Does he have a valid point?

[Zzyzx]

.

Bill Maher:
"When I hear from people that religion doesn't hurt anything, I say really? Well besides wars, the crusades, the inquisitions, 9-11, ethnic cleansing, the suppression of women, the suppression of homosexuals, fatwas, honor killings, suicide bombings, arranged marriages to minors, human sacrifice, burning witches, and systematic sex with children, I have a few little quibbles. And I forgot blowing up girl schools in Afghanistan."

Some say "The good outweighs the bad." If so what is that weighty good?

Many say "That is just the other religions." Is that true?

[Clownboat]

[Replying to post 140 by Lion IRC]

Three, all viable, but the 3 year old would be dead by now and probably the embryos as well. Should you be charged with one count of manslaughter or three counts? You were supposed to be honest.

Well if you're gonna make it up as you go and start adding in new factors whereby they all die, then I will too.

I would pray and God would hear my prayer and save the 3 embryos and the child. So in fact they aren't really dead just unconscious from the smoke inhalation.

[Replying to post 141 by Lion IRC]

Nope. You should save the life of the many over the life of the one....according to your world view. Is that what you would do? Yes or no.

WAIT! So there's more than one human life in the room? All equally sacred. Hmmm.
That kinda undermines Clownboats thought experiment about the low value of the unborn life.

In the 1930's there were people in Germany who would have no trouble making the exact same thought experiment substituting the word embryo for the word Jew.

Clownboat in post 137:
Be honest. Who would you save? The numerous embryos, or the 3 yr old? The value of a 3 yr old far outweighs that of a thousand embryos IMO. I can only assume you agree, but will try your darnedest to avoid providing an answer.

Call me a prophet it seems.
I kid of course, I have never seen evidence of actual prophecy.

[Hatuey]

[Replying to post 148 by suckka]

Gods record is pretty sorry. He aborts one out of five. Natural miscarriage. God is the most prolific abortionist.

[Hatuey]

[Replying to post 146 by Lion IRC]

Quit stalling and hiding. Try not to choke.

Save the many embryos or the one three year old??

ANSWER PLEASE

[Lion IRC]

[Replying to post 147 by suckka]

If you'll concede that the thought experiment is a standard type of 'trolley dilemma' and predicated on a scenario wherein we decide which or how many human beings can be saved, I'll agree that where possible, it is desirable to save as many as possible.

[Lion IRC]

[Replying to post 146 by Lion IRC]

Quit stalling and hiding. Try not to choke.

Save the many embryos or the one three year old??

ANSWER PLEASE

I needed to clarify that we are unequivocally talking about human lives of equal worth.
Now if that's conceded, as appears to be the case, then you have my answer.

[Hatuey]

[Replying to post 153 by Lion IRC]

It's a simple question. It doesn't matter if I think the lives are of equal worth, it matters what YOU WILL DO in that case. Why won't you answer?

[Hamsaka]

[Replying to post 146 by Lion IRC]

Quit stalling and hiding. Try not to choke.

Save the many embryos or the one three year old??

ANSWER PLEASE

I needed to clarify that we are unequivocally talking about human lives of equal worth.
Now if that's conceded, as appears to be the case, then you have my answer.

So you'd put what effort you could into saving the embryos rather than the three year old.

The reason I'd save the three year old (hands down) is that a bucket full of embryos aren't even implanted in a womb. At best, 5 day old embryos (blastocysts) have a 60 to 74% chance of successfully implanting, and 37 - 68% chance of making it to full term.

A three year old has gone beyond such critical milestones of survival and has become self aware, and beloved of parents and family. So using your logic, numbers of potential children supercede, in importance, the sum of relationships and experiences of a single child.

It is thought experiments like this that help us develop and refine our ethical sense. This thought experiment shows (well, it blares) that there are tangible and real differences between embryos and three year olds. Dismissing those differences results in absurd conclusions. If not absurd, unthinkable, or unspeakable ethical conclusions.

It also demonstrates why approaching the issue of abortion with emotionalism and sentimentality (as the pro-life advocates depend on) results in unethical conclusions in real life. This is the hard part for me, personally, loving children and babies as I do and being a pediatric nurse. It's hard for all of us, and it should be if we have any humanity at all.

The (extremely) uncharitable and deliberately inaccurate propaganda of 'abortion on demand' has it's own set of consequences, too, which I don't see pro-life advocates taking any responsibility for.

It's just like any moral principle based on Divine Command. Seeking to 'obey' divine commands will inevitably leave the three year old to burn, for the sake of the UNaltruistic, yer-own-butt-saving so God won't send you to Hell obesiance to a god that has yet to even show up.

[Lion IRC]

[Replying to post 153 by Lion IRC]

It's a simple question. It doesn't matter if I think the lives are of equal worth, it matters what YOU WILL DO in that case. Why won't you answer?

I have already answered.
If you can only choose immediately between saving one human life or ten, twenty, thirty etc. then it's a moral no-brainer.

[Hatuey]

[Replying to post 156 by Lion IRC]

You'd leave the toddler to die horribly while saving a handful of cells? Nice moral Code you've got, there.

By the way, I don't believe you. I believe if you were in that situation, you'd save the three year old.

[Blastcat]

[Replying to post 156 by Lion IRC]

You'd leave the toddler to die horribly while saving a handful of cells? Nice moral Code you've got, there.

By the way, I don't believe you. I believe if you were in that situation, you'd save the three year old.

You should believe him. He said it was a no brainer and that he would choose the embryos over the three year old because he sees no difference between the two.

People DO act upon their beliefs.