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Does anyone else think the depth and breadth of discourse about religious detriment on this site has been superficial? Why?

seekingtruth 5 June 17
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6

Yes and no. There are a lot of posts that have no depth besides people ranting about how much they hate religion and everyone commenting with their support. There are also a lot of deep insightful posts about the nature of religion, philosophy, religion in social science, and spirituality.

I think the problem is that we are all more or less in agreement about religion in general, although we all differ on specifics. This eliminates the need to say, have an in depth discussion about religious concepts, because nobody wants to talk about that, and those who do will have little if anything to add.

The conversation usually goes something like this:

"Religious cults suppress women's freedoms and rights < link to something horrible >"

Comments:
-"I totaly agree"
-"Those people shouldn't do that"
-"They deserve to be treated badly if they think this is okay"
---"No one deserves to be treated like that"
-"Yes, and they also suppress mens rights too"
-"Anyone who joins a cult is insane!"

Reading posts that go this way do seem very superficial, because no one is going to argue against it to add additional meaning. Rarely will people add more meaning to it without being prompted, and even more rarely will their be any action taken.

5

This is a social/ dating sight. Most people here are just glad to not be bothered by religious trolls, thoughts and prayers posts, and like if you love Jesus memes.
Although religion does come up, it's nice to not deal with it most of the time.

JimG Level 8 June 17, 2019
5

No. In many posts, people vent about their religious upbringing, their pain from being cut off by family for being an atheist, and much more.

There's nothing superficial about sharing your feelings.

Read posts under Religion & Spirituality.

Judge not, lest you be judged.

5

No. I think it shows the depth and breadth of religions superficial nature.

1of5 Level 8 June 17, 2019
5

No.
I don't feel compelled to explain it to you.

Pretty please? 🙂

@powder Don't really care if you think it's arrogant or not. Didn't care for the implication that the topic of the discussion of religious detriment being "superficial ".

@Allamanda kkgater joined Dec 17 2017. Powder joined April 7 2018. Kinda funny he's trying to lecture her about the sites history or how topics cycle back around here. 🙂

4

Don't forget that this is a site for a wide range of people, if you want in depth, go to the groups where the experts meet. But do not forget that there are many people out there who are only just starting down the road, and they are often the people with the greatest need for help, understanding at a beginners level, support and perhaps just somewhere to vent.

If you have climbed out of the cesspit of ignorance, at the top of the ladder you can turn round and give a helping hand to those still climbing, or you can kick them in the face for being slow. Choice.

4

I've mentioned my in-depth research debunking religion, and nobody seems interested in seeing my reports, or getting into the details. In that sense, the interaction here seems to me a bit superficial. But, then, I suppose everyone has good reasons for becoming agnostic or atheist, so maybe they don't need further evidence. There may be one or more groups here that do enjoy the nitty-gritty. I have not yet explored all the groups.

@Mb_Man Here, for example, is a comment I made yesterday. I have not received a response:

My way out of religion was intellectual. Matthew 7:15-20 warns us against false prophets and tells us that by their fruits you will know them. Similarly, Deuteronomy 18:20-22 tells us that if a prophet makes a prediction in the name of the Lord, and the prediction proves to be false, he is a false prophet, and should be ignored.

I studied the prophets, and especially the main ones: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel & Daniel. In each of them, I found predictions made in the name of of the Lord that never came true, and the time for fulfillment is past. My conclusion is that the biblical prophets had no divine gift for predicting the future.

If you would like further detail, I would be happy to send you my reports. Just ask for them and tell me where to email them.

Here are the titles some of my reports:
Fearless Bible Study
Judging the Prophets
Isaiah Was a False Prophet
Jeremiah Was a False Prophet
Ezekiel Was a False Prophet
Daniel Is False Prophecy
Jesus Falls with the Prophets
Phony Fulfillments
Contradictions in the Bible
The Satire According to Matthew
Christianity Debunked
Morality
Why I Cannot Be Christian

@Mb_Man If you are willing to look at the details, I can prove that Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel were false prophets.

@Allamanda In the Mormon religion, people are taught that every word of scripture is to be taken as literally true. Therefore, I had to discover on my own that there were many falsehoods in the scriptures. I understand that some people don't need to see the evidence, but I was one who required it because of my upbringing.

@Allamanda We all have our own unique paths to finding the truth. I had to overcome a great deal of brainwashing.

@BestWithoutGods Well, there's your problem: VERY few on here want to see direct references to the bible. It has been so thoroughly discredited by most of us any such citations cause an allergic reaction. Deuteronony? No thank you! Ezekiel? Isn't that sprouted bread?

@BestWithoutGods I commend you for finding your way out of belief in the inerrancy of scripture. I understand why you aren't getting many takers here in what you've worked out. Folks here have generally left scriptural nonsense behind them and don't see a point to poking at it any more.

That said, any of us who have open-minded literalist Christians in our circles who might be willing to listen to your exploration of all the fallacies of scripture might indeed find your material useful. The problem, of course, is that open-minded literalist Christians are almost an oxymoron, they generally don't self-identify (out of fear of fellow literalists) and are about as rare as a pink flying unicorn.

@vertrauen Well, I'm here to help anyone who needs to see proof that the Bible is not reality. Though they be rare, they have a real need for evidence. And I have plenty of well-reasoned and researched evidence.

4

I would expect a robust consversation about religion if I spoke to a religious person. Otherwise there is really not that much to say.

3

Superficial? Hardly. I find discussing the detriment of religion to be just as profound as discussing the weather: "Religious zealots are dangerous" "Too much rain can cause flooding"; two unrelated obvious statements that are equally deep. How you can call such statements superficial is beyond me.

How would you describe a religious zealot and do you know of any examples of someone more extreme?

3

Define what behaviors you see and why that is superficial.

3

Nope most are frustration at current state of affairs

bobwjr Level 10 June 17, 2019
3

NO

3

I think alot of discourse on the internet can be superficial. Or way to wordy or off base completely. Add to the conversation in the best "nonsuperficial" ways that you can with thoughtful well worded topics and responses. Interact with those that you find appealing.

MsAl Level 8 June 17, 2019
2

Religion Kills! Religion Warps! Religion Maims! Happy now?

2

No. Because if you want depth, don't look for this in the General & Hellos group, there are special groups in this site where you can discuss whatever you want, ad infinitum, if you want to waste your time discussing crap like religion.

2

Welcome to the ‘interwebz’
Insert depth here....
“That’s what she said”

2

Perhaps you could use a healthy dose of face-to-face time ! real person, real talking...

2

Most already know religion is a detriment because they've experienced it for themselves.
It's used by the rich and powerful as a lever of control. It permeates every facet of our lives and there is no escaping it.
We can understand it, however, if we "take it to the next level "and ask ourselves:
"What would our lives look like if it didn't exist," and
"How can we free ourselves enough for it to make a practical difference in how not only live, but how we THINK?"

Instead of endlessly reacting to the bad things we see around us, we should ask,
"What are the alternatives," and,
"How can we build on the good things secularism has brought into the world,"
and
"How can we not only minimize the damage done by outmoded beliefs---used by the rich to dominate politics by making it the exclusive domain of the religious---but also maximize the positive things such as science, public education, and environmentalism?"

How the reactionaries say humans, for instance, are 'divine' rather than a species of ape, thus making abortion not only MURDER, BUT DEI-CIDE.

Superficial, the way we approach problems as an ideological football, a "good versus evil" struggle, especially by the conservative right, rather than a class struggle of "rich versus poor."
Superficially reducing political philosophy, we're called "socialist" and "communist," and defensively shrink from these attacks, BUT our increasing numbers should embolden us to take the fight directly to the forces of ignorance and supersition at their source. Money and Greed, Power and Control.

What all this means to me is, it is counterproductive to be constantly repeating the same diagnoses, and citing yet more examples of their pernicious influence.
BETTER to discuss ways to dissolve concentrated wealth (more voting machines, easier access, for example) and eventually eliminate their destructive influence.
Religion is both the problem, and the sledgehammer smashing our resistance.
Superficial whining doesn't help.

Will you expand on your notion of public education?

@seekingtruth All learn to read, write, and do math,. What else depends on curriculum. It must be SECULAR and HUMANIST!
Stop home schooling, used to perpetuate ignorance, and private education, the way the rich segregate themselves and create a ruling class.

@Storm1752 I think the curriculm is organized to prepare students for college for which there is much to say about price and viability depending on degree path. Also, I think the book Schools on Trial mentions some of the behavior I will steer my children clear of that may not have been present during your time.

@seekingtruth Schooling SHOULD be the means to teach children to be absolutely FREE to think for themselves no matter what.
Any form of religious inclusion in the education of children is 100% detrimental to their gaining the ability to think FREELY for themselves.
Religions literally DEMAND that people ACCEPT completely and without question WHAT they tell them, that is the way religions have thrived and survived for centuries.

@Triphid Religion should be outlawed. Wait, no that won't work. There's a new generation coming up almost completely secular. Religion is dying a slow, agonizing death. The power elite hate that and are fighting back with everything they have.
The oligarchy/plutocracy now in place will subject the lower classes to the status of second-class citizens. The ruling class will eventually solidify and make permanent their power, using religion as their justification. In many places it's already happened.

@Storm1752 I tend to think that Humanity, as a whole, is slowly waking up to the adverse effects that religions have had upon it for centuries and the death knells of religions are beginning to toll, somewhat softly at present but are getting louder bit by bit.
Religions built their Empires BUT all Empires fall over time and Religious Empires are no different.

@Triphid Maybe they'll just come up with a new religion, like the Romans almost certainly did by destroying (they thought) Judaiism--and the mythological gods--with Christianity, an unblemished (at the time) and more Rome-friendly alternative.
No clue what it would look like, maybe a comeback of the Golden Calf, with green dollar signs on each flank.

@Storm1752 Actually and historically speaking, the Ancient Romans NEVER sought to eradicate the Messianic Cult, later to become Christianity after the Council of Nicaea, 325 C.E.
For the most part, the so-called 'persecutions' of the early Xstians was a propaganda device devised and utilized by the early Xstian Leaders to garner public sympathy.
The Romans actually accepted the different beliefs of the peoples they conquered and often ever incorporated them into their beliefs as well.
In Rome itself there were over a dozen known and well attended Synagogues that operated for centuries during the Roman Empire.

2

some has. some hasn't. i would not want to characterize every dialogue the same. it is possible to be quite articulate and thoughtful here and it is possible to be a snert and everthing in between is possible too. the site isn't what's making the posts. we are. is it superficial? so post something less superficial.

g

@genessa

Love your sense of humor.

What's a snert? Sounds funny. I'm all ears.

@LiterateHiker omg i heard the term so long ago i forget what the initials stand for! but it's basically a snot-nosed snide wiseguy (or -gal) with trolly tendencies, someone who enjoys disruption for its own sake, someone who thinks being mean and being funny are the same thing... you know, people like that are snerts.

g

1

When you say "anyone else" obviously you think so and I'm curious as why. Have you been here long? Please fill us in on how and why religious discussion on here has been "superficial".

I want to consider the detriment of religion of others. Shallow may be a better term than superficial. Indeed the term was questionable when it came to mind. I didn't intend to make anyone feel slow. My intention is to hear of more detailed and illustrative accounts of religions obvious treading.

@seekingtruth okay. Doesn't really answer my questions but whatever works. You might try starting a conversation with your own experiences and/or observations. Good luck

@ronnie40356 I'm curious to know the relative extent of religious treading for open atheists specifically. I don't know how else to answer your question other than sheer curiosity. I tend to think religion preys on the weak whether one is a believer or not. That I think explains my fascination.

1

The more we Atheists/Agnostics discuss, etc, about religions then perhaps the more those who passively read what we discuss will begin to question what they have been believing for all of their lives and may eventually decide to accept and embrace the Truth, Reality, Reasoning and Logic, etc, that we have found.

1

That strikes me as a very poorly phrased question… If it were clear, I’d be happy to ad my thoughts. As is, reading between the lines can be folly..

Varn Level 8 June 18, 2019

Will you try this one? Historically do you know of any examples of religions' oppression?

@seekingtruth Few I could recite with accuracy. Seems any time fewer numbers of one religion are surrounded by more from another, there’s ‘oppression.’

1

If you don't think there's been enough serious depth and breadth of religious detriment here keep reading

lerlo Level 8 June 17, 2019

Are there any other atheist sites one would recommend?

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