Posted on 06/22/2004 11:35:59 AM PDT by RWR8189
Divorce and premarital sex are OK, but polygamy and extramarital affairs still frowned on
PRINCETON, NJ -- A recent Gallup Poll measured Americans' reaction to the moral acceptability of 16 of the leading social issues facing the nation. The results tell much about the cultural climate of the country, with most Americans expressing traditional values about polygamy and extramarital affairs as well as toward suicide and human or animal cloning. Americans generally see all of these as morally wrong. On the other side, divorce, the death penalty, gambling, and sex between unmarried partners all pass the test of moral acceptability for a majority of Americans.
Four issues in the May 2-4 poll -- having a baby outside of marriage, abortion, homosexual behavior, and doctor-assisted suicide -- emerge as divisive, nearly splitting the American public in half. The gap between the percentage of Americans saying each of these issues is morally acceptable or morally wrong is no more than 12 percentage points, with having a child out of wedlock producing the smallest gap: 49% think it is morally acceptable; 45% say it is morally wrong.
Americans are also fairly closely split on the morality of medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos. Just over half (54%) think such stem cell research is acceptable, while 37% think it is wrong -- a 17 percentage-point gap in views.
By contrast, much larger gaps are seen in support or criticism of the other 11 issues tested. In fact there is nearly unanimous opposition to polygamy, extramarital affairs, and human cloning. Roughly 9 in 10 Americans say each of these is morally wrong. Most Americans also consider suicide and animal cloning to be wrong.
Most Widely Seen as "Morally Wrong" | |||
Morally Acceptable | Morally Wrong | Gap | |
% | % | ||
Married men and women having an affair | 7 | 91 | -84 |
Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time | 7 | 91 | -84 |
Cloning humans | 9 | 88 | -79 |
Suicide | 15 | 79 | -64 |
Cloning animals | 32 | 64 | -32 |
(Excerpt) Read more at gallup.com ...
That's an excellent point.
Interestingly, two things happen at the same time. The pregnant woman, not wanting to feel guilt, blames society for "making" her feel ashamed. She decides that those who are disappointed in her immoral behavior are the guilty ones and that the baby is just a nothing who can be destroyed at her whim. She accepts no responsibility -- the trait that got her in the mess to begin with (there was another guilty party never forget).
At the same time, family members, particularly those in authority like parents, try to avoid their own guilt (there often is some) by blaming the woman and acting ashamed of the pregnancy rather than the immorality. If they were as ashamed of the immorality as they were of "appearances" then they would have worked harder at helping her make moral choices before the fact. This response also helps them feel no sense of responsibilty to help the woman and her child -- another contributing factor in abortion.
Neither response is good. Human nature hates taking responsibility for personal failures. It's always easier to blame another. Sadly, the baby is the one who usually ultimately pays.
I think the Murphy Brown case has largely been the exception to the rule. Although, now we have a new category: gays who want to defy the rule of nature and nature's God by creating babies for themselves through artificial means. Talk about selfish! Still, the baby is not the sin, the selfishness and immorality is.
The most extreme example of that kind of selfishness being 2 deaf lesbians who sought out deaf sperm donors so that they could deliberately create deaf children to raise (they've birthed 2 so far, a boy and a girl I believe).
Being deaf is not a shame but deliberately engineering (or stacking the odds) so that you can "make" a child deaf is abuse. Some children are born without limbs. Anyone see anything similar about lopping off perfectly good limbs so that you can raise a handicapped child?
Well it doesn't surprise me that 7% of the population would consider adultery acceptable (actually that seems low to me) but it does surprise me that that many find polygamy O.K.
You might have a point -- it is strange that the numbers are even.
Out here in California, I am not surprised that 7% think polygamy is OK. It's not that they're IN FAVOR of polygamy, it's just that they are not going to judge someone who partakes.
Oh I agree with you, weegee. 100%
Sigh. It's so sad. That was well articulated, by the way.
not Anglican, but provides insight on the culture ping.
Thanks for the ping.
I'm wary of passing judgement on these topics, preferring to live my life based on my own moral values. I figure before all is said and done, we will all face "judgement" of one type or another.
Seamole's posts are ALWAYS well articulated!
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