RE: How many of you would punish religious people for being religious?
April 17, 2022 at 1:16 pm
(This post was last modified: April 17, 2022 at 1:27 pm by polymath257.)
People have a right to be stupid. Religion is just one type of stupidity.
The problems come in when they try to harm others because of their stupidity. That needs to be prevented.
Some religions are more abusive than others.
Those that deny science tend to also be more authoritarian and to encourage abusive behaviors (like 'spare the rod, spoil the child'). They also tend to be more misogynistic. Those that spend a lot of time trying to ingrain a 'fear of hell' in even young children are emotionally abusive. If *anyone* did the same things for reasons *other* than religion, they would be considered to be abusive and worthy of investigation, at least.
So, which are 'essential' to the religion depends on the particular sect. For some, more extreme, sects, there are 'essential' aspects that are inherently abusive.
Most mainstream churches have mollified their beliefs to me more compatible with modern values and sensibilities, though. Most of them can avoid the abusive aspects of their religion.
The problems come in when they try to harm others because of their stupidity. That needs to be prevented.
(April 17, 2022 at 3:10 am)Belacqua Wrote:(April 17, 2022 at 2:53 am)Helios Wrote: Good that only took us 6 posts to get too
I have not denied that some acts done in the name of religion can be child abuse. Everybody knows that's true.
Do you think that such abusive practices are essential, or representative, of religion? If parents raise a child in a religion without those practices, is it child abuse?
Is any child raised within a religion abused? If so, should the parents of that child be punished?
If you point to the worst examples from a worldwide, wildly varied phenomenon, and declare that they are the very definition of that phenomenon, it may not be a balanced interpretation.
Some religions are more abusive than others.
Those that deny science tend to also be more authoritarian and to encourage abusive behaviors (like 'spare the rod, spoil the child'). They also tend to be more misogynistic. Those that spend a lot of time trying to ingrain a 'fear of hell' in even young children are emotionally abusive. If *anyone* did the same things for reasons *other* than religion, they would be considered to be abusive and worthy of investigation, at least.
So, which are 'essential' to the religion depends on the particular sect. For some, more extreme, sects, there are 'essential' aspects that are inherently abusive.
Most mainstream churches have mollified their beliefs to me more compatible with modern values and sensibilities, though. Most of them can avoid the abusive aspects of their religion.
