Posts: 30673
Threads: 2117
Joined: May 24, 2012
Reputation:
71
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 2:01 pm
(January 16, 2018 at 1:37 pm)LuisDantas Wrote: (January 16, 2018 at 9:03 am)alpha male Wrote: And anti-religious people don't want to look at the good side of religion. They filter the positive and delude themselves.
Considering the ubiquity of religion in human cultures, it seems obvious that religion generally results in a net good for society.
That does not follow. A behavior that is popular is not necessarily positive.
Yea, if popular belief constituted benefit then the very brutal Terracotta Warriors of ancient China should be considered moral. Their collective behavior was good for the rulers they were protecting sure, but their authoritarian rule sucked for anyone who wasn't part of the clan, or wanted to speak out.
Alpha, misses the point, and even other religions miss the point, BACK THEN worldwide, most humans lived under local tribal ruling families, and WORLDWIDE being loyal to that local family ruler was more authoritarian and more of a demand.
AND Alpha, like other religious individuals, of other religions cant seem to understand that you CAN question, debate, blaspheme and even ridicule a claim, AND still at the same time value human rights.
As I said in my prior post, I LOVE MY LATE MOM very deeply. But, no, I don't believe eating a cracker does anything for you in reality. AND when the early Catholic Church started, all it really did, up until the age of enlightenment was replace the brutality of prior polytheism with their own brutality. The church and kings spread that religion by sword too. And even today it still suffers the scandals of priests hiding child molesters.
Islam has it's baggage too. So does Buddhism and Hinduism and Jews.
AGAIN, none of that is to say that humans cant do good and be good, but to say our behaviors are not the product of of a divine source.
Posts: 66303
Threads: 140
Joined: June 28, 2011
Reputation:
160
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 2:07 pm
(This post was last modified: January 16, 2018 at 2:09 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Ironically, the "baggage" of judaism is that tall tales of a pretend history spawned the other two asshat religions that followed them.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Posts: 6851
Threads: 76
Joined: October 17, 2012
Reputation:
31
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:19 pm
(January 16, 2018 at 1:37 pm)LuisDantas Wrote: (January 16, 2018 at 9:03 am)alpha male Wrote: And anti-religious people don't want to look at the good side of religion. They filter the positive and delude themselves.
Considering the ubiquity of religion in human cultures, it seems obvious that religion generally results in a net good for society.
That does not follow. A behavior that is popular is not necessarily positive.
Depends on whether you subscribe to natural selection at the group level. If you do, then my conclusion follows.
Posts: 8709
Threads: 128
Joined: March 1, 2012
Reputation:
54
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:32 pm
Christianity gave us the scientific method. I'd call that a net positive.
<insert profound quote here>
Posts: 66303
Threads: 140
Joined: June 28, 2011
Reputation:
160
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:34 pm
 ...............................................
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Posts: 23918
Threads: 300
Joined: June 25, 2011
Reputation:
151
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:35 pm
(This post was last modified: January 16, 2018 at 4:36 pm by Whateverist.)
Are governments harmless? People? Animals? Machines? So what do we do, avoid these at all cost or learn to work with them? My answer for religions is the same.
(January 16, 2018 at 4:32 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: Christianity gave us the scientific method. I'd call that a net positive.
That kind of bit you guys in the butt, didn't it?
Posts: 66303
Threads: 140
Joined: June 28, 2011
Reputation:
160
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:36 pm
(This post was last modified: January 16, 2018 at 4:42 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(January 16, 2018 at 4:35 pm)Whateverist Wrote: Are governments harmless? People? Animals? Machines? So what do we do, avoid these at all cost or learn to work with them? My answer for religions is the same.
We put dangerous animals down and retire harmful machinery. We drop bombs on dangerous governments and violently rebel against them. "Religion" gets a pass on those normal responses, for obvious reasons. Aint nobody looking to genocide the religious, stuff them all in a junkyard, or cannibalize them for parts, lol. If they were religious coyotes or combine harvesters -or even theocratic governments.....however, we would. That's exactly what we've done. On occasion, we'll even do it to "religious extremists"...which are really just people who believe the fairy tales in profound ways that the purportedly faithful don't.
We don't have to "work with religion"..it's not exactly a reliable partner anyway. We have to work with people. We can do the one without humoring the other, obviously.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Posts: 69248
Threads: 3759
Joined: August 2, 2009
Reputation:
259
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:37 pm
Quote:And anti-religious people don't want to look at the good side of religion.
My eyesight isn't good enough to find it!
Posts: 23918
Threads: 300
Joined: June 25, 2011
Reputation:
151
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:40 pm
(January 16, 2018 at 4:36 pm)Khemikal Wrote: (January 16, 2018 at 4:35 pm)Whateverist Wrote: Are governments harmless? People? Animals? Machines? So what do we do, avoid these at all cost or learn to work with them? My answer for religions is the same.
We put dangerous animals down and retire harmful machinery.
Good point. So Christian science should get a slug to the head. That crazy baptist group that shouts obscenities at the funerals of veterans, Westboro? Same treatment. But I think I'd keep poop religionists around and at least regulate YEC's. You know, don't let them operate anything that could put others in harm's way.
Posts: 30673
Threads: 2117
Joined: May 24, 2012
Reputation:
71
RE: When people claim religion is harmless.
January 16, 2018 at 4:57 pm
(January 16, 2018 at 4:19 pm)alpha male Wrote: (January 16, 2018 at 1:37 pm)LuisDantas Wrote: That does not follow. A behavior that is popular is not necessarily positive.
Depends on whether you subscribe to natural selection at the group level. If you do, then my conclusion follows.
NO, sorry, evolution HAS NOT been debunked and scientific method is not group think, it is a TOOL, a process. Group think is what religions do, scientific method is a tool A neutral tool and does not prop up any religion, not yours, not any.
EVOLUTION is fact, if you don't like that, TOUGH SHIT.
|
