Here's the annual Gallup Values and Beliefs poll, which they conduct every year in the U.S. (and, at least sometimes, in other countries). The poll asks people whether a variety of things are morally acceptable or not.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/118399/more-americans-pro-life-than-pro-choice-first-time.aspx

Here are my opinions about whether these things are acceptable or not:

The Death Penalty--no*

Divorce--yes

Stem Cell Research--yes

Gambling--yes (unless it's gambling a family's savings or something like that)

Medical Testing on Animals--no (at least unless it's absolutely necessary to prevent horrible suffering and death by other animals or humans)

Sex between single adults--yes

Buying and wearing real fur--no

Having children outside of marriage--yes

Doctor-assisted suicide--yes

Same-sex relationships--yes

Abortion--yes

Cloning Animals--yes

Suicide--yes

Cloning humans--no (sounds like the Nazi idea for a master race).

Polygamy--yes

Married people having affairs--yes


*As far as the death penalty, I believe some people do things so bad (and furthermore, that we know with absolute certainty they did it) that killing them is justifiable or excusable. I don't think Israel was wrong to execute Adolf Eichmann for his major role in the Holocaust. In the Godfather, I don't think Vito was wrong to kill Don Ciccio for killing his whole family, or that Michael was wrong to have Carlo executed for Sonny's death. But I think it's wrong to have the death penalty as a legal policy, because situations like this are few and far between. The potential for innocent people to be executed is simply too great. What if Andy Dufresne in "The Shawshank Redemption" had been given the death penalty and executed? Yes, he's fictitious, but there are people like him in real life.

I don't think any rational nonreligious argument can be made against things like homosexuality and single people having sex. Suicide and, to a lesser extent, extramarital affairs may not be a good idea in many cases, for obvious reasons, but I don't think they're morally wrong either.

I invite others here to give their opinions about the issues asked about in the poll, the same way I have.


Let me tell ya somethin my kraut mick friend!