Clownboat wrote:
On the other hand, I don't want a government that dictates what you can believe (as long as the believers are only harming themselves). I don't like smoking either, but should a government dictate whether or not a person should be able to smoke themselves (a person's smoking in a restaruant is them not keeping it to themselves and that is different)?
The problem is many smokers just don't care about those around them. All they think about is their own selves and many don't even care about the harm they are doing to their kids who have to breath in their smoke second hand. Many smokers think it's ok to smoke in their own homes, even though there are others like their own children around there breathing in their filth.
Many smokers spend hundreds of dollars on their habit and their children go without basic necessities because of their addiction. I know first hand of a girl who is not properly fed, clothed, looked after etc, because of her father who is a chain smoker and an alcoholic. The money that should go in to paying for his daughter's care goes in to his addictions instead.
It also costs the tax payer thousands of dollars when people need treatment for smoking related illnesses.
So surely there needs to be some legislation put in place to protect others who are affected by smokers?
Who protects us if not the government?
Likewise, if there is a religion, which is causing people to treat others in a negative way, eg, shunning others, persecuting, judging, even killilng etc. Who protects us from that? Who protects children from indoctrination into cults? Who protects people from wasting their lives on religious fantasies? Who prevents con artists from fleecing their congregation of tithes and offerings which go into funding their lavish lifestyles? (I'm talking about religions in general - none specifically)
Even worse, what if the religion they are in is a false religion which is angering some god somewhere. eg Allah for instance. Gods throughout history are known to unleash their wrath on entire cities due to people worshipping other gods and innocents are collateral damage. Who protects us from the wrath of those gods? Perhaps we need to have governments banning false religions so as not to anger the real gods?