Guns. I live out in the country, the nearest emergency centers(ambulance, police, firefighters) are 30 minutes away. So, I support the right of citizenry to own firearms to protect themselves, simply because I have lived that life that makes home protection my responsibility.
And...free speech? I don't know. That one is kind of iffy. Because back then I used to think we were being persecuted for being Christians and standing up for Godly morals which often included saying offensive things because it was "the truth" (such as homophobic or transphobic or misogynistic things couched in "loving" language). I still think speech should be free because wrong ideas should be challenged and I know those ideas don't go away just because you tell someone to be quiet. However, I now believe that there is a line where certain types of speech can be harmful and I'm not 100% sold on the effectiveness of challenging wrong ideas.
I didn't have these views because of God necessarily. I suppose a certain measure of these inalienable rights was processed through the American exceptionalism fantasy and "Christian-founded nation" myth when I was a believer. Mormonism has a very deep USA is "God's pillar on the shining hill" foundational lore; it is one of the lessons in adult Sunday school. Now I've taken a more practical and Utilitarian view on them with God removed from the equation.
And...free speech? I don't know. That one is kind of iffy. Because back then I used to think we were being persecuted for being Christians and standing up for Godly morals which often included saying offensive things because it was "the truth" (such as homophobic or transphobic or misogynistic things couched in "loving" language). I still think speech should be free because wrong ideas should be challenged and I know those ideas don't go away just because you tell someone to be quiet. However, I now believe that there is a line where certain types of speech can be harmful and I'm not 100% sold on the effectiveness of challenging wrong ideas.
I didn't have these views because of God necessarily. I suppose a certain measure of these inalienable rights was processed through the American exceptionalism fantasy and "Christian-founded nation" myth when I was a believer. Mormonism has a very deep USA is "God's pillar on the shining hill" foundational lore; it is one of the lessons in adult Sunday school. Now I've taken a more practical and Utilitarian view on them with God removed from the equation.
