Just watched Religulous, a Bill Maher documentary (directed by Larry Charles) where he looks at various religions and what makes them tick. Just asks simple questions really, there's a lot of "why do you believe x?" that go unanswered, and it's frustrating to watch at times. Any anti-theists should give it a watch.
Even in secular non-Sharia countries, Muslims aren't 'free' to leave their religion. At least not in any meaningful sense of the word. Children are brainwashed from an early age to believe that they must follow the religion that is being imposed on them, or else they'll be tortured for eternity. And then there is the reality that Muslims (especially Muslim women) would be ostracised from family/friends/community if they were to leave the religion, and in many cases would be threatened with violence.
Most Muslims are Muslim because they don't really have any other choice.
It's very harshly edited. While I think religion is clearly bollocks, a lot of the editing is solely done with the purpose of making the people in it look stupid. It's a horrible thing to do, really.
It's very harshly edited. While I think religion is clearly bollocks, a lot of the editing is solely done with the purpose of making the people in it look stupid. It's a horrible thing to do, really.
Not a patch on taking a book and interpreting it how you want in order to brainwash people.
Not a patch on taking a book and interpreting it how you want in order to brainwash people.
Just watched Religulous, a Bill Maher documentary (directed by Larry Charles) where he looks at various religions and what makes them tick. Just asks simple questions really, there's a lot of "why do you believe x?" that go unanswered, and it's frustrating to watch at times. Any anti-theists should give it a watch.
It's worth remembering that religion is more pervasive in US culture and directly influences many of the institutions of government to the point that GWB claimed to have consulted a higher power than his father when deciding whether to invade Iraq. I think zealots need to be made to look as stupid as possible because they are dangerous.
I didn't end up as an athiest by listening to people like Maher or Gervais by the way, just sort of happened. I do like seeing religion criticised or even ridiculed though. I had to sit through a christening for my nephew the other week, and the whole thing actually frightened me, especially the part where everyone has to say the so-called Lord's Prayer. I stood there in silence, looking around at all of these people blindly reciting garbage in the same monotone voice, like something from the Wicker Man. I watched 4 innocent children get 'saved' by a man in a dress that talks to a man in the sky on a daily basis, and it made me sick. Like I said earlier in the thread, I respect anyone's right to have their own beliefs, but I refuse to respect those beliefs if they're preposterous. Basically like reading rawk.
Aye, I agree but there needs to be differentiation between zealots and folk going to church for peace of mind. And that doesn't make for snappy documentaries, which is all I'm discussing. To not differentiate breeds intolerance of religious folk, and whether science backed or not it's still intolerance.
On your point, didn't Blair say his alleged war crimes, sorry, actions, would be judged by God. That is some scary shit, you are not wrong.
Same, but that said, without them religion would be less empowered and there'd be less support for the zealots. That's the complication.
Yeah, if you place yourself on the outside it is madness, especially the catholic church service. Are you Irish? Some of the iconography we have here in the churches is nothing short of terrifying, or would be in any other context.
Na I was in Newcastle. Protestant church I think. Actually it must have been because the grandmaster was trying to be hip and cool by playing some jesus rock'n'roll.
Islam marries religious ecstasy and sectarian hatred in a way that other religions do not. Secular liberals who worry more about “Islamophobia” than about the actual doctrine of Islam are guilty of a failure of empathy. They fail not just with respect to the experience of innocent Muslims who are treated like slaves and criminals by this religion, but with respect to the inner lives of its true believers. Most secular people cannot begin to imagine what a (truly) devout Muslim feels. They are blind to the range of experiences that would cause an otherwise intelligent and psychologically healthy person to say, “I will happily die for this.” Unless you have tasted religious ecstasy, you cannot understand the danger of its being pointed in the wrong direction.
This whole debate about religion is pointless. National Governments have more power, authority, control and have caused millions of deaths and trillions of damage.
How many of them think they have God on their side?
It doesnt matter where you get your justification from. If one guy kills for god and another for money - who is worse?
This whole debate is nonsense.
It doesnt matter where you get your justification from. If one guy kills for god and another for money - who is worse?
This whole debate is nonsense.
What, that religion is harmful to today's society?
Are you religious yourself?
It doesnt matter where you get your justification from. If one guy kills for god and another for money - who is worse?
This whole debate is nonsense.
Harmful in what sense?
Harmful in what sense?
Just look at Israel, if you want an example.
Really?
So violence, control, and stagnation. Would be my three main issues with religion. That's not to say some good things haven't come out of religion, but to say that debating whether religion is true or not is very much an appropriate debate.
- Religious Extremism has killed hundreds of millions of people
- Religion is used as a controlling mechanism on the people
- It stops society from progressing due to tradition and conservatism
I am not justifying or supporting religion but you can add up in the hundreds of millions people killed by governments and people / organisations pursuing self interest.
Laws that benefit private interests and over bearing acts like the patriot acts etc control people.
Now your conflating religion and tradition.
That's not the point. This is a thread discussing religion. So it's going to come up more then the patriot act does.
