(May 1, 2013 at 11:50 am)Astronaut17 Wrote: I wanted to know if you would be in favor towards a state atheism. Not a state atheism as did the Soviets (physical elimination of people), but a state atheism where there is the physical elimination of most places of worship, the conversion of these places in places and really useful, especially the confiscation of property and money of all religious movements in the world.
I would not favor a state which would do this by coercion. Stupid and wish thinking people can not be made less stupid and more intellectually rigorous through coercion or through the denial of venues for their stupidity. At best they could be made to put on a facical act in public while seeking new venues for their stupidity and wish-thinking in private to replace the public venues they lost. It is is not exactly clear what other venues their stupidity will find, nor whether the new venue they resort to will indeed be less burdensome or harmful to the general welfare of the society in the long run. So religious places of worship is in many ways the evil that you know, versus the evil you don't.
So I would favor a state which would deny special treatments to any religiously based or religiously affliated institutions, contributions, and special public considerations, insist these institutions pay their way like any other institutions which competes in the public market place of venues. I would also impose insistent regulations upon them, so that rather than creationism be taught in public schools, modern biology and its evolutionary foundation be given equal time at sunday schools.
