(January 24, 2014 at 10:03 pm)Ivy Wrote: I don't think my brother approves of those things, but since it doesn't affect him, he didn't see the harm in all its glory.
I never implied that he did approve of them.
My point, is that there are very good reasons to 'make a big deal out of it'.
The same book and god he reads and believes in, and gets out of it to treat others well, and all the other warm and fuzzy passages, is the same exact book that influences other Christians to perform horrible actions.
And I am also of the belief that even the most liberal forms of Christianity give cover and tacit approval for the radical fundamental forms that are the cause of so many real world negative effects.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
