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Ghost_Skeptic
SFN Regular
Canada
510 Posts |
 Posted - 08/16/2006 : 01:56:13 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by H. HumbertRespect is reserved for ideas of competing merit. But an idea such as "demons run the stock exchange" is not an idea that deserves any respect at all because it is ludicrously insane. Even suggesting that such a notion deserves respectful consideration or treatment is elevating it to station it does not deserve. When the president of the most powerful nation on the globe bows his head on national television, closes his eyes, and claims to be in psychic communication with disembodied spirits, the only sane reactions are shock and horror that such outrageous behavior is shamelessly exhibited by a public dignitary. The very idea that ignorant expressions of a belief in magical voodoo need to be respected is absurd. This is behavior which needs to be ridiculed--publically, vocally, and ceaselessly ridiculed. People should be ashamed of such beliefs.
I think this is the difference between the sort of moderate Christians that Marf is always defending and the outright fundamenalist whackos like George Dubya. The former use their irrational beliefs as a comfort and psychological crutch but use rational thinking to make decisions. The latter use their irrational beliefs to make decisions with dangerous consequences.
Perhaps we should view moderate Christians as a transitional species.
H squared - I think every time Marf sees your avatar she visualizes you trying to pound the irrational beliefs out one her Christian friends/relatives. This brings her charging to their defense like a Mama Grizzly Bear protecting her cubs. |
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. / You can send a kid to college but you can't make him think." - B.B. King
History is made by stupid people - The Arrogant Worms
"The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism." - William Osler
"Religion is the natural home of the psychopath" - Pat Condell
"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter" - Thomas Jefferson |
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beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2006 : 13:31:42 [Permalink]
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Marf, I don't think going point by point is going to resolve anything. You are correct in that everyone who believes in the Christian religion is not a bad person. I don't know anywhere I have said they were so hopefully that isn't the issue.
But as far as the religion itself goes, I was probably more tolerant in the past but currently, I have come to the position that I prefer to either not say anything, (I probably shouldn't have gotten into this discussion), or to speak out against religion. As far as I'm concerned, the beliefs are a bunch of crap, no Christian follows the Bible because you cannot follow the Bible. It has too many contradictions.
Whether a person is a kind and loving person, or whether they are a hypocrite preaching God is Love while condemning everything they perceive as condemnable like homosexuality, in my opinion, is because that's who they are, not because there is some religion guiding them. So I have no doubt you know some very wonderful people who believe their version of Christianity. Those people are who they are, the religion is just their way of being who they are. But as far as the religion itself, that is just nonsense people believe, and as far as the Christian religion, the Bible does not support any version because you can find stuff in it to support every version of Christianity.
I have read a good portion of the Bible and it's really quite nonsensical.
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2006 : 14:04:36 [Permalink]
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OK. Here goes.
1) Not all Christians are bad. Not even a majority of them are bad. Every religion has someone the moderates would like to see shut the hell up.
2) Dogma is not the same as the holy documents of a religion.
3) Religion has been misused by charasmatic individuals of every stripe to forward an exclusionary policy which directly contradicts the verbiage of the holy document.
4) The Bible has been edited throughout its history and contains contradictions.
5) Whereever religion is imposed on governance, bad things happen. Very bad things happen.
6) The practice of religion is not logical nor scientific.
7) As long as the belief only affects the adherent, it's pretty benign.
8) Religious belief is not required to be a good person.
Does that about cover the basics?
Some folks here believe that religion is an act of irrationality that ought not be encouraged, but they aren't calling for the wholesale banning of private adherence.
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Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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