Americans Evenly Divided on Morality of Homosexuality

[ccharles000]

http://www.gallup.com/poll/108115/Americans-Evenly-Divided-Morality-Homosexuality.aspx

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans interviewed in Gallup's 2008 Values and Beliefs poll are evenly divided over the morality of homosexual relations, with 48% considering them morally acceptable and 48% saying they are morally wrong.

While similar to last year's results, current attitudes are more affirming of gays than what Gallup found at the start of the decade when the majority said such relations were morally wrong.

Still, homosexuality emerges as the most divisive of 16 major social and cultural issues measured in the May 8-11, 2008 survey. Only doctor-assisted suicide and abortion come close to it in splitting public opinion.

All other issues have either higher majority agreement (including divorce, gambling, the death penalty, medical testing on animals, out-of-wedlock births and several other issues) or majority disagreement (including cloning animals or humans, suicide, polygamy, and extramarital affairs).


(I know this is a tad old).

[marmar]

1. I just don't get people's hangups about sexuality....It's the years of entrenched dogma, I suppose.

Some people are born right-handed, some left-handed. Some with brown eyes, some with blue eyes. And some are born homosexual, some heterosexual and some bisexual: All of these are just naturally occuring variations within human beings. To me, it just seems that simple and obvious.

[Echo In Light]

5. The same deeply seated social conditioning that leaves many unable to comprehend a phony democracy

[marmar]

6. Good point. ......

The vehemence with which many will defend the system, no matter how obviously structurally damaged it is, frightens me.

:scared:

[rox63]

2. If a person is offended by "homosexual relations", I would recommend that they don't have any

Otherwise, they need to mind their own business, and not worry about other people's sex lives.

[SacredCow]

3. It still comes back to why someone's perception of "morality" is a roadblock to my civil rights...

Most fundies agree that divorce is morally wrong, but there's no real stigma against divorced people anymore... I could go on and on, but you get the point...

Yet, somehow, just because I fell in love with someone of the same gender, I am supposed to be a 2nd-class citizen?

[rox63]

4. In fact, there are lots of divorced fundies out there

Yeah, lots of moral outrage there. :eyes:

[B3Nut]

8. That's why anytime I hear a Republican spout off about

the "sanctity of marriage," I want to clock them with a turkey! So many of their "leading lights" have been married multiple times it isn't even funny. Not to mention that the divorce rate among atheists is roughly half that of professed evangelical Christians...I think that's a hilarious factoid. Pretty damning indictment if you ask me...

[SacredCow]

10. Yep...

and they can re-marry, divorce, re-re-marry, divorce, etc... as many times as they want to enjoy and use the legal benefits that marriage can offer.

[Captain Hilts]

9. Even George F. Will said conservatives should back anything that encourages responsible behavior...

as marriage is supposed to do.

[Captain Hilts]

7. It breaks down neatly on a generational basis. People < 40 don't care. nt

[guitar man]

11. how I perceive the morality of it

is my business. How same sex couples conduct their lives is their business. I can be moritfied by their choices if I choose, but that doesn't mean that I think government should dictate their choices, restrict their freedoms or deny basic rights based on my personal views, even if I am in the majority. I know I certainly don't want my choices dictated to me at anybody's whim.

If we can't learn to live with stuff that might offend us, we can never have a free society.

[SacredCow]

12. Exactly...

I'm disgusted and offended by parents that parade their daughters around in child beauty pageants. But their child- their decision. I have no right to insist that such events are banned, or that because they choose to participate in such things their rights are somewhat less than the norm.

[guitar man]

14. I agree

Some people I know want me to get my daughter into all that pageant stuff. Not interested,I feel no need to parade her around like that and neither does her mother. When she's older, if she decides that she wants to, we'll talk about it then, but for now, I'm content to let her ba a little kid that likes to play in the dirt.

[MedleyMisty]

13. There is no morality about it

I can see nothing on which to base a moral judgement.

My conception of morality is helping or harming others. What consenting adults do in their private lives that have no effect on anyone else is just not something that I think about in moral terms. Denying rights to others and hating them - that certainly is up for moral debate and it's absolutely immoral.

[Warpy]

15. It looks like 48% of us failed to develop personal boundaries

because 48% of us are unable to acknowledge that what seems "icky" to us is perfectly normal for other people.

In other words, they think their thoughts and feelings are universal.

Sad, aint it?

[Monk06]

16. I think that 96% of Americans and Canadians for that matter should mind their own business.

I don't know about everyone else but I'm
getting sick and tired of hearing about
joe everyman's moral objections to this
that and the other.

Judge not lest ye also be judged. This
is one of the wisest statements ever
uttered IMO.

[ccharles000]

17. I agree