If atheists want religious people out of government, why don't they step up for family values?

Question

I see a LOT of complaining about those that believe and how we are trying to legislate, but I NEVER see any atheists stepping up for family values. It seems to be the opposite is true. The atheists are always pushing to denigrate the family unit.

If you want us out, wouldn't it make sense to stop trashing the family unit and start strengthening it? Without family values, we are doomed are we not?

Answer 1

Traditionally, family values are based on the Bible and they (Atheists) don't want to be invovled with anything that has ever been influenced by The Word... usually.

Answer 2

I'm an atheist in a family and I feel we have great values. Our values are probably not what you have in mind though. I value each person's right to form a union with the person they love to raise a family. I would not deny them the right to marry because I don't share their sexual preference anymore than I would dream to deny your right to form a union based on your religious beliefs that I don't share with you. I also support that women should make their own reproductive choices. Bringing up a child is the most important task that anyone will ever undertake. It should not be something forced on a woman as a punishment. Hopefully, if we educate children about sexuality and birth control we can lessen the unplanned pregnancy rates so that the majority Christian U.S. no longer has one of the highest rates of unplanned pregnancy compared with far more secular "godless" countries. As for adoption I would support gay couples adopting children since although some Christians are always claiming that all those babies who are unwanted could have homes the number of children in foster care waiting and looking for homes in the U.S. holds consistent at over 100,000 children. There has yet to be a time when all the children in need of homes found one. This doesn't even count all the children in other countries in need of homes.

Answer 3

"The atheists are always pushing to denigrate the family unit."

Where? Most of the Atheists I know are married... and only married ONCE. Not a single one I know of online or offline has ever been divorced. Have taken care of their kids and volunteered to help others with theirs. I'm not sure where you get the idea that they trash the family unit, but you are so far from that mark it's not even funny. Provide some proof of these accusations....

Answer 4

Whose family are we valuing and whose are we not? That's REALLY what family values are all about in our current society. Whose family are we going to recognize and value and whose are we going to ignore or denigrate.

Currently, "family values" is the catch phrase used by politicians who have no intention of doing ANYTHING to help american families.

American families, today, are mostly headed by a single parent who has two children. Family values would be valuing this family and helping it out. It would mean educational opportunities for that parent, job training, job placement, housing credits, DAYCARE FOR ALL, healthcare (including BIRTH CONTROL), increasing after school programs, better public transportation, and other programs.

But what do the people who use the phrase "family values" really supporting? Currently, they are supporting tax breaks for multi-billion dollar corporations, bail outs for certain industries, a war without end, health care cuts, social program cuts, education cuts, and basically anything that's going to help greedy business interests.

So, again, whose family are we going to be supporting? A corporate family or a REAL family.

Atheists and christians, it doesn't really matter because those claiming to support "family values" keep changing the definition of whose family is being valued and whose is being devalued.

Peace,
Jenn

Answer 5

Looks like you guys don't need any help in that department. Ever take a look at an inner city? Or the divorce rate among christians?

We do have family values. They just are not the same as yours. But then again, yours aren't the same as people of other religions are they? What makes yours right and ours wrong? A book? You need to find a better reason than that.

Answer 6

Well for one since those rligious political types give backhanders to all and sundry to keep in power we would have to go on an anti corruption spree to rid governments of these usual supects...your family values are based on a worthless book that people with an ounce of common sense dismiss out of hand,secondly your religion has slaughtered,raped and falsy imprisoned millions upon millions of people,so you were saying about morals?
Your religion could only dream to be as fairminded and moral as the average non believer and we don't blame the worlds ill's on an imaginary devil.
As for morals being passed to our children,I don't spout terrible made up horror to little kids so they won't watch harry potter films or read the books..backwards and unwelcome are the religious blind that blight this planet...

Answer 7

If you call anti-homosexuality 'family values' I'm not with you.

"but I NEVER see any atheists stepping up for family values."

Ad-hominems are useless and dishonest.

Family values are honesty, cohesion, togetherness, discipline, shared meals, shared living, respect, community responsibility ,collective goals and delegation.

I stand behind all those things. All you are doing is being anti-atheist by using propaganda akin to "I never see a black person work hard" or "I never see a Muslim show love"

I've seen such statements on YA and yours is no different.

I have my family and I raised a fine son who now has his own small family. You would do well to lay off slandering me by way of disseminating propaganda.

The most dysfunctional families are inner-city families or intensely fundamentalist or value-less ones. My own family was decimated by a 'Born Again' husband who subjected me and our child to verbal abuse, lies, delusional paranoia, obsession, play-offs, demonization and lock-ins. It took me 12 years to straighten the whole thing the best I could, with LOTS of help from family that I repay daily.

Don't tell me about religion, I learned a lot.

Answer 8

You mean by forcing spouses to stay in abusive relationships?

Whenever I see a theist post the words "Family Value", I know it's code for belief, so your question is invalid.

My idea of family values is health care, especially for children, work hours that don't keep parents away for long periods each day (the Christian Right has long been allied in the anti-labor movement), flex time and better schools with more teachers.

I have a feeling this is in conflict with your concept.

Answer 9

Because your idea of family values is nothing more than trashing and discriminating against those who do not belong to your limited idea of families. I am for family values but what most Christians mean by family values is just hatred against homosexuals, blacks, divorced people, non-christians and other minorities together with the subjugation of women. I can not go along with that.

Answer 10

Jump to fallacious, agenda driven conclusions, much? The 'family values' hustle is used to get votes. The specific 'family values' are never specified. It's a much bandied term with no meaning. You can fool some of the people, but not all.

Answer 11

Family Values is a common catch phrase which conservatives have railroaded into meaning Christian values. You, yourself, are claiming atheists want to denigrate family values when atheists are some of the most supportive voices of gay marriage and gay FAMILY rights. You've excluded a good portion of families in your definition of family values, and that's unfair.