For theists: do you respect individual liberty or do you try to shape how others are allowed to live?

Question

"Shaping" can include active and passive pursuits (such as voting for a legislator who intrudes into the personal lives of others)

It IS odd that governments even got involved in the marriage concept when marriage is a religious concept by nature

In the secular world though, legal contracts are legal contracts, and any citizen can enter into a legal contract.

defining individual freedom: doing whatever you want with your own life, and with consenting adults, without DIRECTLY harming others

(lots of people come up with very inventive ideas of what is "harm" to them, hence all the frivolous lawsuits on many a docket)

Joe hitting you is harming you; Joe smoking crack is not harming you; Joe smoking crack and getting behind the wheel and hitting you is harming you, but then we already have laws for the hitting you part.

Answer 1

LoL It's their duty to evangelize.
Doesn't that tell you something?

Answer 2

This question is what is often described as loaded. Your description of "shaping" is arbitrary enough it would make something as important as intercession for alcoholics seem bad.

To try and answer your question as clearly as possible, I believe everyone has the right to free will and personal choices. I also believe their choices have consequences, good or bad depending on their choices. If I see or know someone who is making choices that will harm themselves or others I believe it's appropriate to express my concerns and offer some alternatives. I also think it's responsible to vote for the person who is the most qualified for a position based upon their past actions. I also realize I will never agree with everything the person I vote for does. That's reality.

Answer 3

I believe in personal liberty as long as that liberty does not give the person the right to bring harm to others. Abortion kills....so I am against it. War kills innocent people...so I am against it unless in self defense and then only toward military hardware etc..... If you are asking if I am willing to allow all people to do whatever they want to do regardless of who gets hurt...then No...if that is liberty, then I want no part of it.

Answer 4

I'm a libertarian. So I'm generally for individual freedom.

In case of abortion, I'm against it, because I believe it's murder. And I don't think anyone has a right to murder their unborn child, because you don't "own" a child.

As far as gay marriage goes, I don't want their unions to be called marriages, but that's it. However, also with this issue, I think states should vote on it.

Answer 5

I do vote for elected officials who are against abortion and capital punishment. I also do not want homosexual unions to be called marriage. They can call it civil union or something, but not marriage. I also want elected officials to be Christian by faith not by association (my whole family and neighbors are, so I guess I am too).

Answer 6

yes