Contrary to what we have always been told, human life is NOT sacred.

[Eliot Rosewater]

The idea that a given person's life is sacred and needs to be honored, depends on the person.

Only if you go with the bullshit that ALL life, human life, is sacred, and it simply isnt.

No such thing as souls or god. Life is life, not sacred.

Now it is the McCain situation that made me think of this but I actually agree that while he has a whole lot of bad in his background, he has good too so let him die in peace.

But not all life is sacred, sorry.

(in comparison to a lot of republicans, McCain is practically a fucking saint)

[oberliner]

1. ????

No such thing as souls or God?

[PJMcK]

2. What is sacred? (n/t)

[Eliot Rosewater]

3. Probably the earth, little else. That, Jimi Hendrix and cheeseburgers.

[PJMcK]

4. Maybe spaghetti? (n/t)

[Igel]

10. Why?

[irisblue]

7. Perfect cup of coffee as well.

[Claritie Pixie]

5. If that's what you choose to believe, your choice. How do you eplain compassion, love, joy....

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. Either all life is sacred or none of it is

A fetus is no more sacred than a living child, but the GOP treats them like they are.

The children we kill during wartime are not less sacred than American children, but they are treated as such.

A prisoner on death row for murder took a "sacred" human life, but should mean his or her life should be taken by the state, especially when the death penalty is given disproportionately to poor people of color.

I'm not going to get into an argument about souls and the existance of God, but don't tell me one life is more sacred than another.

[Cary]

11. What makes something alive?

Where does the essence of our being reside? As I sit here I perceive my being as residing somewhere behind my eyes but is that correct? After all, our perception is mostly illusion.

[Brawndo]

8. Its more nuanced than that

All life starts out as sacred, or worthy of respect if you prefer, but choices and actions can void its sacrosanct nature. Committing the worst behaviors that humans can exhibit is tantamount to willingly giving up something precious that cannot be restored.
But we all start with a blank slate.
With regard to McCain, his impending death should in no way be celebrated yet neither should he be ascribed hero status. I believe our country is a worse off place for him having gotten involved in politics. I submit to you Sarah Palin, who like Obama stated, paved the way for tRump. In the end, he has done more harm than good.

[Major Nikon]

13. All life starts out as protoplasm

The idea that anything is sacred implies belief in metaphysical hocus pocus.

[Brawndo]

14. Point taken but...

Sacred is a human construct, and its the original poster's choice to frame their point with that word. I was responding within that framework, also i'm an atheist, but thanks for being utterly literal.

[Major Nikon]

16. The OP framed their point literally rejecting that implication

Which you literally contradicted. If you want to co-opt that language and assert it means something else, I’m not sure how many are going to follow the reasoning.

[Cary]

9. We are star dust.

Literally.

We will probably render ourselves extinct and that will be the end of that.

[hunter]

12. As humans we are authors and collectors of stories.

Some of us do well by the stories remembered, others not so much.

But once we are dead, aside from the atomic elements of our corpses which will inevitably be recycled by the geologic processes of earth no matter how well we are pickled by the undertaker, that's all that will be left of us, these stories.

Has any human yet died beyond earth? That's an interesting question... maybe there's a taxidermy human somewhere in a museum diorama in a distant solar system... captured by space aliens, removed from earth, died in some alien planet's zoo.

wikipedia

I don't have anything nice to add to the John McCain story, the banking and Christian stuff is a little sordid, but I could talk more about the bear.

[Just Carl]

15. He's still a Republican.

I've considered Republicans lower than snail shit.

[NCTraveler]

17. Not sure I fully agree.

I agree enough to K & R.

[struggle4progress]

18. When I say "Life is sacred," I am trying to say that we owe life great deference

If you take someone's glass mug, you can give it back; if you take someone's life, you can't give it back

I express my opinion about this deference in religious terms, but I don't think the deference depends on religious belief: so on this topic, attitudes towards "god" or "souls" seems largely irrelevant

I think a person might conclude that "life is sacred" on the basis of thermodynamic and evolutionary considerations: I believe, for example, that we should not carelessly increase the entropy of our world, since it squanders energy, of which we do not have an unlimited supply; and life is the result of a long evolutionary process, which is impossible for us to replicate

If you want to insist "life is not sacred," I will naturally want to know what deference you think we owe it; and if your assertion means you think we owe life no deference, then you are willing to thoughtlessly damage or destroy some features of my world I consider beautifully awe-inspiring and frighteningly delicate, a fact I think I should carefully note for future reference

[Eliot Rosewater]

19. Just words, since most DONT owe great deference or only to certain types of life and

within that even more restricted to the right color or religion if human life.

To go from my comment to a fear that I will thoughtlessly damage your world is of course ridiculous.

[milestogo]

20. If life is not sacred, genocide is no big deal.

[Eliot Rosewater]

21. So does that mean that since killing is bad ALL people are sacred?

What about animals, environment?

Is Hitler's life or was his sacred?

Or is it just those who havent committed atrocities?

[milestogo]

22. All life is sacred.