CoE: The Limits of Free Speech Approached

[madriel222]

There are special interest groups out there that are constantly testing the boundaries of the freedom of speech.  Sometimes offensive, sometimes violent, but always controversial, they advocate often irrational points of view that are clearly taboo in modern day society.  A few such groups include GodHatesFags.com and the KKK, but few are so disturbing as the topic of this thread: the Church of Euthanasia. 

Started by Chris Korda in Boston, Massachusetts, the Church of Euthanasia "seeks to find a balance between humanity and the rest of the species on Earth." The core argument of the organization is that the human population is out of control, and it is the responsibility of humans to put ourselves back into harmony our ecosystem.  How do we do this? Stop populating the Earth.

According to the Church's official website:

The Church of Euthanasia is a non-profit educational foundation devoted to restoring balance between Humans and the remaining species on Earth. We believe this can only be accomplished by a massive voluntary population reduction, which will require a leap in Human consciousness to a new species awareness.

The Human population is increasing by one million every four days. This is a net increase of 95 million per year, the current population of Mexico. Even major wars or epidemics hardly dent this rate of growth, and modern wars also have tremendous environmental consequences. It is for these practical reasons, as well as moral ones, that we support only voluntary forms of population reduction.

The Church has only one commandment, and it is "Thou Shalt Not Procreate." In addition, we have four "pillars" or principles, which are Suicide, Abortion, Cannibalism and Sodomy.

Note that cannibalism is only required for those who insist on eating flesh, and is strictly limited to consumption of the already dead. Also note that sodomy is defined as any sexual act not intended for procreation: fellatio, cunnilingus, and anal sex are all forms of sodomy and are still illegal in some parts of the United States.

I think that, as a society, we should be paying special attention to the "four pillars" of this organization: suicide, abortion, cannibalism, and sodomy.  Each of these is strictly defined by the Church of Euthanasia for the sake of creating an air of moral superiority, and the organization claims that any legitimate claims of wrong-doing by acting on one of these four pillars is outweighed by the inherent good in restoring the natural balance.  If you take a look at their website, they also provide links to methods on how to kill yourself in painless manners (they used to have the methods right on the site, but have been removed).  So, the first question for this thread is: does a member of the Church of Euthanasia chastise himself from the rest of society? Can a member who conforms to the organization's standards possibly be accepted? What are the moral implications of allowing the Church of Euthanasia to continue?

As disturbing as their argument is, the motivations of the Church can be questioned as well, further complicating the relationship we have with its members.  With some digging around on their official website, I couldn't help but think that the Church of Euthanasia was somehow a scam.  Read this excerpt from their FAQ:

5. Do I have to kill myself?

Of course you don't have to kill yourself! If you really want to, though, wait until after you've joined the Church. That way, you automatically become a saint, without any additional paperwork. Don't forget to leave a note thanking and/or blaming the Church, and feel free to will us your estate, if you have one.

6. I've already procreated. Can I still join?

Absolutely! So long as you don't have any more. We have a number of members with children, and we even have a member whose son joined too. What's done is done. What matters is your commitment now.

7. How can I help?

The most important way you can help is by not procreating. If you feel comfortable taking the lifetime vow, then you should consider officially joining the Church. It would also very helpful if you could manage to abstain from eating non-human flesh.

You could also make a tax-deductible donation. The Church is exempt from federal income tax under 501(a) and 501©(3), EIN 04-324-9910.

Finally, you can help by spreading the word. Talk to people. Proselytize shamelessly. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Get on the radio or TV. Be a nuisance. Cause trouble. Piss people off, especially your breeding friends. Carpe diem.

Leave the Church your estate? Intentional or not, the Church appears to be a greedy figure, trying to get its members to kill themselves in order to consume their wealth.  No specific questions here, just thought it was an interesting point to bring up.  If nothing else, it questions the organization's legitimacy.

Share your thoughts, feelings, threats, complaints, and testimonials.  Though a debate on this organization could span many platforms, I think it would be best (and probably most civil) to discuss the implications that groups like this have for free speech in the United States and other countries with similar platforms. 

[narcodis]

Their stance on Abortion and "Sodomy" as they call it seem to make sense. Not necessarily what I agree with, but they make sense.

Suicide seems like something only someone dedicated to the cause would attempt; which ultimately would be a detriment to their cause, as it would eliminate their core membership.

The cannibalism thing, on the other hand, doesn't make any fucking sense to me. Honestly, does that really need to be a part of their doctrine?

Their non-chalant way of writing themselves into their members' will of estate is pretty sketchy, too.



In any case, population growth is pretty insane.

[modern algebra]

This seems like a hoax to me. Otherwise, why would they allow eating dead human flesh and not eating dead animal flesh.

If it were real, then there is no precept there that I am not opposed to, but meh~ I don't really think there should be limits to free speech though, and I don't think what they are doing is particularly harmful even if it is serious, except for the desecrating the dead aspect. Suicide is suicide, and I've always thought that people who advocated population control devoutly weren't really all that dedicated unless they committed suicide. So yay for them.