Do you think that Americans would like to experiment more sexually if they weren't so guilt ridden and brainwashed by religion.\nI am not anti-religion. But it seems to me that in the States far too many people have hang-ups about sexual adventure.\nYet per capita you have the highest divorce rate in the world.Is this why.\nHang loose and we can all enjoy ouselves - and still go to heaven! KC UK
126600
Yeah........but have already posted my opinions before...so kind of tired now ..:-)\n\nI will let somebody else have a go :-)
506333
Yes, I agree with you. The U.S government should legalize the prostitution. I can't believe that America is still super conservative, and the religious fanatics still influence on the government. Gosh!!!
112857
I don't think you'll find any "pro abstinence" sex ed videos other than from religious sources, so one would expect them to have religious slants.  The powers that be simply refuse to allow abstinence only videos to grace the educational field...
596442
Christian fundamentalism. Americans are a lot more uptight about such things than most of the rest of the world. Our (American's) adherance to religious doctrine served us well through the developmental stages of our country, but I feel that we're getting to the time where we should probably start thinking for ourselves a bit more.
173030
I have nothing against same-sex marriages. I think it's really stupid how the government is not allowing it in the US. We have the freedom of religion. Wouldn't that mean that we have the freedom to choose what sex our marriage partner is? This topic is purely religious, and what happened to "seperation of church and state"? For the land of the free, there are a lot of useless things restricting our freedom.
80591
Obviously most of these people do not think that faith is a stumbling block on the path to a safer, more enlightened, less warlike future. I fully believe that this is the case, though.\n\nThe hard truth is that if there were no religion the World Trade Center would still stand, there would be peace in the Middle East, and 2,000+ dead American kids would be home with their families right now.\n\nSadly, faith fills a void in people's lives that folks like you and me will never understand. The need to "be part of something greater," is so intense that it prevents most people from looking at their beliefs objectively. If they did they might see faith as the divisive factor that it is.\n\nNow, I know that Jesus helps a lot of people sleep better at night, and I'm not coming down on that. But his name has also been used as a license to commit atrocities throughout history. Religion provides a justification for doing terrible things to other people. I cannot understand this.\n\nNow, you're talking about "eradicating religion." I've got news for you. If aliens landed tomorrow and revealed that "Earth" was the top-rated television show in Beta-Centauri, and they showed us the scripts for the past four-thousand years, including the "Christianity" outline, the majority of Christians would not accept that their faith was faulty. It's that strong. \n\nSo, your idea of eradicating religion simply will never work. Instead, what we have to do is find like-minded, rational people and talk about things with them. We also have to find the people with whom we disagree most and talk to them.\n\nIf you can convince a young-earth Christian that not all atheists are bad people, you will have done a tremendous amount of good. That opens the doors to them realizing that not all homosexuals are bad people. That opens the doors to the idea that maybe fire and brimstone and judgement are not the path to take.\n\nWe will never eliminate faith during our lifetimes. What we can do is try to make inroads into the minds and hearts of the faithful and try to gain a greater appreciation for where one-another is coming from.
463963
My husband and I saw this on the news this morning. We both agreed that either they (Toys For Tots)should ask the families first their opinions before rejecting the toys or they should be given to churches to give out at Christmas. There are a lot of families that wouldn't mind the toys. I don't think all of the children should suffer because of a few others beliefs (I feel the same about Halloween). After all we do live in America... don't we? Since when is it American to not be Christian? Oh that's right... most of the people complaining aren't American. Silly me!
450696
Hi, Arianne. Your question has been on my mind for years because l also notice that a lot of Americans are hooked on drugs (be of any kind). l am not racist, just stating a fact based on the numerous readings l've done. l also watch mostly US tv shows and movies and i cant help but notice that substance abuse "look normal" and something each and everyone has to go through. lt's a major problem that has been there for a long time and is still there....for how long? \nl dont want to go on blaming people. ln my opinion, they have to be more spiritual. Too many think they dont need God since they can go on with their life doing what they want to do. Too much freedom is not good.
336970
I would have to say because people here are selfish and dont want to put the others above their own needs and desires... We live in a selfish and self gratifying society here in the states.... It is supposed to be til death do you part but today it is most of the time til one person is unhappy do we part..... Very sad indeed.... Also states like NV allow divorce for most any reason and that is very sad too.... You need to be committed when you get married and be ready to be married! I only feel divirce is necessary for 4 reasons... Adultery, Fornication , abandonment with no intent of ever coming back and if the unbelieving person wants out and also in cases of abuse to the point one person may be killed and also if the kids are being sexually abused and hurt by either partner and they are not willing to get help or change.... These are the only reasons i believe in divorcing.... This is mainly my opinion here but alot of it is Biblical as well...... I dont know all of the answers to this and i hope others can shed light on this as well!
612475
Religion often makes us feel guilty about the most common human experiences, usually related to sex. This clearly contradicts nature. Sex is sex. If you're of the legal age, with another consenting adult, and aware of the risks/protection, then knock yourself out. This really has nothing to do with morals, mostly just religion.
201144
I REALLY don't understand what the big deal is all about.\nThis world is a weird and scary place. If an adult can find true love and wants to marry someone, I don't care if they are gay or black, or Hindu or little people or WHATEVER. That will have absolutly NOTHING to do with my marriage. I do understand that marriage is a sacred thing but, isn't it up to us to keep our own marriages sacred rather than poke around in someone elses business?\n\n  The divorce rate is around 50% in this country. What is so sacred about that? Since Gays and lesbians arn't allowed to marry, the high divorce rate and the lack of respect for marriage is an obvious sign that most straight people don't honor marriage. Maybe if we allowed gays to marry, they could teach us straights a thing or two.\n\n  Could it be at all possible that people are afraid to let gays marry because maybe the gays will be more successful at it? Just a thought.\n  And as for the people that quote bible passages against gay marriage, I can pop my head into the bible and find tons of quotes advocating slavery, incest and all that jazz.\nThe fact is that this country was founded on the principal of "Separation of Church and State" Look it up if you don't understand. I appreciate other peoples religous views but,\nIf we do not see eye to eye, it is because we have different opinions and NOT because one of us is right or wrong. To behave in a self-ritous way like that is ignorant and just plain rude.\n  Also, There are THOUSANDS of orphans and foster kids living in institutions. They are sent out into the world without a family once they turn 18. I bet dollars to donuts that if you ask these kids, they would much rather live in a nice home with a couple of  married gays than the orphanage. If gays could marry and adopt, it would give these forgotten children a chance to be a part of a loving and supportive family for LIFE. How happy they would be to have their own bedroom and parents to help with their homework and to see them in the school play? \nWe have already tried hating people for being different and it dosn't seem to have done much good. Maybe we can all try to be more loving or understanding to people different than us. Maybe we Christians can see past the hatred and fear to the TRUE word of Jesus Christ. I don't remember Jesus hating on "sinners" or people different than Him. I remember acceptance and UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. WWJD? In your HEART you know the answer. \nPlease forgive any misspellings, spellcheck is on the fritz.
131161
I think it has a lot more to do with social conditions than it does god. Contact with Europeans didn't help them any. I know much social unrest was created in Africa when European nations tried to create borders in Africa with out considering relationships between tribes. Bush would only give money to help the AIDS crisis in Africa if abstinance education replaced condoms. This is part of his Christian ideals, but condoms would help much better than abstinance. All the Hindu people I've ever met have been wonderful, intelligent people. I think their religion is beautiful and deeply meaningful. I'm glad you like your god, I'm glad it works for you, but I don't think it is fair to put your god above someone elses just because of the social conditions they live in.
675191
I agree with you there. And can I just say that while I know not every American is exactly the same, it does frequently seem to be people from the US that are sending me instant messages trying to convert me and get me to repent because they believe the end of the world is near and they want to save me!\n\nReligion figures as a huge part of some peoples lives I guess, but I do wish we could be allowed to form our own opinions in peace!
598462
Because we are still way too Victorian.  Once upon a time (I've told this story before, a long time ago, sex was considered normal....as normal as eating, sleeping, etc...a part of life.  However, it was denigrated by Christians in the past as evil.  Making something forbidden and evil corrupts it.  People abuse it.  Just like eating.  If one has no issues with food, there is no problem.  But food issues causes problems like anorexia, bulimia, obesity, etc.  I like to blame a lot of this on christian because they deny the body thinking only issues of the soul are good.  But we are body and soul.  It is only in acceptance of our body that we become balanced (by the way I know it is not just Christians that do this but they have done so much to destroy peace of mind regarding this.)   Question for uptights:  Who do you think invented sex?  Do you think God did?  And if he/she did, why is it we have that strong urge even when we are alone and without are partner?  Didn't God invent that too?
94509
There are a lot of things going on here, I think.\n\nFirst off is the Judeo-Christian belief that sex (especially premarital sex) is somehow evil and corrupting(though this belief is certainly shared with other religions). There are no reasons to believe this other than religious ones. Yet, we, as a culture (Western culture) are so ashamed of sex that we've become ashamed of ourselves and do terrible things to avoid having sexual desires.\n\nSecondly, there's a belief that teaching teenagers about sex will cause them to go crazy and start humping like mad. Of course, they already are, but never mind that. It's kind of the ostrich and the sand syndrome. What people don't realize is that teaching about sex, reinforcing the positive aspects while teaching about safety, is utterly necessary. Abstinence only works on paper. And I also think that abstinence just makes one more loathesome of one's own body and natural physical desires. I mean, if we didn't have physical desires and act on them, how would our species continue?
121785
I think society in the US is selfish and materialistic.  In general, we tend to judge by looks, not by the inner beauty.  We look for convenience as we tend to be lazier.  This once Christian nation is now more heathen than it ever has been.  We are a lost culture who picks up anything that sounds good to them and agrees with what they believe.  The fact that we are more acceptant of homosexuality, divorce, affairs, pornography, etc., shows how lost and shameless we are.  It is really sad to see where we came from (the founding of America and the writers of the Declaration of Independence and how far we have fallen.  It is truly sad to see what we have become.
419667
Sex is natural, sex is good. Only thang is, love takes work and most people nowadays don't have "time". They want what they want when they want it and they dont want last weeks model..Sadly it seems americans are becoming more and more shallow and materialistic in general terms..It's what MTV is teaching em..Have fun now, pay later...Me...Me...Me... The great news is, there are still a huge amount of loving, caring humans around..I meet them all the time. Wait for one, you'll catch em...In the meantime, have lots's of safe sex and enjoy your precious life!   Kevin