Please indicate, by circling the relevant items above, your academic year, whether you are male or female, and whether you are willing to allow your questionnaire to be used in generating summaries of the beliefs and attitudes of university students, both published and unpublished.Beliefs and Values Questionnaire
This questionnaire will probably be done again near the end of this course, to determine what effects this class has, and has not had, on beliefs and attitudes. To make individual comparisons possible, please create a six-digit code, consisting of any combination of letters and numbers, enter it above, and record it in a safe place such as your textbook or notebook so that you can use it again the next time.
Most of the questions, though not all, are to be answered by circling a number from 1 to 7. Here are the interpretations of the numbers:
7 = Agree
Completely
4 = Don’t Know, Uncertain What to
Think
3 = Tend to Disagree
6 = Agree
Strongly
2 = Disagree Strongly
5 = Tend to
Agree
1 = Disagree Completely
Some Important Moral Beliefs
(1) There is nothing morally wrong with allowing a terminally ill person who is suffering, and who wants to die quickly, to discontinue medical treatment.
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(2) It should certainly be illegal for a woman to have more than one husband at the same time, even if the two men would be happy with that arrangement.
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(3) There is nothing morally wrong with premarital sexual intercourse.
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(4) Every person has a right to choose the type of government that he or she wants to live under.
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(5) Everyone should certainly obey all of the Ten Commandments.
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(6) The possession of any dangerous drug, such as heroin, should certainly be illegal.
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(7) Even if a woman is pregnant because she has been raped, abortion is still not morally right.
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(8) A person should believe whatever makes him or her the happiest, and not worry about whether there may be strong evidence against the belief in question.
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(9) Aside from those who object on conscientious grounds, students in state schools should be encouraged to affirm, every day, belief in the existence of God.
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(10) There is certainly nothing wrong with married couples using contraceptive pills to avoid having a child at any given time.
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(11) It is never appropriate to question or challenge a person’s deeply held moral beliefs.
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(12) Homosexuals should be able to enter into permanent relationships that have the same legal standing as marriage.
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(13) Having sex with animals should certainly be illegal.
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(14) No culture is superior to any other culture: all cultures are equally good.
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(15) Satanic cults should be illegal.
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(16) Men who fail to support children that they have fathered should be sent to jail.
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(17) Even if a terminally ill person who is suffering terribly wants
to have his or her life ended, no one should ever be allowed to help
such
a person to end his or her life.
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(18) Every person who is born has a right to a fair share of
the
world's natural resources.
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(19) Only members of our own species, Homo sapiens, could possibly have a right to life.
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(20) Anything that is contrary to the Ten Commandments should certainly be against the law.
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(21) Witches are dangerous, and practicing witchcraft should be illegal.
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(22) All students in primary schools should recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day.
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(23) Every person has an inalienable right to have as many children as he or she wants to have.
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(24) Though it may sound a bit harsh to say it, homosexual sexual practices are, unfortunately, an abomination.
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(25) Even if a husband and a wife find that they are far from ideally suited to one another, and they have no children, divorce is morally wrong.
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(26) Unmarried mothers who cannot afford to raise their children should be forced to give them up for adoption.
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(27) If a terminally ill person is suffering terribly, and wishes to stop eating or drinking, in order to die sooner, that is certainly morally permissible.
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(28) The sale of cigarettes should be illegal.
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(29) While there can be wars that are justified, terrorism can never be morally right.
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(30) People should be free to accept or reject whatever religious beliefs they want to.
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(31). People have no right to free health care: they have a right only to the health care they are able to pay for.
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(32) The Ten Commandments should be posted prominently in all public schools.
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(33) A person should be free to believe absolutely anything he or she wants to believe.
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(34) There should be a Constitutional amendment, completely banning abortion.
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(35) Nothing that is not a human being could possibly have any rights at all.
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(36) The sale of potentially addictive drugs should be illegal, except for medical use.
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(37) The dropping of atomic bombs on Japan in World War II was morally justified.
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(38) If necessary, it would certainly be good to amend the Constitution to allow schools to have daily, non-sectarian prayers to God.
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(39) Though one should not be too harsh with young people who masturbate, it is, nevertheless, an action that is morally wrong.
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(40) We are not under any obligation to share the world’s resources with future generations who do not yet exist.
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(41) Even if slavery is morally wrong today, there were certainly times in the past when, because of different circumstances, it was not morally wrong.
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(42) Even if a terminally ill person is suffering terribly, he or she should certainly never commit suicide.
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(43) If two women would be happy being married to one man at the same time, then both of the women should be permitted to marry the man.
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(44) The sale of alcohol should be illegal.
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(45) No one, including an orphaned baby, has a moral right to things that they need to survive, including food, shelter, and health care.
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(46) Capital punishment is morally justified, and should be used in some cases.
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(47) One should never question or challenge a person’s deeply held religious beliefs.
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(48) Socialist forms of government should not be allowed in any country.
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(49) Adultery should be treated as a crime.
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(50) Though it may sound harsh to say it, the sad truth is that abortion is, in the end, simply the murder of an innocent person.
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(51) The only acceptable reason for having a law that makes some action a crime is that doing so is necessary to protect the rights of others.
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(52) Only the natural, 'rhythm' method of contraception is morally permissible: all use of artificial methods of birth control, such as condoms, is morally wrong.
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(53) If ET, from the movie The Extraterrestrial, were real, he would not have a serious right to life since he would not be a human being.
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(54) Affirmative action is morally wrong. People should be admitted to universities, and given jobs, only of the basis of their merits and achievements.
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(55) Incest is morally very wrong, even when it involves an adult brother and sister.
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(56) The cloning of human beings is morally wrong now, and it always will be.
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(57) Clearly, there are circumstances where the use of torture is morally justified.
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(58) If people in other countries are sometimes in poverty, that is, sadly, their own fault. Those of us in affluent countries, such as the United States, certainly have no moral obligation to help people in remote parts of the globe.
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(59) The direct killing of civilians in war is never justifiable.
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(60) The only obligation that a business has is to its shareholders: to make as much profit as possible.
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Some Religious and Theological Beliefs
(61) There is an all-powerful, all-knowing, and morally perfect
God who created the universe.
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(62) There is a creator of the universe who has revealed himself to us in a sacred book.
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(63) By far the best way to find out what is right and wrong is by consulting the sacred book that contains God’s revelation to us.
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(64) The Bible is the Word of God, and everything in it is completely true.
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(65) The Koran is the Word of God, and everything in it is completely true.
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(66) The Book of Mormon is the Word of God, and everything in it is completely true.
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(67) Humans have immaterial souls that survive the death of the body, and that enable people to live forever.
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(68) God punishes those who commit suicide by sending them to hell.
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(69) Jesus is completely trustworthy, and all of his beliefs are absolutely true.
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(70) It is possible to offer good evidence for the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and morally perfect creator of the universe.
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(71) Some human illnesses are certainly caused by demonic possession.
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(72) I am quite confident that my basic religious beliefs are true.
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(73) There was a time when both humans and dinosaurs existed together on earth.
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(74) Most human beings will spend eternity
(a) In heaven
(b) In hell
(c) In some other place or state (Specify)
(75) If you think that there is some book that contains God's
revelation
to us, such as the Bible, or the Koran, which of the following best
describes
how often you read that book: (a) daily, (b)
weekly,
(c) monthly, (d) a few times a year, (e) never or virtually
never?
Or do you think that (f) there is no book that contains a revelation
from
God?
(76) All of the miracles described in the Bible really took place.
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(77) Homosexuals who do not renounce their homosexual behavior will, sadly, probably wind up in hell.
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(78) Only a person who has been baptized can go to heaven.
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(79) Even if one can’t see any evidence for the existence of God, it is good to be on the safe side, and to believe in God, in case God does exist.
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(80) At the time of Noah, there was a great flood that destroyed all animal life on earth, except for those animals on Noah’s ark, or those that live in water.
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(81) Everyone, rich or poor, has an equally good chance of making it into heaven.
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(82) It is possible to offer good evidence for the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and morally perfect creator of the universe.
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(83) Even if I had been born, say, in India or Saudi Arabia, my religious beliefs would probably not be very different from what they presently are.
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(84) At the moment when a human egg cell is fertilized, God creates an immaterial immortal soul and attaches it to the fertilized egg cell.
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(85) When the Pope speaks for the Church on any religious or moral question, he is infallible, and can never be wrong.
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(86) Unbelievers will spend eternity in hell.
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(87) God created the physical universe in six days, and then rested the seventh day.
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(88) Only a person who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior can go to heaven.
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(89) The capacity for thought resides in an immaterial mind or soul, not in the brain.
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(90) Medicine can help with some illnesses, but when you are seriously ill, faith healing is the best answer.
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(91) Children who die before they are born will spend eternity
(a) In heaven
(b) In hell
(c) In some other place or state (Specify)
(92) Contrary to what some would like us to believe, the Devil is certainly a real person.
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(93) When it comes to any moral question, I agree with whatever Jesus said on that issue.
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(94) When it comes to any moral question, I agree with whatever Mohammed said on that issue.
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(95) Jesus will return to earth sometime in the near future.
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(96) Human beings did not arise by some purely natural, evolutionary process from lower animals: they were specially created by God.
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(97) At some point after one’s death, God will resurrect one’s body.
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(98) There is evidence for the claim that it is unlikely that there is an all-powerful, all-knowing, and morally perfect creator of the universe.
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(99) Sex before marriage defiles a person, and puts one in danger of going to hell.
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(100) God decides upon the precise time when each human being will die.
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(101) I think that after death I will probably spend eternity
(a) In heaven
(b) In hell
(c) In some other place or state (Specify)
Some Other Beliefs and Values
(102) In no other country is a person quite as free as in America.
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(103) The statement that best describes my belief about the age of the earth is
(a) The earth is about 6,000 years old, or less.
(b) The earth is between 6,000 years old and 15,000 years old.
(c) The earth is between 15,000 years old and 100,000 years old.
(d) The earth is between 100,000 years old and 1 million years old.
(e) The earth is between 1 million years old and 10 million years old.
(f) The earth is between 10 million years old and 100 million years old.
(g) The earth is between 100 million years old and 1 billion years old.
(h) Other (Fill in)
(104) American politicians are the best in the world.
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(105) Most intellectuals and nerds need to kick back, and enjoy life.
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(106) A constantly expanding population makes the world a better place.
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(107) If some American children are living in poverty, it is simply because their parents do not want to work.
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(108) The world would certainly be a worse place if there were no television.
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(109) The explosion of same sex relationships is undermining the institution of the family.
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(110) It’s important for men to devote some time to looking sharp, and to dressing right.
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(111) So-called ‘world poverty’ is not really a very serious matter any more.
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(112) While there may be some fake psychics, there are certainly many genuine psychics who can provide one with information that will help one in making important decisions.
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(113) People who spend time thinking about so-called 'deep issues' need to get a life.
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(114) The problem of illegal drugs remains a serious one, but the War against Drugs is certainly the right approach, and it has resulted in real progress.
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(115) Contrary to the views of some anti-sex fanatics, children aren’t really seriously harmed by viewing television shows with ‘adult’ content.
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(116) People who criticize African Americans for having a higher rate of illegitimacy are really just racists.
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(117) The Declaration of Independence is obviously right when it says that it is self-evident that all men are "endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights".
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(118) Though it’s not always true of course, men with scruffy beards are generally anti-social geeks.
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(119) When it comes to sex, most men are not very responsible.
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(120) It’s important for a woman to wear up-to-date and fashionable clothes, and to devote time to her appearance.
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(121) Had America not rebelled against Britain, this country would probably still be a British colony.
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(122) Television, movies, and magazines are seriously undermining morality.
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(123) Most people have no real inclination to think clearly and critically about important matters.
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(124) There are objective moral values, so that some moral claims are true, and others false.
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(125) Most young guys today are basically heavy-drinking, party animals.
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(126) America is the most humane and caring country in the world.
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(127) The scientific method of investigation is the best road to truth about reality.
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(128) British and American politicians had no idea what was being done to Jews in Germany during World War II, for otherwise they might have been able to save some lives, and if they could have, they would certainly have done so.
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(129) Women who don’t shave their legs or underarms such as some women in some European countries certainly aren't going to be very attractive to men.
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(130) People who never get drunk need to kick back a bit, throw off their inhibitions, and enjoy life.
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(131) A person’s astrological sign is an important indicator though not the only one of how well one will be able to relate to that person.
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(132) Any American state that decides that it no longer wants to be part of America should be permitted to withdraw from the union, and to become a separate country.
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(133) If one is a poor person, one is better off living in America than anywhere else.
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(134) Viewing pornography on the Internet doesn’t do a young child any serious or lasting harm.
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(135) The media including newspapers, magazines, television, and radio all certainly do an excellent job of encouraging dispassionate, unemotional, thoughtful, and well-informed discussion of important ethical and religious issues.
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(136) A human being is made up out of the fundamental particles discovered by physics, and nothing else.
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