Comments about ‘Millennials conflicted about abortion, more clear on support for same-sex marriage’

'New survey data released today by the Public Religion Research Institute found that most Millennials are like Allred when it comes to the issue of same-sex marriage - more open, accepting and supportive than previous generations.' - Article

Supported:

*'Gallup Poll: Majority of Americans support gay marriage' - By Elizabeth Stuart - DSNews - 05/20/2011

'For the first time since Gallup started studying the issue in 1996, the polling organization found a majority of Americans favor legalizing same-sex marriage.
Fifty-three percent of Americans answered yes to the question...'

Wonderful. Millenials that are worried about trendy, and what is portrayed on tv and in movies to determine what is right and wrong.

Anyone else notice, that the more "progressive" we become the further in debt we get? How can that be progression? Usually progress means forward. Except most of the "progressive" movement is taking us backwards.

Just an insight.

As I would have thought. The younger people are always more "trendy" than older folks. (Can you say "peer pressure?") That's why teenagers always think of their parents as "old-fashioned" and reject their values.

Until, of course, they live a while longer. And serve a little longer. And love a little longer. And experience life a little longer. And eventually they learn things that their parents had learned.

They finally learn to think for themselves instead of just doing what is "trendy". Then they become more like their parents.

In political issues, it is by then too late to undo the votes they cast when all they were concerned about was "being trendy" and they will probably wonder why the society they have created for themselves seems to out of control.

Ah well, such is life.

Killing babies: bad

Not killing babies: good

Re: Pagan/Pagen

Every time you mention Bush's contribution to the national debt it gets larger? How much did Bush add to the debt in his 96 months in office and how much did Obama add in his first 27 months in office.

Here's a clue: It's approximately the same amount.

'Here's a clue: It's approximately the same amount.' - Rifleman | 9:47 a.m. June 9, 2011

And, who are you blaming?

It's the same amount, but only one person is 'responsible.'

That's called a double standard Rifleman. It's a contradiction none of my conservative friends want to talk about. So, I bring it up.

Also, Obama has not doubled the national debt, as his predecessor did.

As for being 'trendy.' This is like the last word that conservatives can latch onto in attempts to villify homosexuals.

Who wants to be 'trendy?'

It's not 'trendy' to be gay. That was only a word used by the author.

If you want to look at the FACTS of the matter?

31 states still have laws on the books that allow them to fire you based soely on your orientation.

Not your job performance.

"How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?"

- Representative Steve Simon 05/02/2011
Minnesota

@Pagen

National debt = "National", not "individual" or "personal"
So, yes, the "nation" as a whole could have been considered "progressive" based on the assertion. You couldn't really project or make that leap of logic for George W. Bush, whose personal financial situation was likely improving.

I, personally, have been totally debt-free since about 1999 (yes, on Clinton's clock). I, personally, have grown more and more conservative over the years, particularly since my university days (ok years) when more liberal influences prevailed. With more and more life experience, raising a family, etc, I have become more and more conservative. Maybe that is a natural "progression" - I don't know.

And, I cannot speak for others, and I definitely cannot make such a broad and hateful generalization as you have attempted here. But, that seems to be par for the course for you - based on positions you have consistently shown on this comment board.

Just two more comments:

1) I am curious as to how the current 29-38 years olds answer these questions now compared with 10 years ago, when they were in the 19-28 year group. Have their opinions stayed the same? Or have they become less "trendy?"

2) These Millenials will eventually have children and watch them grow for a few years. Then they will come to know from first hand experience, rather than out of a news article or textbook, that each child needs a mother to nurture him. A same-sex male couple cannot provide that. People that now think it OK to let gay men marry each other, thus breaking down the last societal check to make sure each child has a mother, will later wish they hadn't condemned children to a life without a mother. Similarly, each child needs a father. A same-sex female couple cannot provide this. Eventually the Millenials will learn these things from experience, and will wish they had used more wisdom when casting their votes in their earlier years.

Liberals have changed the meaning of open mindedness. Too them being open minded means you agree with them. If you don't agree with them you are not open minded. That seems pretty close minded to me.

'...(Children of same sex parents) will later wish they hadn't condemned children to a life without a mother.' (father) - sjgf | 9:58 a.m. June 9, 2011

sjgf, where are you getting this information?

Author, date, study, title?

Ah. It's just your opinion.

*'What happens to kids raised by gay parents?' - By Mackenzie Carpenter - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette- 06/10/07
'Research suggests that they turn out about the same, no better, no worse and no more likely to be gay than other kids'

From an article published in the NY Times on 05 Nov 2009 titled, "Whats Good for the Kids"
These children do just fine, says Abbie E. Goldberg, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Clark University.

"In most ways, the accumulated research shows, children of same-sex parents are not markedly different from those of heterosexual parents."
'Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents' - POLICY STATEMENT - PEDIATRICS Vol. 109 No. 2 February 2002, pp. 339-340 - Pulished: 02/01/10

- AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS (AAP)

Also, if raising a child is a REQUIREMENT for marriage...

why is it only applied to homosexuals?

Octo-mom. 14 kids.

No husband.

3000 people were surveyed. 54% "opposed" abortion. 53% "supported" gay marriage. Statistically, that's a wash.

Yet, here is the news story telling "trendy" millennials how they should think. Talk about self-fulfilling journalism!

Isn't it interesting that the older we get, the more conservative we get? I am a millenial whose parents grew up in the 1960s and 70s and who very much enjoyed those eras, but who are now much more conservative than they ever were during the bra-burning feminist pot-smoking protesting etc. My mom has always been a bit feminist, but changed from D to R in the 1990s. My dad volunteered for Vietnam but my mom says that a mutual friend of theirs says my MOM is the only person she'd ever met besides her own husband who had never ever done drugs. This makes me wonder what my dad was up to overseas in 1969. His grad school friends are uber-liberal, but he sure isn't anymore.

I think I was born a conservative (and yet am a milennial), which according to Winston Churchill apparently means I have no heart. I guess my brain has always been the leader when in comes to my politics.

A same-sex male couple CAN provide all of the love and necessary nurturing to their children.

A same-sex female couple CAN provide all of the love and necessary nurturing to their children.

I'm a "Millennial" and I did not learn these things from a textbook or a news article, but from living life without a predetermined mindset.

@sjgf

You hit the nail on the head. I, too, think back to when my life experience was narrow and yet I was still smarter than my parents and their generation.

Oh, how times (and positions adn values) change. Who woulda thought that the more I learned and experienced, the more I would come to realize how little I actually know - and how much my ways and values would evolve - to be more like those of my parents and their generation??? Certainly not a bullheaded know-it-all kid like me.

Seems to me the younger generations are quickly figuring out that as a society we've got other more important issues to worry about. Hopefully the politicians won't be able to distract voters with social issues forever.

'Yet, here is the news story telling "trendy" millennials how they should think.' - RR_Xing | 10:13 a.m. June 9, 2011

Actually, you cited the millennials TELLING the reporter how they thought...
before you tried to claim it was a 'wash.'

The story wasn't 'telling' anyone, anything.

It was ASKING.

I think your just upset at the response.

Also, you didn't say anything about the Gallup poll.
Or the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story.
Or the assistant professor from the NY times story from the department of psychology at Clark University.
Or the - AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS POLICY STATEMENT - PEDIATRICS Vol. 109 No. 2 February 2002, pp. 339-340 - Pulished on: 02/01/10.

How many publications will you ignore?

Re: Pagan/Pagen

Are you saying that when little Suzzie sees all the other girl's fathers (or mothers) at her school play she doesn't wish she had one too?

Of course if your daddy is John Edwards he doesn't even acknowledge you.

Sjgf - Thank you for your sanity. Here's some insanity for you. Free love (if I may quote from the 1960's progessives) hmmmm, turns out it's not so good, nor free. Not good for the female, not good for the children, not good for the family. Here's some more insanity: Co-habitation before marriage. Hmmmm, turns out it too is not so good. Cohabitation before marriage increases the chance of divorce when the couple later marries. Further insanity? Divorcing, only to remarry again. Hmmmm, turns out that the divorce rates are even higher for second marriages, and higher still for thirds et al.

Dang it! Each generation keeps on trying to get around God's law, and finds themselves stymied by the results. But gay marriage, and all it entails -- that's gonna be different.

150 years ago, it was considered "progressive" for blacks to be considered actual people under the law and not possessions.
100 years ago, it was considered "progressive" to allow women to vote.
50 years ago, it was considered "progressive" to allow equal rights for blacks.

As time passes, what is considered progressive changes. Young people have always been more progressive than their parents. It's not a matter of a person becoming more conservative, it's a matter of society becoming more liberal.

I'm very liberal in almost all aspects, but the issue of of abortion is more than just 'pro-choice' or 'pro-life'. There are shades of grey.

I think that in many cases this reflects critical and nuanced thinking. Both are extremely important traits and much more preferable than just accepting wholesale whatever a "party" or "dogma" describes as the way to think and behave.

I do think that this is partially driven by personality as well. For some, there is a great deal of comfort in knowing the answers are all neatly packaged and provided by a political party or religious entity. I respect that. But for me, free agency means the freedom and ability to look closely at every issue - political, religious and moral - and decide how I feel about each. My political and religious beliefs are nuanced not pre-packaged.

I think a similar worldview and way of thinking is reflected by the younger generation's answers to this poll. It's never too late for us older folks to start looking at what we believe in a more critical, nuanced, open, personal way. I believe that is exactly why God gave us free agency, our minds and unique personalities. I believe He is sad when we take the attitude that "the thinking has already been done" in any context.