You can believe what you like provided you're not enforcing your beliefs on others - be it verbally or physically. I'm an apatheist, an atheist, I just don't care. Now as to what I personally think, well, I think religion was a coping mechanism for the absence of science, and I question the mentality of anyone who still buys into it today.
Granted, there's a sizable distinction between believing there is an all-powerful deity somewhere in the firmament (which isn't impossible), and actually believing that Noah carted away one of every animal on an ark, that Moses parted the Red Sea, that Jesus turned water into wine, and that the Prophet Muhammad met Gabriel the angel in Hira. Basically, anyone who takes everything within the Torah, the Bible, the Qu'ran, the Vedas, the Guru Granth Sahib etc, etc as irrefutable gospel. That's a world away from the mere belief in an empyrean figure.
Ultimately, though, if you're civil about your beliefs--as I myself try to be--then we're good. If you manage to ensure it doesn't inform the entirety of who you are, well, then that's even better. Because whether you believe in god or not, I just don't think it's anyone else's business. And I really don't think we should let it determine how we think and act anymore.
Religion is okay if it is not taken to the extreme. I'm religious; however, I don't like to enfore it on anybody. I think it's wrong to try to enforce it on someone. Just let them live their life. Funny thing is that I don't go to Church. Most people that run and attend church is one of the most hypocritical people. I don't like that. I also don't like how they treat people according to sexuality, different religion, etc. I was taught that God loves everyone equally.
I actually have somewhat of a distaste for people who say 'believe whatever you want, as long as you don't hurt other people.' Of course, you shouldn't hurt other people, but to say 'believe whatever you want' is tantamount to saying that you don't truly have any beliefs yourself, and it's not the same as saying 'I don't know.'
Saying 'believe what you want' is effectively accepting that the idea that humans are aliens escaping an evil galactic overlord became refugees on the Earth and when we die we all get are own planet with the help of magic underpants is as equally valid a view as the idea of millenia of random evolution and natural selection arriving at a complex species capable of self-consideration.
If you believe that a certain path is correct (or in extreme cases that a certain path leads to eternal salvation) and the other are false (or alternatively damnation), but you simply shrug your shoulders at different stances, that isn't liberalism, it's relativism (and a potentially malevolent one at that) which, when applied to religion, constitutes the absence of belief.
There's a big difference between "believe whatever you want," and, "I think I'm right, I think you're wrong, but I recognize I have no right to force my belief onto you." The second is liberal values, the first is their absence.
To put it in a satirical light, I think David Mitchell characterizes the difference perfectly in the first minute:
Could you be more specific? Religion is such a broad and ill-defined term.
Edit: Everyone here seems so fixated on the exoteric aspects of religion. Is no one interested in metaphysics? The psychology of religion? The interpretation of myths, symbols and rituals?
Well I think of myself as a humanistic Jew. I participate in Jewish traditions, but I don't believe in an higher power or "God". Personally, I think it's silly to believe in such things. But that's just me.
Can I ask you, what led you to believe that the existence of God is silly? I mean I totally respect your opinion, I was just curious as to why you have it.
And if I may, I believe the Jews are descendants of the biblical patriarch Abraham, as are Arabs.
If I remember correctly, Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, and Issac. From Ishmael came the Arabs, and from Issac came the Jews.
And far as religious history goes, Judaism obviously originated with the Jews, and I believe Islam originated among the Arabs.
And if my knowledge of religious history is correct, the Muslims believe that when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, that the intended offering was Ishmael, and not Isaac.
However both Judaism and Christianity hold that Issac was the intended sacrifice.
So if my knowledge of History, both historical and religious history is correct, that means that Abraham not only fathered two different Nations, but also three different religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Well I think of myself as a humanistic Jew. I participate in Jewish traditions, but I don't believe in an higher power or "God". Personally, I think it's silly to believe in such things. But that's just me.
Can I ask you, what led you to believe that the existence of God is silly? I mean I totally respect your opinion, I was just curious as to w… morehy you have it.
And if I may, I believe the Jews are descendants of the biblical patriarch Abraham, as are Arabs.
If I remember correctly, Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, and Issac. From Ishmael came the Arabs, and from Issac came the Jews.
And far as religious history goes, Judaism obviously originated with the Jews, and I believe Islam originated among the Arabs.
And if my knowledge of religious history is correct, the Muslims believe that when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, that the intended offering was Ishmael, and not Isaac.
However both Judaism and Christianity hold that Issac was the intended sacrifice.
So if my knowledge of History, both historical and religious history is correct, that means that Abraham not only fathered two different Nations, but also three different religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
You can be a Jew without being religious. Jewish Identity include characteristics of ethnicity also. My father was born in Israel, he's agnostic, but he still is a Jew because he was born in Israel. Jews are also a people, not just a religion.
Calling yourself a Jew doesn't mean you have to be religious. It's a cultural thing as much as it could be a religious thing. Part of my ancestry resides within Israel. My Father was born in Israel, which makes him of Jewish decent therefore he's a Jew. But he's also agnostic. As am I, my sister and my mother. What led me to believe that the existence of god is silly is because of my upbringing, nothing more. Both my parents are medical doctors; biology and physiology were always a topic in my home, understanding life and how the body works was a family thing. My parents needed facts and understanding in order to perform their duties, they instilled that narrative into us. Rationalism is important to them, and is now important to me and my sister. As I see it there is no hard evidence that there is a creator, besides multiple books that says there is one. But even those books can't agree on which creator is the real creator. Those are my reasons I believe it's silly, just my upbringing. If someone can present me with actual evidence then my mind would change. But until then, I'll remain as I am.
Can I ask you, what led you to believe that the existence of God is silly? I mean I totally respect your opinion, I was just curious as to w… morehy you have it.
And if I may, I believe the Jews are descendants of the biblical patriarch Abraham, as are Arabs.
If I remember correctly, Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, and Issac. From Ishmael came the Arabs, and from Issac came the Jews.
And far as religious history goes, Judaism obviously originated with the Jews, and I believe Islam originated among the Arabs.
And if my knowledge of religious history is correct, the Muslims believe that when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, that the intended offering was Ishmael, and not Isaac.
However both Judaism and Christianity hold that Issac was the intended sacrifice.
So if my knowledge of History, both historical and religious history is correct, that means that Abraham not only fathered two different Nations, but also three different religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
There's something called Humanistic Jew, google it. They are agnostic, but participate in the cultural aspects. You can be a Jew and not believe in a creator.
My opinion of religion is the same as most issues in the world: if it isn't hurting other people, then it's not my problem. It's when religions impose regimes, like extreme Islam like ISIS or the extreme-christian regimes in countries like Uganda, that it becomes a problem. Or, on a smaller scale, when people think religion should dictate law, as many opposers of gay marriage argued.
Other Jews react just fine. My grandparents are religious, their fine with it. Everyone back in Israel whom I know are religious are fine with it and they still see me as Jew. The only problem I can relay, is my grandfather did have an issue with my Father marrying my mother because she wasn't Jewish. But that was before I was even born, and that issue is no more. It's a to each their own sort of thing. I'm agnostic, I don't know what created us. But until I see hardcore evidence, my stance will be I don't know and don't really care. I haven't seen proof of a creator therefore I don't believe in one.
I believe anyone is free to to practice or believe any spiritual superiority or power ,
as long as it doesn't imply human sacrifices and killing them.
The only thing that i can't bare about both those who are religious and those who are not ,
is the ones who thinks and acts like science and spirtuality are completly heterogeneous ,
But the fact is , in my opinion , that one could not exist without the other . If you really think about it ..
It appeals to people who like to be intellectually lazy, in my opinion. Why actually cultivate an informed opinion on something when you have a book that tells you how you should think. The world would be a better, kinder place without it
Intellectually lazy people like Giordano Bruno, Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Carl Gustav Jung, Mircea Eliade, Joseph Campbell, and so on, and so on?
You're equating religion with dogmatism and literalism.
It appeals to people who like to be intellectually lazy, in my opinion. Why actually cultivate an informed opinion on something when you have a book that tells you how you should think. The world would be a better, kinder place without it
To claim that due to lack of information on the nature of existence that we must rely on a pretense of a creator is intellectual laziness. Religion is also inherently dogmatic, it literally tells people how to live their life under threat of eternal torment. I realise that not all religions are as dogmatic or forceful as the Abrahamic religions yet they still arrogantly claim to know the nature of life as we know it. The most honest answer a person can give to a question such as "Why are we here?" "Is there a god?" etc is "I don't know and will most likely never know"
Intellectually lazy people like Giordano Bruno, Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Carl Gusta… morev Jung, Mircea Eliade, Joseph Campbell, and so on, and so on?
You're equating religion with dogmatism and literalism.
I agree with your first and last sentences, but the rest is just ignorant. You do know that not all religions are theistic, right? There are various forms of non-theism, pantheism, transtheism, etc.... You don't have to believe in a creator to be religious. You don't have to believe in any kind of supernatural being, or in an afterlife for that matter. Nor do you need any kind of scripture or belief in objective and universal moral laws. Technically, any set of metaphysical beliefs is a religion.
To claim that due to lack of information on the nature of existence that we must rely on a pretense of a creator is intellectual laziness. R… moreeligion is also inherently dogmatic, it literally tells people how to live their life under threat of eternal torment. I realise that not all religions are as dogmatic or forceful as the Abrahamic religions yet they still arrogantly claim to know the nature of life as we know it. The most honest answer a person can give to a question such as "Why are we here?" "Is there a god?" etc is "I don't know and will most likely never know"
I let people believe what they want to believe and just leave it at that. The only time I really give a shit about the whole thing is if people are cramming their beliefs down everyone's throats.
I feel that if religion never existed, certain wars and genocides could've been avoided, but then again, maybe not. Conflict is within humanity's nature and I'm not the first person to find a single blame for every problem that has ever existed in the world. That being said, I do actually think that religion is a nice support and something that someone who may be desperate can fall back onto. And hope isn't just for the desperate, it can be for anyone. My final thoughts are that as long as religion isn't abused, it has a fine place in the world among other ideologies.
What about religious organizations that Wield significant political power and wealth, but not as a regime.
Examples
The Catholic Church
Russian Orthodox Church: pandered to by Putin, push reactionary agenda.
Christian Right (US): Lobby to limit access to birth control, get elected to certain posts to gain influence over content in textbooks. They're also extremely wealthy thanks to tax exemptions and general commodification of religion.
Some conservative and Orthodox sects: Push for "greater Israel", lobby to influence U.S. foreign policy.
Muslim brotherhood: self explanatory.
These organizations all claim to not be hurting people and might not on a direct basis, but they still have a great deal of political power and often push society in a reactionary direction.
My opinion of religion is the same as most issues in the world: if it isn't hurting other people, then it's not my problem. It's when religi… moreons impose regimes, like extreme Islam like ISIS or the extreme-christian regimes in countries like Uganda, that it becomes a problem. Or, on a smaller scale, when people think religion should dictate law, as many opposers of gay marriage argued.
There's a bunch of cavemen caught in a storm. They see lightning strike around them and think there's someone really powerful really mad at them.
One of the smarter cavemen figured out he could use this fear to gain power and control over the other cavemen. That's how religion started.
It's all about power. Look at the catholic church and their stances on homosexuality and condoms.
What do both of these things have in common? Homosexuals and people using condoms don't have children.
The more followers a church has the more powerful it is. The more children the followers have the more new followers there will be in the future.
There is no imaginary god that hates gays and dislikes people practicing birth control or is sad when someone gets an abortion.
There's just a power hungry institution that wants to stay in power.
I really don't have anything nice to say about the followers, so I'll end it right here.
There's a bunch of cavemen caught in a storm. They see lightning strike around them and think there's someone really powerful really mad at … morethem.
One of the smarter cavemen figured out he could use this fear to gain power and control over the other cavemen. That's how religion started.
It's all about power. Look at the catholic church and their stances on homosexuality and condoms.
What do both of these things have in common? Homosexuals and people using condoms don't have children.
The more followers a church has the more powerful it is. The more children the followers have the more new followers there will be in the future.
There is no imaginary god that hates gays and dislikes people practicing birth control or is sad when someone gets an abortion.
There's just a power hungry institution that wants to stay in power.
I really don't have anything nice to say about the followers, so I'll end it right here.
I agree with your first and last sentences, but the rest is just ignorant. You do know that not all religions are theistic, right? There are… more various forms of non-theism, pantheism, transtheism, etc.... You don't have to believe in a creator to be religious. You don't have to believe in any kind of supernatural being, or in an afterlife for that matter. Nor do you need any kind of scripture or belief in objective and universal moral laws. Technically, any set of metaphysical beliefs is a religion.
If there was something wrong with the "Group" I am a part of I will point it out. Like I think Islamic religion isn't a "Religion of peace" but I'm not going bother people because they follow it.
Now that I said that, will you finally quit whining?
If there was something wrong with the "Group" I am a part of I will point it out. Like I think Islamic religion isn't a "Religion of peace… more" but I'm not going bother people because they follow it.
Now that I said that, will you finally quit whining?
It is at the very least irrational. Supporting an irrational worldview that is not compatible with reality is unacceptable.
It is at it's norm a crippling dogma that stunts social progression, scientific exploration, moral understanding, and a long list of other factors I deem important.
It is at it's worst an exemplary way to justify the most atrocious of acts. Murder, genocide, rape, slavery. Take your pick of deplorable shit that is condoned by the Abrahamic texts.
Religions and religious teachings exist on a spectrum of "bad", but it all exists somewhere on that spectrum nonetheless.
So I can't call the Abrahamic religions "sand people cults" even though they are cults started in the VERY sandy area in/around Israel? Calling a religion a derogatory term (though completely applicable) is personally attacking every person following that religion? No idea if I'm linking this correctly @579801 Well that took a long time to link correctly.
Alright, round two. Instead of the term used before I'll call the Abrahamic religions "cults from the lands where the people have much sands."
Islamic people are also not likely to call out their "cult from the lands where the people have much sands" as wrong either. See the issue here?
Then you went on to ask why I hate religion in general, to which I replied:
Religion is at its best irrational. Supporting an irrational world view, especially one incompatible with reality, is not acceptable.
Religion is at its norm an enemy that stunts social development, slows scientific exploration, spits in the face of moral progress, and is detrimental to a plethora of other things I deem important.
Religion is at its worst an exemplary way to convince people to commit the most heinous of acts. Genocide, rape, slavery, and a shit load of other deplorable stuff can all be justified through the texts of the "cults from the lands where the people have much sands."
Religion and religious teachings exist on a spectrum of bad, but all of it is bad nonetheless.
If there was something wrong with the "Group" I am a part of I will point it out. Like I think Islamic religion isn't a "Religion of peace… more" but I'm not going bother people because they follow it.
Now that I said that, will you finally quit whining?
Comments
You can believe what you like provided you're not enforcing your beliefs on others - be it verbally or physically. I'm an apatheist, an atheist, I just don't care. Now as to what I personally think, well, I think religion was a coping mechanism for the absence of science, and I question the mentality of anyone who still buys into it today.
Granted, there's a sizable distinction between believing there is an all-powerful deity somewhere in the firmament (which isn't impossible), and actually believing that Noah carted away one of every animal on an ark, that Moses parted the Red Sea, that Jesus turned water into wine, and that the Prophet Muhammad met Gabriel the angel in Hira. Basically, anyone who takes everything within the Torah, the Bible, the Qu'ran, the Vedas, the Guru Granth Sahib etc, etc as irrefutable gospel. That's a world away from the mere belief in an empyrean figure.
Ultimately, though, if you're civil about your beliefs--as I myself try to be--then we're good. If you manage to ensure it doesn't inform the entirety of who you are, well, then that's even better. Because whether you believe in god or not, I just don't think it's anyone else's business. And I really don't think we should let it determine how we think and act anymore.
I live right next to a private Catholic school and I'm terrified of the priests and teachers there.
Religion is okay if it is not taken to the extreme. I'm religious; however, I don't like to enfore it on anybody. I think it's wrong to try to enforce it on someone. Just let them live their life. Funny thing is that I don't go to Church. Most people that run and attend church is one of the most hypocritical people. I don't like that. I also don't like how they treat people according to sexuality, different religion, etc. I was taught that God loves everyone equally.
I actually have somewhat of a distaste for people who say 'believe whatever you want, as long as you don't hurt other people.' Of course, you shouldn't hurt other people, but to say 'believe whatever you want' is tantamount to saying that you don't truly have any beliefs yourself, and it's not the same as saying 'I don't know.'
Saying 'believe what you want' is effectively accepting that the idea that humans are aliens escaping an evil galactic overlord became refugees on the Earth and when we die we all get are own planet with the help of magic underpants is as equally valid a view as the idea of millenia of random evolution and natural selection arriving at a complex species capable of self-consideration.
If you believe that a certain path is correct (or in extreme cases that a certain path leads to eternal salvation) and the other are false (or alternatively damnation), but you simply shrug your shoulders at different stances, that isn't liberalism, it's relativism (and a potentially malevolent one at that) which, when applied to religion, constitutes the absence of belief.
There's a big difference between "believe whatever you want," and, "I think I'm right, I think you're wrong, but I recognize I have no right to force my belief onto you." The second is liberal values, the first is their absence.
To put it in a satirical light, I think David Mitchell characterizes the difference perfectly in the first minute:
Could you be more specific? Religion is such a broad and ill-defined term.
Edit: Everyone here seems so fixated on the exoteric aspects of religion. Is no one interested in metaphysics? The psychology of religion? The interpretation of myths, symbols and rituals?
That's how many, if not most, Jewish people function. Recreational Jews.
Yes I know. But there's still different sects of the religion; Orthodox, Reformed, etc... Just saying I'm a Jew could presume I believe in a God.
Can I ask you, what led you to believe that the existence of God is silly? I mean I totally respect your opinion, I was just curious as to why you have it.
And if I may, I believe the Jews are descendants of the biblical patriarch Abraham, as are Arabs.
If I remember correctly, Abraham had two sons, Ishmael, and Issac. From Ishmael came the Arabs, and from Issac came the Jews.
And far as religious history goes, Judaism obviously originated with the Jews, and I believe Islam originated among the Arabs.
And if my knowledge of religious history is correct, the Muslims believe that when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, that the intended offering was Ishmael, and not Isaac.
However both Judaism and Christianity hold that Issac was the intended sacrifice.
So if my knowledge of History, both historical and religious history is correct, that means that Abraham not only fathered two different Nations, but also three different religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Edit: Nvm
You can be a Jew without being religious. Jewish Identity include characteristics of ethnicity also. My father was born in Israel, he's agnostic, but he still is a Jew because he was born in Israel. Jews are also a people, not just a religion.
Calling yourself a Jew doesn't mean you have to be religious. It's a cultural thing as much as it could be a religious thing. Part of my ancestry resides within Israel. My Father was born in Israel, which makes him of Jewish decent therefore he's a Jew. But he's also agnostic. As am I, my sister and my mother. What led me to believe that the existence of god is silly is because of my upbringing, nothing more. Both my parents are medical doctors; biology and physiology were always a topic in my home, understanding life and how the body works was a family thing. My parents needed facts and understanding in order to perform their duties, they instilled that narrative into us. Rationalism is important to them, and is now important to me and my sister. As I see it there is no hard evidence that there is a creator, besides multiple books that says there is one. But even those books can't agree on which creator is the real creator. Those are my reasons I believe it's silly, just my upbringing. If someone can present me with actual evidence then my mind would change. But until then, I'll remain as I am.
There's something called Humanistic Jew, google it. They are agnostic, but participate in the cultural aspects. You can be a Jew and not believe in a creator.
Here I'll do the work for you:enter link description here
My opinion of religion is the same as most issues in the world: if it isn't hurting other people, then it's not my problem. It's when religions impose regimes, like extreme Islam like ISIS or the extreme-christian regimes in countries like Uganda, that it becomes a problem. Or, on a smaller scale, when people think religion should dictate law, as many opposers of gay marriage argued.
Other Jews react just fine. My grandparents are religious, their fine with it. Everyone back in Israel whom I know are religious are fine with it and they still see me as Jew. The only problem I can relay, is my grandfather did have an issue with my Father marrying my mother because she wasn't Jewish. But that was before I was even born, and that issue is no more. It's a to each their own sort of thing. I'm agnostic, I don't know what created us. But until I see hardcore evidence, my stance will be I don't know and don't really care. I haven't seen proof of a creator therefore I don't believe in one.
I believe anyone is free to to practice or believe any spiritual superiority or power ,
as long as it doesn't imply human sacrifices and killing them.
The only thing that i can't bare about both those who are religious and those who are not ,
is the ones who thinks and acts like science and spirtuality are completly heterogeneous ,
But the fact is , in my opinion , that one could not exist without the other . If you really think about it ..
It appeals to people who like to be intellectually lazy, in my opinion. Why actually cultivate an informed opinion on something when you have a book that tells you how you should think. The world would be a better, kinder place without it
Intellectually lazy people like Giordano Bruno, Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Carl Gustav Jung, Mircea Eliade, Joseph Campbell, and so on, and so on?
You're equating religion with dogmatism and literalism.
To claim that due to lack of information on the nature of existence that we must rely on a pretense of a creator is intellectual laziness. Religion is also inherently dogmatic, it literally tells people how to live their life under threat of eternal torment. I realise that not all religions are as dogmatic or forceful as the Abrahamic religions yet they still arrogantly claim to know the nature of life as we know it. The most honest answer a person can give to a question such as "Why are we here?" "Is there a god?" etc is "I don't know and will most likely never know"
I agree with your first and last sentences, but the rest is just ignorant. You do know that not all religions are theistic, right? There are various forms of non-theism, pantheism, transtheism, etc.... You don't have to believe in a creator to be religious. You don't have to believe in any kind of supernatural being, or in an afterlife for that matter. Nor do you need any kind of scripture or belief in objective and universal moral laws. Technically, any set of metaphysical beliefs is a religion.
I let people believe what they want to believe and just leave it at that. The only time I really give a shit about the whole thing is if people are cramming their beliefs down everyone's throats.
I have a love-hate relationship with it.
I feel that if religion never existed, certain wars and genocides could've been avoided, but then again, maybe not. Conflict is within humanity's nature and I'm not the first person to find a single blame for every problem that has ever existed in the world. That being said, I do actually think that religion is a nice support and something that someone who may be desperate can fall back onto. And hope isn't just for the desperate, it can be for anyone. My final thoughts are that as long as religion isn't abused, it has a fine place in the world among other ideologies.
What about religious organizations that Wield significant political power and wealth, but not as a regime.
Examples
The Catholic Church
Russian Orthodox Church: pandered to by Putin, push reactionary agenda.
Christian Right (US): Lobby to limit access to birth control, get elected to certain posts to gain influence over content in textbooks. They're also extremely wealthy thanks to tax exemptions and general commodification of religion.
Some conservative and Orthodox sects: Push for "greater Israel", lobby to influence U.S. foreign policy.
Muslim brotherhood: self explanatory.
These organizations all claim to not be hurting people and might not on a direct basis, but they still have a great deal of political power and often push society in a reactionary direction.
There's a bunch of cavemen caught in a storm. They see lightning strike around them and think there's someone really powerful really mad at them.
One of the smarter cavemen figured out he could use this fear to gain power and control over the other cavemen. That's how religion started.
It's all about power. Look at the catholic church and their stances on homosexuality and condoms.
What do both of these things have in common? Homosexuals and people using condoms don't have children.
The more followers a church has the more powerful it is. The more children the followers have the more new followers there will be in the future.
There is no imaginary god that hates gays and dislikes people practicing birth control or is sad when someone gets an abortion.
There's just a power hungry institution that wants to stay in power.
I really don't have anything nice to say about the followers, so I'll end it right here.
I see nothing wrong with it. I'm religious myself and I'm quite happy
.
Probably one of the most ridiculous things I have heard all day.
Considering my views on religion I hope you won't be too offended that I don't consider you to be the best judge of what is or is not ridiculous.
And all as baseless as the next.
Lmao.
Feeling is mutual pal.
"I see nothing wrong with the thing I'm a part of."
Go figure.
If there was something wrong with the "Group" I am a part of I will point it out. Like I think Islamic religion isn't a "Religion of peace" but I'm not going bother people because they follow it.
Now that I said that, will you finally quit whining?
Do you deny the political influence of religious organizations? Because it's very powerful.
Religious or non-religious sentimentality is all a rat race, and I find it quite boring.
[removed]
Please explain to me, why do you hate religion in general.
It is at the very least irrational. Supporting an irrational worldview that is not compatible with reality is unacceptable.
It is at it's norm a crippling dogma that stunts social progression, scientific exploration, moral understanding, and a long list of other factors I deem important.
It is at it's worst an exemplary way to justify the most atrocious of acts. Murder, genocide, rape, slavery. Take your pick of deplorable shit that is condoned by the Abrahamic texts.
Religions and religious teachings exist on a spectrum of "bad", but it all exists somewhere on that spectrum nonetheless.
I'm Protestant (mix of Baptist and Presbyterian) Christian. I don't care what other people believe as long as they're not hurting people.
(The kids who make fun of me for praying before eating lunch can go screw themselves, though.)
your cool too
So I can't call the Abrahamic religions "sand people cults" even though they are cults started in the VERY sandy area in/around Israel? Calling a religion a derogatory term (though completely applicable) is personally attacking every person following that religion? No idea if I'm linking this correctly @579801 Well that took a long time to link correctly.
Alright, round two. Instead of the term used before I'll call the Abrahamic religions "cults from the lands where the people have much sands."
Islamic people are also not likely to call out their "cult from the lands where the people have much sands" as wrong either. See the issue here?
Then you went on to ask why I hate religion in general, to which I replied:
Religion is at its best irrational. Supporting an irrational world view, especially one incompatible with reality, is not acceptable.
Religion is at its norm an enemy that stunts social development, slows scientific exploration, spits in the face of moral progress, and is detrimental to a plethora of other things I deem important.
Religion is at its worst an exemplary way to convince people to commit the most heinous of acts. Genocide, rape, slavery, and a shit load of other deplorable stuff can all be justified through the texts of the "cults from the lands where the people have much sands."
Religion and religious teachings exist on a spectrum of bad, but all of it is bad nonetheless.