I don't think he's suggesting that-merely not giving tax write-offs for doing so.

Anyone who voted for banning religion should take a long look at themselves in the mirror.

Anyone who voted for banning slavery should take a long look at themselves in the mirror.

That's silliness. How are they in any sense the same?

Depends on the religion, obviously. Let's take the big three here in the states for an easy and relevant example. Ignoring all of the direct support for slavery found in the texts, and ignoring the many analogies to exactly this relationship between a deity and ourselves-

They are both based on a perceived ethnic or cosmic superiority of a specific peoples over the "other".

They are both grounded in ignorance of the natural world.

They both leverage cultural norms to perpetuate their dirty little practices.

They are both used to oppress whatever people have been designated as "other".

They are both supported by pisspoor justification that amounts to little more than fear-mongering.

They are both used as a justification for crimes against humanity.

They both deserve to be dustbinned.

I don't give a shit if people think about god, as long as this doesn't materialize into a physical presence here in the real world that threatens us with all manner of nasty shit. We abolished slavery, for example, but not racism. We can abolish religion just as easily, even if we have no interest or means to abolish faith. I'm not a "high-ground" sort of atheist anyway, figured that was pretty apparent by now. For all the nice things people have to say about their religions they will never ever get a pass from me. They're hateful bigots, whether they want to stare down the implications of their superstitions or not. No pass, no sympathy, no empathy, no consideration. Not from me.

Rythm and Eldinero have a great theme going on...can we stay on it for a while?

Is religion slavery..and if so, should it be banned because of that?

Religion, in most cases, is voluntary slavery. People like Frodo have chosen to be slaves. I, you and many others here have chosen to not be slaves to the system.

(October 15, 2011 at 4:03 pm)5thHorseman Wrote: Religion, in most cases, is voluntary slavery. People like Frodo have chosen to be slaves. I, you and many others here have chosen to not be slaves to the system.

great point, and as far ast the post goes I agree with it.

Is voluntary slavery ..how can I say this...acceptable?

Yes it is, freedom is everything, and in a sick way, they use their freedom to become slaves, at the same time, they can stop being slaves at any point of their choosing. So I suppose it's not really slavery.......

Disagree. Religion is not voluntary for many, as, when it is inculcated in early childhood, before a grounds for judgment or skepticism may be formed, it is involuntary. To say otherwise would be to legitimize child abuse with the "He asked for it" rationalization.