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Chippewa
SFN Regular
USA
1496 Posts |
 Posted - 09/19/2006 : 16:54:51 [Permalink]
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| The Strongest Religion of All! |
Diversity, independence, innovation and imagination are progressive concepts ultimately alien to the conservative mind.
"TAX AND SPEND" IS GOOD! (TAX: Wealthy corporations who won't go poor even after taxes. SPEND: On public works programs, education, the environment, improvements.) |
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 09/19/2006 : 17:54:11 [Permalink]
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Moakley wrote: quote:
The first example that popped into my mind is what the Dover School Board attepmted, Kansas Board of Education attempted, and Ohio Board of Education attempted.
Well I certainly agree with you that the Religious Right is a danger because of exactly such political actions and more. However, the organized and highly politicized Religious Right is hardly a representative of all or even most of religion in America. And while they are growing, and gaining more victories as they grow (and indeed that is terrifying) it only hurts the cause of secularism to blame “religion” in general, or to say this is due to religion having some special “pass” in society. Religious groups do considerably more charitable works at home and abroad than any other totally privatized groups, and a good number of Christians, including many Evangelicals, are openly liberal or moderate. Fundies hardly get a special pass given that they've been fighting tooth and nail for over 20 years to get Creationism taught instead of Evolution, and have made relatively poor progress. They lose a lot more legal battles than they win.
Moakley wrote: quote:
But each time it was responded to or used it was "Religion is the root of all evil." Do you consider "all kinds of evil" and "all evil" to be the same?
Actually, Original Intent and Kil did that, but I did not. I responded to both that sentence you wrote and the paragraph preceding it. My response was to point out good inspired by one religion as an example, and then to state that I don't think religion is the root of any good or evil. It is simply a method for achieving human ends, be they gaining or maintaining power or protection at the expense of others, or solving human problems out of natural socialistic compassion and reason.
Religion is like a filter for our underlying fears, hopes, and desires, and a way to conceptualize the world in a way that makes sense subjectively. One cannot make easy generalizations about religion because the very concept of the supernatural cannot be sensibly defined and doesn't apparently exist as anything other than a concept. The other aspects of religion are philosophy of how to live one's life, ritual, and community, and as far as I know, atheists don't have a problem with any of those characteristics of religions, and in fact often engage in communities displaying those characteristics.
I short, I thought you were making rash generalizations about religion and its role in modern society.
Half wrote: quote:
First, I do not confuse the Amish with the Quakers, though I realize some people do.
I wasn't saying you are confusing them with the Amish! You complained that: quote:
But, like the prevalence of slavery in the North, it really isn't much known among the general public.
I was pointing out that while that is true, nothing about Quakers is “much known among the general public”. That includes their role in the abolitionist movement, BTW.
Half wrote: quote:
But as an an historical example of religious hypocrisy, the Quakers and |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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| Edited by - marfknox on 09/19/2006 17:59:01 |
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