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RE: What would a vacuum of religious or spiritual belief be like
May 14, 2009 at 8:00 pm
Mate,Britain hasn't been "Great" since the end of World War 1.
At present their is only one significant world power,the US. However, I think China may replace the US by the middle of this century.
The relationship between the US and the UK is that of the schoolyard bully and weaker kids who hang around him. They do so to ensure won't get picked on by him,(except for being occasionally sodomised) and for protection against minor bullies.
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RE: What would a vacuum of religious or spiritual belief be like
May 15, 2009 at 9:49 pm
I wouldn't want to press the point of having no religion worldwide without something good to replace it. Of course, if there was something good enough to replace it, all you would have to do is offer it and people would choose the better of their own volition. I think that good thing is the benefits of applied science. I'm not saying offer science as a doctrine. I mean the practical uses of scientific discoveries. Science has the potential to discover solutions to a great number of problems plaguing our world at this moment. Famine, disease, pain, death, loneliness, mortality, and injury to name some of the problems that cause us the greatest distress. Science has made progress in these areas, and people freely accept the benefits and are happier for them. I think that if a little more progress were made, then religion would become pointless. To address some problems I listed above, for example; if mortality was cured, then no one would have to fear death and they would not be swayed by the promise of punishments or rewards in the afterlife. To sum up, I basically say this: Let's make a heaven on earth so that people will want for nothing.
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RE: What would a vacuum of religious or spiritual belief be like
May 16, 2009 at 9:45 pm
The only 'good thing' that religion offers is the ILLUSION of a good thing that offers comfort to people through their delusion IMO.
IOW - the placebo effect. It doesn't ACTUALLY have any POSITIVE effect other than that (if you can CALL that positive, and in some special cases I'd personally say it is - placebo effects can help people's health etc, but you CAN get that without religion too of course) because it's all bullshit.
What I'm getting at here is that the 'thing to put in it's place' doesn't REALLY exist because religion has no positive place other than a placebo IMO....(that I can think of anyway???).
Obviously I'm talking about from now on I wouldn't want the churches or bibles to be trashed etc, I'm still interested in religion for HISTORICAL reasons...but talking about whether actually BELIEVING in it or not - the only positive effect I can think of is the placebo effect.
So talk about putting in its place....there's nothing to put in its place EXACTLY - because I don't think it really HAS a place to help other than a placebo.
If what you're after is another placebo as replacement, then it's still going to be SOME bullshit by definition (because placebo implies it doesn't 'actually work') and I mean I'd still at least personally - hate it if everyone was believing in something like, for instance - ASTROLOGY:S as a replacement for all the religious people :S
Although it would be better I'm sure because it's LESS harmful (but still unscientific to as much as anti-scientific bullshit).
What I would IDEALLY think would be best (and desire) PERSONALLY - is for everyone to understand that life can be excellent and wonderful WITHOUT believing in bullshit - but they'd have to learn to love reality for reality, just how it is - even in hardest of times when they desperately feel the need for comfort (and to seek comfort) and 'want more' - then is when the placebos and tempting and start to seem (ever) more real.
EvF
hock:
