Atheism and hope

[Minimalist]

Let's go kick Hank's ass, eh Jack?

[zentor]

I spent 3 days in jail instead of a month and a year
Cuz they said they'd defer Charges if i left the state

[Cato]

Let's go kick Hank's ass, eh Jack?

I'd like to help kick Hank's ass, but only if I can wear my beer helment.

I've gotten a lot of mileage out of that video.

[jackman]

you're in cato, bring a second hat for me.

[kılıç_mehmet]

I was asked by a friend about religion giving hope to people who are poor and who live in this must inhumane conditions. What do you think? do you think that religion is bad in those areas and how would you justify your stance?

Hope is the bread and water of the poor, friend.
However, I'm not sure how much hope it gives to people starving in Somalia.
It might give them a hope for an afterlife, perhaps, but does not count for a full belly.
Religion isn't bad in my view, not in wealthy, nor in poor areas.
It's a part of the local culture, art and etc. There isn't much to be said about it.

[Angrboda]

I think instead of hope, maybe they should give them food, shelter, humane conditions and rights.


People have been deriving hope both within religion and outside of religion for longer than any current religion can lay claim to. My Taoism is a godless religion, yet it teaches hope and care. There's nothing special about the hope that religion delivers. Hope is simply a human trait. (As is optimism; psychological studies demonstrate that the healthy person is overly cheerful or optimistic, given the reality.)

If hope were all that these religions were providing, that might be okay. But they are delivering hope with a silver lining of despair delivered in the form of admonitions as to what will become of them if they don't accept the church's hope, or are in some ways not perfectly accepting. It's said the Catholic church has a patent on guilt; is it any kind of a gift to give such a double edged sword? ("You don't celebrate your faith. You mourn it." -Dogma) And that's ignoring how self-serving the gift is: these religious people spread their faith, not because of a lack in the receivers, but because of a lack in the giver. An innocent Amazonian indian doesn't need your hypocritical faith, but you feel a great need to give it to them. So who is actually getting served? Not the Amazonian.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

I think instead of hope, maybe they should give them food, shelter, humane conditions and rights.

Indeed. As the saying goes; "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Set fire to him and he stays warm for life"


ALI G SAVE AFRICA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac9QBWXTD8E

[Ace Otana]

I spent 3 days in jail instead of a month and a year
Cuz they said they'd defer Charges if i left the state

Why were you jailed?