Morals are very, very important, and are not stupid at all. However, in my opinion, although religeon teaches morals, religion itself is immoral.
By that I mean, anyone who places themselves above everyone else, claiming that he or she is closer to god is more often than not a flim-flam artist. You can see it in the muslim world, where mullahs lead their people to slaughter and use their postions to gain money and power.
Not all Jews, but the Hassidim in New York are a very closed knit group, very proud and so full of shit that it makes me sick. Here they are, with their holier than thou attitude and they lie right to your face. In addition, they exclude others and don't give any consideration to outsiders.
Not to mention the fallwells, swaggerts and all the other people who masquerade as being religious and live high on the hog on others donations.
You know more about the mormons living where you do, so I'll let you define them if you so choose. At least the ones who come around are polite.
I believe in the golden rule- do unto others... and that pretty much covers most everything. So many people have given their lives for a religeous cause that it makes me sick.
So I'm inherently distrustful of anyone who runs on their values. They see Bush as a good man, ignoring his record in the military- he used his father's political connections to erase his record- you can bet that it wasn't distinguished if he went to all that trouble!
Bottom line: every since Regan the Republicans have made a deal with the religious right, and they vote with what appears to me as blind loyalty. Regan was divorced and then married again, and I met some women who claimed he seduced them years before when he was an actor. Bush himself had problems with drinking and cocaine.
It's fine to want a leader with character and integrity, but these men were hypocrites who certainly don't lead their lives as religious, moral men. So what is it the religious right see in them.
Personally I'd prefer people were careful with their sexual behavior, but if a woman should become pregnant and decides to abort the child, I think it is absolutely wrong to force her to have the child. What kind of a mother would she be, contemplating killing her offspring for whatever reason? Not to mention their right to do with their bodies as they choose. Any time anyone imposes their beliefs upon another, their freedom has been taken away!
Thanks for the good wishes Ted, sometimes I get a little emotional about the hypocricy and inconsistency I see in the world around me. I'm sure that many Christians are decent, honest people, and I actually prefer sincere people over those with great intelligence but no morals.
