Another Atheist on the Alpha Course

[Shell B]

Welcome. I am thrilled to see so many new people lately.

[Faith No More]

Welcome.

I don't think too many people here actually hate religion, just stupidity. Unfortunately the two go hand in hand quite often.

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Welcome.

I don't think too many people here actually hate religion, just stupidity. Unfortunately the two go hand in hand quite often.

I do not hate religious people as a group, or religion per se.

However, to be fair, I loathe organised religion ,seeing it as irrelevant,parasitic and a carbuncle on the arse of humanity.

Ignorance,humbug,irrationality and purblind stupidity are parts of the human condition, it's only a matter of degree for most of us.

[Kayenneh]

Hi Si and welcome to AF! ^_^

[Minimalist]

I don't think too many people here actually hate religion,

I can get pretty close.

Hello, Newbie.

[Norfolk And Chance]

I don't think too many people here actually hate religion,

I can get pretty close.

Hello, Newbie.

I was never arsed either way about religion until 9/11.

"Let them get on with it if they want to believe in crap, it doesn't affect me" was my motto.

Then that happened and suddenly I developed a position on religion, and it wasn't friendly or understanding. I was fucking outraged if the truth be told. Yeah, yeah, yeah - they were extremists - however 9/11 wouldn't have happened without religion.

Only religion could convince 19 men to kill themselves and thousands of others because they thought they were going to be shagging virgins in paradise for ever.

I've been bitter about the shite that people believe in, ever since then.

[fr0d0]

Was 9/11 about religion? I thought it was about oppression and exploitation, and some poor fucks fighting back the only way they could, united by a common identifier but nothing at all to do with the actual religion. Being bitter about that is tantamount to being racist.

[Norfolk And Chance]

Was 9/11 about religion? I thought it was about oppression and exploitation, and some poor fucks fighting back the only way they could, united by a common identifier but nothing at all to do with the actual religion. Being bitter about that is tantamount to being racist.

It may well have been something to do with oppression as a motive, but having a motive takes nothing away from the probability that without religion you'd have never found 19 men mad enough to do what they did. You need to be really brainwashed to think martyring yourself is a good idea.

I also resent being insinuated as possibly racist - yes I dislike Islam immensely, but Islam is not a race of people, it is a religion covering all races.

For the record, I dislike your religion just as much, in the interests of fairness.

[5thHorseman]

Was 9/11 about religion? I thought it was about oppression and exploitation, and some poor fucks fighting back the only way they could, united by a common identifier but nothing at all to do with the actual religion. Being bitter about that is tantamount to being racist.

It was religion Frods, Bin Laden hated the US for helping the Saudi's instead of the Saudi's asking for Al Qaeda's help, he hated the permanent bases that the US has in Arab states, despite authorisation from the countries themselves.

Bin Laden interpreted the Prophet Muhammad as having banned the "permanent presence of infidels in Arabia". In 1996, bin Laden issued a fatwā calling for American troops to get out of Saudi Arabia.

About his religion?

'In 1998, Al-Qaeda wrote, "for over seven years the United States has been occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula, plundering its riches, dictating to its rulers, humiliating its people, terrorizing its neighbors, and turning its bases in the Peninsula into a spearhead through which to fight the neighboring Muslim peoples." In a December 1999, interview, bin Laden said he felt that Americans were "too near to Mecca", and considered this a provocation to the entire Muslim world.'(Wiki)

Yet again religion?

'In his November 2002 "Letter to America", bin Laden cited the United States' support of Israel as a motivation: "The creation and continuation of Israel is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals. And of course there is no need to explain and prove the degree of American support for Israel. The creation of Israel is a crime which must be erased. Each and every person whose hands have become polluted in the contribution towards this crime must pay its price, and pay for it heavily. In 2004 and 2010, bin Laden again connected the September 11 attacks with U.S. support of Israel.'(Wiki)

Would he have done the same if it had been an Islamic state instead?

'In addition to those cited by bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, analysts have suggested other motives, including western support of non-Islamist authoritarian regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and northern Africa, and western troups in some of these countries.'(wiki)

Fighting back for his middle aged, bigoted religious ideals.

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Oppression and exploitation is a good one, Islam is oppressive and exploitive to women, that accounts for half their population.

[Justtristo]

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