Brainstorm

[Excited Penguin]

Let's solve, discuss, think, invent, create and dream...anything and everything imaginable.

Is this a good idea for a thread? Do you guys want me to start us off with something in particular? Before I do that though, some general guidelines to help keep the conversation on track:

We'll discuss only one issue at a time until and unless virtually everyone seems to have either got bored with the subject or simply ran out of mental fuel to deal with it. I'm hoping this will become apparent to everyone when it happens and that it will be a natural transition from topic to topic. Also, the topic might change on its own. In that case, just go with the flow.

Naturally, none of us are experts at everything(some of us at none, myself included), and while I think everyone will agree we should encourage as open-ended a discussion as possible, where no one feels the need to hold back on their craziest ideas, I do hope due practical deference will be conveyed by us to those we genuinely think have the better argument or simply seem to know more about what it is we're talking about. That is not to say anyone should feel like they're pressured to agree with someone for those reasons alone, unless he feels like he could be actually persuaded by them. -- Which brings me to my next point:

Try and be as accessible as possible, whenever possible and/or necessary. If someone disagrees with you, try and and understand your differences of opinion and seek to converge at one point and build up from there. If you don't understand someone's point or if you want further clarification ask for it and hopefully the people involved will reciprocate.

How do we get rid of religion?

[Excited Penguin]

If you disagree with the way my question was phrased, or have any other issue with my thread, of course, feel free to tell me about it.

[mediocrates]

How do we get rid of religion?

Why don't you start with a solvable problem?  Religion isn't going anywhere anytime soon; all we can hope to do is minimize its effects on our lives.

[Excited Penguin]

How do we get rid of religion?

Why don't you start with a solvable problem?  Religion isn't going anywhere anytime soon; all we can hope to do is minimize its effects on our lives.

First of all, thank you for jumping in.

Second of all, I object to your cynicism. Really, man(whiny tone)? We've not even started and we're going to give up?

This is just my personal two cents, but I thought we could really tackle any subject at all fearlessly and with the intellectual bravery of a child's unbounded curiosity and naivete - or, at least, have a minimum of that mindset at best. But I'll adapt to the circumstances .

What do you want to talk about? 

(I hope I'm not being too friendly or presumptious here. It's all in the name of the discussion.) 

[Dystopia]

Why do we need to get rid of religion? Is it even possible? I doubt so. If we haven't even got rid of people who believe the earth is flat, let alone religious people.

[Aoi Magi]

How do we get rid of religion?

Nuke from orbit and make sure nothing survives

[Excited Penguin]

Why do we need to get rid of religion? Is it even possible? I doubt so. If we haven't even got rid of people who believe the earth is flat, let alone religious people.

That's a good point. Thank you for adding some further details to that point of view.

I could say my bit, but I feel I should stay out of it for now - I don't want to make it seem like I'm pushing my own agenda. Let us talk about anything else you guys want and maybe we'll get back to religion in one way or another later on.

I'm sorry if I'm being awkward. I can be like that.

To briefly answer your questions however:
1) Because it's not only useless, but actually bad.
2) Of course it's possible. All you have to do is figure out how to effectively talk people out of their beliefs. - At least that's my take on it.( I'll stop adding further caveats to any one future point I'll be making regarding how sure I am of what I'm saying, as that would be very tiresome indeed.)

[Excited Penguin]

How do we get rid of religion?

Nuke from orbit and make sure nothing survives

 Let's get right on that!

[Dystopia]

Everything can be bad depending on the perspective. That doesn't say a lot about anything specific. It's simply unconvincing. If you told me everyone would magically become rich and live a super happy life if we got rid of religion, I would agree with you - Sadly, I don't think getting rid of religion will solve the worst problems we have in the world (cough* corpora... cough*)

[Excited Penguin]

Ok, I'm out for now. I authored it, I did my part. I'm hoping it will take a life of its own.
Enjoy .