morality is subjective and people don't have free will

[Catholic_Lady]

I can be on board with that. My apologies for having minimized the problem. Honestly I didn't even know it was a problem until you went into detail about it, showing numbers, etc.

[Mister Agenda]

I can be on board with that. My apologies for having minimized the problem. Honestly I didn't even know it was a problem until you went into detail about it, showing numbers, etc.

No worries. I get how shocking it can be when you first find out about it. It makes me a little ashamed for my country that this is still so prevalent.

[Catholic_Lady]

I can be on board with that. My apologies for having minimized the problem. Honestly I didn't even know it was a problem until you went into detail about it, showing numbers, etc.

No worries. I get how shocking it can be when you first find out about it. It makes me a little ashamed for my country that this is still so prevalent.

Honestly though, where are all these people and *who* are they?

Is this mainly in like little towns in the middle of nowhere? in the deep South, etc? Or are they like, our next door neighbor and we have no idea?

[Mister Agenda]

It may be more concentrated in the South and small towns, but it can also be your neighbor. The three deaths by parents who were following the 'To Train Up a Child' book (which recommends switching with quarter inch diameter plastic tubes) were in North Carolina, California, and Washington; and the book was by Tennessee evangelist Michael Pearl and his wife Debi. I think someone that extreme would be likely to reveal themselves in conversation, though, if the topic turned in that direction. It's not like they don't think it's not only completely justified but the right thing to do for the sake of the child.

[Edwardo Piet]

Anger is a quick natural impulse reaction... natural even when it's not rational.

That can't really be prevented even with the understanding that it's not rational knowing that there's no free will.

But it's much easier to prevent yourself from holding onto anger, and, at least in my experience, if you practice holding onto it less and reminding yourself why... it becomes less natural in time to react with anger in the first place... and you can kind of grow out of it.

At least in my experience.

[Catholic_Lady]

Yeah it's hard to imagine anyone I know being like that. Everyone seems pretty normal, though I guess you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

I always imagined people like that being from a farm in like Montana or something lol. Or perhaps some run down little house in small town Alabama. ...And of course, wearing really weird prairie type clothing haha.

[Edwardo Piet]

Yeah it's hard to imagine anyone I know being like that. Everyone seems pretty normal, though I guess you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

I always imagined people like that being from a farm in like Montana or something lol. Or perhaps some run down little house in small town Alabama. ...And of course, wearing really weird prairie type clothing haha.

Being like that? Becoming less angry once you understand that no one has free will? You don't have to imagine that--:I'm right here

[Catholic_Lady]

Haha. Yeah, I was referring to the type of people agenda was talking about.

[Edwardo Piet]

Oh okay. I didn't read the post because folks have started talking about cults or something last I checked.

[Angrboda]

Our morality appears to be a mix of subconscious drives with an icing of cultural framing on top. If there ever evolved a politics to where living at the expense of the young was considered wrong, we might open up additional options for self termination. But the subconscious part of morality seems rather inflexible, so I think we'd still have issues with killing. But then, countries are able to rationalize killing rape victims and honor killings, so I suppose it's possible. Given our society's lackluster response to the global warming crisis though, I find the prospect of voluntary change at the societal level unlikely.