "Christians" who cry that others aren't tolerant of them simply because they disagree. In the words of Inigo Montoya "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Well said!

Ali_TSO

Even if I had the calories, I'd never drink regular Coke. It's disgusting.

Avocados are gross.

I will boycott all things Twilight till the day I die.

Warm pineapple (on sweet and sour chicken, and pizza) makes me gag.

jeffazi

Sorry, but that is the No True Scotsman fallacy. Hitler was a Catholic. He was raised a Catholic and never disavowed his belief in Jesus Christ. You may not like what he did (who does?) but he was a Christian.

Although raised a Christian he did disavow his belief.

http://answers.org/apologetics/hitquote.html

Very much in dispute. But, really, an Evangelical Christian Apologetics website is your source for this? Swing and a miss! : )

jeffazi

forgot Mao 100 million plus

Right, knew there were more

Again, if you study Mao and what he advocated, you'll realize that his regime had all the indicia of a religion. Blind adherence to ideology and complete submission to authority. That is religion. What he did wasn't in the name of atheism. Sorry.

jeffazi

to the disabled vet... I am PROUD of our soldiers and our vets. I feel that our "freedoms" are being slowly stripped away by both the right and left wing. I am not proud to be an american. I am proud of my family, I am proud when I see someone do what is right. England, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, these countries are doing a better job than we are at the moment.

Well, the left wing hasn't been in power in the US for over 4 decades so it's unlikely they are the ones eroding your freedoms. Look to the right and you'll find your answer. Think FISA, Patriot Act, demonization of gays, women, atheists, etc. The left isn't our problem.

Ali_TSO

Atheism is my life choice, but I can have friends from all walks of life without being a complete douchenozzel about their religious views. *shrug*

Douchenozzel :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

jeffazi

"westboro church isn't christian"



Okay, but then you're naming yourself the judge of who is "christian enough" for you to consider a christian. Isn't the bible pretty clear about who is the only one who can know what is in a person's heart? The bible is also very clear that christians aren't identified by what they DO but what beliefs they hold in their heart. Who are you to say what is in people's heart? They may not act in a way that YOU think a christian should act (or that a normal person thinks ANYONE should ask) but isn't it a little prideful to think that you know a person's heart better than they do? And isn't pride one of the 7 deadlies?

(Sorry--long, thorough religious education over here).

First of all I am not Catholic and I do not subscribe to the "7 deadly sins". Sin is sin.

Second, Who am I to say what is in the heart of the Westboro Baptist people? I am a Christian, that's who I am! I can judge their "fruit of the spirit" which is non existent. I can judge them by the horrible signs they hold up that scream out obscenities and hate towards gays, soliders and others their PASTOR deems unworthy. I am a Christian who knows my Bible and I know what I'm talking about. I don't judge them as unredeemable in any way. I judge them as fruitless. And Jesus Himself said that a barren, fruitless tree should be thrown into the fire.

So please, don't come at me because you are thoroughly religiously educated. Book knowledge means nothing without a heart centered on Christ - in regards to quoting the Bible and issues of Christian faith.

Wait, just to be clear, you can't judge what's in the heart of the Westboro nutcases but you can judge what was in the heart of Hitler? This is inconsistent.

I think anyone that advocates the killing of people who are different, rejoices in other people's pain, and seeks only to spread hate or tread on others to gain power is wrong. Jesus taught to love one another, be kind, and lead by example. Not mass murder or torment people. People who do that and try to say they are christian are simply wolves in sheeps clothing because that's not what Christ taught at all.

Jesus also said: ""I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" (Matthew 10:34) and "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26). I could list many more.

The point is this. Many words are attributed to Jesus but it's unlikely he spoke any of them. The Gospels weren't written by eyewitnesses. They were written from 40 to 70 years after his purported death by people who were writing to very specific audiences. They weren't even written by people named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Those names were added later. The earliest manuscripts do not list an author. Moreover, they are "gospels", a specific literary type used to persuade, convinced and convert. They aren't histories and we shouldn't read them as such. They are faith testimonies and other than the Gospel parallels (what Matthew and Luke took and adapted from Mark and what Matthew and Luke took from "Q") they contradict each other in many important respects. That's only a problem if you read them literally as historical accounts. They aren't.

You can find support for any theology you want to support in the Bible. Hence, hundreds of different Christian denominations which differ in many substantive respects.

cheshirequeen

I think weddings are stupid. Other than all the presents and money.

agreed. i saved that money and put a down payment on a house. houses last, weddings are one day

i also dont like jewelery, flowers, candy, or cards. im not your typical woman. if i wanted it, id go buy it myself.

jeffazi

The Koran and most other "holy books" also instruct their followers to go out an proselytize. That isn't unique to the Bible. I respect others' right to believe in and preach about what they want. Likewise, you should respect my right to not believe in god(s). It doesn't take faith to hold no belief. I don't believe in unicorns, faeries, or elves either. Does that take faith? No. Atheists aren't forcing you not to believe in gods. There's a reason, however, why atheists and other non-believers (theological noncognivitists, agnostics, ignosticts, etc.) engage with believers. Most of the atheists I know know more about religion and theology than most believers. We've studied and through logic and reason have come to the conclusion that there is no credible evidence for belief in gods. We also are acutely aware of the harm that organized religion and faith have caused in the world. Other posters have detailed those harms (Inquisition, Pogroms, anti-gay laws, wars, discrimination, etc.) on this thread so I don't need to provide the specifics. Ultimately, everyone has to decide for themselves what they believe or don't believe. I just think it's important that people are informed. I sent my kids to parochial schools but I also told them that when they were old enough they were free to make their own decisions about god. My son turned 19 last week. He is a self-professed atheist. My daughter is 14 and she is a believer, like my wife, but I don't worry because she has an open mind and questions everything.


Cheers!

Quoted from part 1

Death tolls

Pol Pot >2 million
Hitler > 6 million
Stalin at least 20 million (some sources say 50 million)
None of these men believed in God

Not an argument for the presence of God, but irritates me when people blame all major genocides etc on religion.

Not meaning to carry on this discussion about religion, but just to clarify a mistake in fact - I'm pretty sure Hitler was a Christian :ohwell:

Though he wasn't massacring Jews in the name of God, so I guess that's something.

Woah....let's not go there at all. Hitler was NOT a Christian. I dont care if he used the name of God or not.........Hitler was also very curious about the occult, should we call him a Wiccan? Heck no because then the Wiccan's would freak out. Hitler was a monster.....not a Christian.

Hitler was raised by a skeptic Catholic father and a devout Catholic mother, Adolf Hitler ceased to participate in the sacraments after childhood. In his book Mein Kampf and in public speeches he often made statements that affirmed a belief in Christianity. Prior to World War II Hitler had promoted "positive Christianity", a movement which purged Christianity of its Jewish elements and instilled it with Nazi philosophy.

Here's an excerpt from a speech he gave to a crowd in Munich just prior to his ascension to power:

"My feeling as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded only by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter. In boundless love as a Christian and as a man I read through the passage which tells us how the Lord at last rose in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was his fight against the Jewish poison. Today, after two thousand years, with deepest emotion I recognize more profoundly than ever before the fact that it was for this that He had to shed his blood upon the Cross. As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have the duty to be a fighter for truth and justice."

He may not be the kind of Xtian you are or the kind of person you associate with Xtianity, but he never disavowed his Xtian faith.

See my previous posts about his writing.
He used the church to gain power.

That is true, but that doesn't obviate the fact that he believed that Jesus Christ was his Lord and Savior and he never disavowed that belief.

I get what you are trying to say however I kindly disagree because he could not have possibly had a relationship with Jesus Christ, a Jew. A relationship with Christ is far beyond just being religious and saying HEY I"M A CHRISTIAN!! Yeahhhh!

How could he believe that Jesus Christ was his Savior if he hated and despised the Jewish people? If he decided that Jesus must have been white, as the catholic/protestant church history also shows, he can't possibly be worshipping the real Jesus! Jesus was a Jewish man. He came from a rugged life in Israel. He wasn't an anglo-saxon blue eyed, blonde haired model. Therefore, just in those things along Hitler could not have been a true christian - - - it doesn't matter if he disavowed catholicism or not.

Again, YOU don't get to decide who is a Christian and who isn't. It's contrary to the teachings of Christianity (Judge not lest ye be judged) and it's a logical fallacy. You're still looking at Christianity as a monolith, as one thing. It isn't. It's many different things. Some Christians believe in transubstantiation. Some don't. Some believe baptism required immersion. Some sprinkle. Some believe 7 sacraments. Some only two. Some think homosexuality is a sin. Some don't. Once you realize that Christianity isn't one religion, you'll begin to connect the dots. If your version of Christianity works for you, that's great. But you don't get to say who is or isn't a Christian. Plus, how do you know that Hitler didn't repent and ask for forgiveness before his death? Some think that's all that's required. Others disagree. Personally, I think it's all absurd and that works for me. The only thing you can be sure of it that I'm not a Christian! : )

jeffazi

You're right. Hitler was Catholic. And ... Quoted from Mein Kamf: "Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew ,I am fighting for the work of the Lord."

Mein Kamf was written in 1925-36. He later denounced Christianity

for example from 1941:

19th October, 1941, night:

The reason why the ancient world was so pure, light and serene was that it knew nothing of the two great scourges: the pox and Christianity.
[/quote]

He was denouncing the organized, institutional Church, not his belief in Jesus Christ as his Savior.