The fact that they look to the likes of Peter Popoff for inspiration makes them dangerous to themselves and others.

There are good and bad people, who believe what they believe for bad reasons of all stripes. Atheists and theist alike.

Except for Scientologists, they are c**ts.

There's no form of it that's entirely benign. It's a belief system and beliefs inform actions. Even simply by virtue of acknowledging that they do believe lends support to those who have more extreme beliefs and look to their numbers to support their positions if they should ever happen to question them.

(July 7, 2017 at 12:25 pm)FatAndFaithless Wrote: I mean... most Christians are completely normal, good people.  Because most people are normal, good people.  I doubt most people here would portray a soccer mom who believes in God who leads a normal life as 'toxic', for example.  It's the whole condemning-people-for-not-believing-claims-of-absolute-truth-and-morality-you-got-your-religion-in-my-government sort of thing that brings out the ire.

Most humans are capable of empathy and non violence, not just Christians. The problem with ALL religions is that they are lousy ways to conduct political diplomacy, even within the same umbrella labels. 

Every religion worldwide, has multiple sub sects that compete over who to follow and how to follow and how to interpret holy writings. 

A Tibet Buddhist, Chinese Buddhist and Japanese Shinto Buddhist will not agree on politics but all vie for the political power. Hindus also have more liberal sects and individual families and more conservative sects and individual families. There are liberal and conservative Jews both in America and Israel. Most Catholics in America on average are liberal, but you also have the very conservative Catholic League just as conservative as a white Falwell baptist. You have those same Falwell baptists who vote Trump who don't agree with black southern baptists. And of course there are Sunnis and Shiites who compete in the middle east.

You cannot force ANY religion out of existence on a planet of 7 billion, but our priorities as a species should shift focus away from religious tribalism and to what we have in common.

I agree that most humans are good, but the problem arises when we make truth claims about who has the patent on morality and base those things on a religion, or sub sect of even the same religion. Our species morality is not in a religion, holy person, or holy writing, but in our evolution. Every nation has hospitals and prisons.

(July 7, 2017 at 12:23 pm)purplepurpose Wrote: Of all the sad groups like thief's, scammers, murderers, warmongers, addicts peaceful Christians aren't as toxic as some people here wish them to portray.

People is people. The difference between atheists and Christians is that atheists don't have to pretend to be atheistic, but Christians have to pretend to be religious.

(July 7, 2017 at 12:23 pm)purplepurpose Wrote: Of all the sad groups like thief's, scammers, murderers, warmongers, addicts peaceful Christians aren't as toxic as some people here wish them to portray.

Damning by feint praise though, aren't you.  Hey, Christer at least you're not fucking scammer or baby killer.  

But seriously, I take your point.  There are worse things to be and more urgent problems to worry about.

(July 7, 2017 at 12:23 pm)purplepurpose Wrote: Of all the sad groups like thief's, scammers, murderers, warmongers, addicts peaceful Christians aren't as toxic as some people here wish them to portray.

Maybe on an individual/personal basis, not as a group, and I include all religions. 

I see more thieves and scammers on TV tied to religion than any other group. Medical woo is probably second.

As for murder/warmongers I've often heard that religion is ranked at or near the top.

Define addict. I'd consider the religious as a type of addict.

Edit: Maybe religious affiliation in prison can shed some light: https://www.statista.com/statistics/2346...prisoners/

(July 9, 2017 at 2:14 pm)mh.brewer Wrote:

(July 7, 2017 at 12:23 pm)purplepurpose Wrote: Of all the sad groups like thief's, scammers, murderers, warmongers, addicts peaceful Christians aren't as toxic as some people here wish them to portray.

Maybe on an individual/personal basis, not as a group, and I include all religions. 

I see more thieves and scammers on TV tied to religion than any other group. Medical woo is probably second.

As for murder/warmongers I've often heard that religion is ranked at or near the top.

Define addict. I'd consider the religious as a type of addict.

Edit: Maybe religious affiliation in prison can shed some light: https://www.statista.com/statistics/2346...prisoners/

Well when you have to compare them with a list that includes warmongers, one would have to question just what good there is when that particular genocidal base needs to be covered. Like they doth protest not quite enough.

(July 9, 2017 at 2:14 pm)mh.brewer Wrote:

(July 7, 2017 at 12:23 pm)purplepurpose Wrote: Of all the sad groups like thief's, scammers, murderers, warmongers, addicts peaceful Christians aren't as toxic as some people here wish them to portray.

Maybe on an individual/personal basis, not as a group, and I include all religions. 

I see more thieves and scammers on TV tied to religion than any other group. Medical woo is probably second.

As for murder/warmongers I've often heard that religion is ranked at or near the top.

Define addict. I'd consider the religious as a type of addict.

Edit: Maybe religious affiliation in prison can shed some light: https://www.statista.com/statistics/2346...prisoners/

I have a way I can cure heart disease without expensive,  time consuming surgery.

Just send me $1,000 dollars and once the funds clear, I'll think hard at that disease and cure you!

And, if you send your money in the next week, I'll think hard at your disease a second time, absolutely FREE!!

(July 9, 2017 at 7:05 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote:

(July 9, 2017 at 2:14 pm)mh.brewer Wrote: Maybe on an individual/personal basis, not as a group, and I include all religions. 

I see more thieves and scammers on TV tied to religion than any other group. Medical woo is probably second.

As for murder/warmongers I've often heard that religion is ranked at or near the top.

Define addict. I'd consider the religious as a type of addict.

Edit: Maybe religious affiliation in prison can shed some light: https://www.statista.com/statistics/2346...prisoners/

I have a way I can cure heart disease without expensive,  time consuming surgery.

Just send me $1,000 dollars and once the funds clear, I'll think hard at that disease and cure you!

And, if you send your money in the next week, I'll think hard at your disease a second time, absolutely FREE!!

Well to be fair, if not for religion's campaign to discredit science, lots of this medical woo wouldn't even cross people's minds. The nature of having to defend an indefensible mythological position is the sole motivator for mistrust in science, things like the anti-vax movement are a symptom, not an independently evolved phenomenon.