March 14, 2012
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Any rational thinking person will wonder why so many people are voting for Santorum. The reason is that many people are not interested in voting rationally either because they are unable to grasp the issues rationally and analyze them, or because they just don’t want to. Just yesterday I heard on voter being interviewed saying she thought Obama was a Muslim, and a man saying that Obama wasn’t qualified to be President because both of his parents were not born in theUnited States. How do we deal with these idiots who are voting?
Instead, these people are voting according to “morals”. And “values”. Most people have not thought about stating their own personal values, so most people just take the values and morals that are presented to them from a church. But what about free-thinkers? (I’m defining a free thinker here as one who is not a slave to a church’s teachings.) They chafe at the accusations made by many religious zealots that if they don’t get their values from a church or a historical book, that they must not have any values. So what does a free-thinker do?
A free-thinker should come up with his own values statement. They should come up with an elevator speech that will state their values in 30 seconds or less. Then they are prepared to meet the religionists on their own turf. And win when the religionists claim that it is a battle to be fought. And they are prepared to discuss politics with people who cannot discuss rationally. Do you, as a free thinker, have a set of values you can give at a moment’s notice?
I am not saying all free thinkers should take mine, but I would like to share mine with you. I believe, as a free thinker, that I have the ability and the responsibility to do all that I can to develop as much as I can for all that it means to be human both in myself and others. That’s it. I will pit these values against any values that any church wants to throw at me. (Then the fun begins in defining what it means to be human.)
And with this, I can measure Obama against Santorum, or Newt, or Romney and I now have a reason I can share of why Obama is superior without resorting to the rational reasons. A big problem I see is that free thinkers and progressives are not rising to the occasion of discussing politics via values and morals but only rationally.
Santorum’s immoral values are getting media attention each and every day. Yet Obama’s values are not even being heard. For those who will vote strictly by values, and not by reason, Santorum and the other moralistic pretenders will get their vote. We need to be able and we need to be prepared to discuss the alternatives to these charlatans on a level of values and morals. All it takes is a little reflection and a little preparation. From all of us free thinkers.
Comments (11)
to me that is the state of politics, people vote for whoever says the most provocative things rather than the most productive.
Frustratingly enough i don’t think that all the reflection and preparation in the world will help the free thinkers change the set in stone beliefs of most evangeelical christians. I think that the power of the church’s propaganda has convinced them that they are fit to judge because they are better than those who ‘don’t believe’–faulty circular reasoning. Robert Reich had a good article about this if you’re interested: http://robertreich.org/post/19266068257
Of course i agree with you, millions of people are good without g0d. We even have values and morals without having to base it on scripture.
Santorum is bizarre. When he met his wife, she was shacked up with an ob/gyn who ran an abortion clinic.
Later, his wife became pregnant with a baby with severe birth defects. The doctor recommended abortion, but the Santorums wouldn’t hear of it. She gave birth at 5 months and her own life was threatened. The baby lived two hours. Then, the Santorums took it home and kept it in bed with them. They told their other kids to call it their brother.
@an_OM_aly -Thanks for the link by Reich. I read other good things by him but not this article. I just wish he had included politics, especially Fundamentalist Republicanism in his descriptions of moral bankruptcy.
well stated !
Amen. hope the freethinking majority will vote for Obama come November. I cannot stand to hear Santorum speak. He just doesn’t make sense to me.
Serious stuff.
I was waiting for my husband to pick me up from work yesterday and one of the guys that I’ve worked with for years stopped by to say hi. I asked him who he was planning on voting for. His response was whoever has the best story to tell. I told him of the weird week I’ve had (told to apply for a certain job) and asked what his views were, then I explained the algae for fuel thing to him. He now wants to vote for Obama because he accepted that as an idea to provide fuel instead of war over oil. He now wants to volunteer his summer for the campaign (which I have no opinion in whatsoever). I think I’m done studying Religion and Philosophy of God. I just want to simplify my life and be a humanist. I still believe that you can’t mix church and state without violating someone elses beliefs and rights. Me, I’m tired of arguing. =)
Obama did not be anti gay marriage as Santorum, which takes a bit of evolution and progressive thinking instead of Santorum’s stubborn insistence. Leaders have to pick and choose positions and Santorum is highly unlikely to be more progressive than what the Catholic Church has chosen to do.
If the Catholic Church gets another Pope, some changes might be order….
Since Christians like what Jesus has said, Why is it that the line that it is harder for a rich man to enter into heaven given such low priority? This is the clue to where Santorum really has sold his soul to…..
I suppose someone might compose a list of progressive stuff that Obama supports, I really can’t off hand find a really bad suggestion by Obama that is too harsh or crazy….
@PPhilip -Thanks for the thoughtful comment
The only worry I have about the election is that I keep remembering the old baseball quote: “Overconfidence may yet cost the Dodgers sixth place.”
But you’re right. I do need to come up with an elevator speech. Yours is great, but I’m not sure it fits my personality. I say that even though we agree on everything.