there seems to me to be way to much animosity towards religion....these things will pass..... be happy with your freedom....
8
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I'm plenty happy with my freedom. Religion, on the other hand, is not. Therefore, like Jefferson, I have sworn eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.
Paul4747
Level 8
Dec 14, 2019
2
hostility is what keeps you from being free...
I totally agree with you!! Fuck religion!!
@blzjz
You can be free and still hate hurtful and painful things!!! Taking a stand is what is greatly needed to gain freedom from the oppressors!!
@2muchstupidity.... I definitely am not advocating for continued complacency...but we must be among the beacons to lead the way out of the miasma of religions.... I choose to do it without animosity to the misguided throngs..... those that cause pain and suffering can be chastized accordingly...
didn't Jefferson have slaves?
@blzjz Look.
People are not perfect. Jefferson was a product of his times. Mentioning that he owned slaves doesn't vitiate the quality of his philosophy one iota. In our age, he would disapprove of his past self just as heartily on those grounds, while still approving of the principles of separation of church and state which he helped originate.
I agree. Animosity accomplishes nothing and it leaves you tense, unhappy or depressed.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
Dec 13, 2019
4
Without a driving force, there will never be change. Animosity and anger are pretty decent driving foces.
When religion is used as a justification for the current administration's policies (and it's claimed that "God" anointed Donald Trump to be president, so opposing Trump is opposition to God), there's plenty to feel animosity over. And it's a very good reason to oppose religion at every possible turn.
@K9Kohle789 relax and enjoy.... it will be a New Years hangover soon
Anger can be a real motivator to make wrongs right!!! Remember that!!
Don't be compliant, especially when people are being hurt!!
@2muchstupidity So far as I can see, when there is some emotional disagreement, each side seems to think that its own viewpoint is the only correct one. “People are being hurt” might be the mantra of both sides.
Instead of angry confrontation, reasoned conversation would yield better results. Surprisingly, one’s personal opinion about an issue might turn out not to be the only valid way of viewing the problem.
As I said, living in anger is very harmful—harmful only to the angry person.
Change, change, change. Change toward what? Could it be that one persons goals are not necessarily the right ones for everyone? Anybody can clamor for change. Working out amicable agreements trumps self-righteous posturing and demonization every time
Says the white male with nothing to lose...
Makes me. Leanhouse,or reshingle a shed, or some form of action......
i disagree entirely. the animosity some of us feel toward religion is earned and justified. and if these things haven't passed by now, they're not going to pass all by themselves. i don't care what people do or don't believe. let them have their religions. i do care when religion is legislated, executed and adjudicated. that's unconstitutional for a reason. in seven of the united states it is still illegal for an atheist to run for elected office. it isn't illegal elsewhere for an atheist to run for elected office but s/he has a damned slim chance of being elected because ignorant people think that those who do not believe in a deity or two are immoral. it isn't passing. it needs to be combatted.
g
genessa
Level 8
Dec 13, 2019
3
Some have been well and truly harmed by religion.
I am a former Christian fundamentalist, and while I emerged relatively unscathed from that group, I still was significantly harmed by it, as it set certain expectations that are devilishly hard to rid myself of, and still trouble me off and on to this day.
As such I can have empathy for people who were harmed more than I, and are abreacting to that. Not that I necessarily encourage virulent anti-theism, but neither do I feel it's just that they simply need to take a chill pill, either.
There are some atheists who think a more overt anti-theist stance is necessary to counteract literally centuries of unearned deference and respect in the marketplace of ideas for religious thought. They feel that certain taboos need to be broken by calling it out for what it is. Some refer to this as "new atheism". There is room for disagreement regarding that and what it means to call religion out, too ... but again, there's something to be said for it. Activism serves a purpose.
If anyone wants to sit that out and leave it alone, they are free to do so. I think sometimes objections to more strident anti-theist stances are really about how less activist atheists feel it gives them a bad name, but in my experience such people tend to not even want to publicly identify as atheists anyway.
mordant
Level 8
Dec 13, 2019
1
Hey, wake up and smell the roses friend, I think you may find that, at a rough estimate, at least 80% of the people on the Site have either endured the 'excesses' of religions or have known closely someone who has so of course there is going to a touch of animosity from time to time and in the worlds of the religious there IS always the same animosity from them to us as well.
As the saying goes, " Anything that is so Obviously and LOGICALLY ridiculous DESERVES to be ridiculed to the best of ones ability."
Ergo, the majority of members are only ridiculing, to the best of their abilities, that which truly deserves and warrants ridicule,therefore it is NOT animosity but giving what is deserved.
Triphid
Level 9
Dec 13, 2019
2
@Gwendolyn2018 Well if religion gives assholes excuses / cover to be assholes, then it becomes hard to tell whether it's the people or the group. One hand washes the other. It's an un-virtuous cycle.
If you're calling out people for being jerks, and most of those jerks are religious jerks, it becomes a distinction without a difference.
If one wishes to salvage something virtuous out of religion to justify some theoretical religion that's unsullied by involvement with people, I'm not sure what the point is.
@Gwendolyn2018 But is not so that those who purvey the religious ideologies are the very same ones who tell the followers what to do?
No matter which ever way you choose to 'toss the salad' it still comes down to the fact religions/religious leaders rely upon being able to so manipulate their followers that they can actually DICTATE to those followers what is moral and what is not DESPITE the innate and inherent morals and ethics of the followers, ergo, in my opinion, it is NOT just the body of the snake that elects to bite you but the head, the mind and the body upon which the responsibility for the bite rests entirely.
@Gwendolyn2018 Religion is then not a benefit to society ... just like nationalism isn't.
If it were just the occasional person hiding behind religion, it would be one thing. But it's most of them, TBH. And yes, I've personally known religious people who are -- in spite of being religious -- wonderful human beings. That doesn't serve as a justification for religion.
@Gwendolyn2018 I agree with you in theory, but since Christianity didn't evolve into the peaceful helpful thing you describe ... whether it is the problem or made into one by people scarcely matters. It's a failed experiment.
@Gwendolyn2018 Roman legionaries sworn both to the Senate/Emperors of Rome and to the God, Mars if one wants be 100% correct, ergo, Roman religion was also one of the driving forces behind Roman Warfare and Conquests.
The Nazis used the ideology of the German Race being descended from the Divine Aryan Race to validate, justify and consolidate the German Peoples.
Roman Emperor Constantine knew he faced crushing defeat and accepted the somewhat 'blackmail type' offer from the Messianics ( later to be know as Christians btw) that they would bolster his Legions in EXCHANGE for him vowing to legalise their belief system should he become Emperor of the WHOLE roman Empire, again religion used its influence to try to achieve its desired outcome.
Most of the wars in world history were religion based. It's the 21st century for crying out loud! And people are STILL obsessed with Sky Daddies and a book of books written thousands of years ago!?? WTF!!??
Daco2007
Level 7
Dec 13, 2019
3
@Gwendolyn2018 True, but much , much less of it. If you think the USA doesn't fight religious wars, then you are seriously duped
@Gwendolyn2018 But domination isn't based on religion? Sorry, I must be living on Jupiter. Don't let me interrupt you Earthlings. You might, just might, but.....you just might, a teensy weensy little itty bitty bit, but you might wanna LISTEN TO WHAT THE OTHER SIDE IS SAYING !!! The war is on, and has been on for 2,000 years. Have you had a nice little nap?
Daco2007: Only 19% of America's Imported Oil comes from the Middle East. So why are we in the Middle East still spending HUGE bucks? .......
After the current wars of religion, future wars will be fought over Water and of course, Religion.
And they won't have to lie about it, because water is Life or Death.
Here's an update for the Old Senile Folks in here:
Seems to you? Drinking much?
Mofo1953
Level 9
Dec 14, 2019
1
only as much as necessary ...
I disagree.
I have just the right amount of hostility toward religion...not too much, not too little...just right.
Tastes good. Try some.
Storm1752
Level 8
Dec 15, 2019
1
being wary is one thing ... hostility could get you shot..
@blzjz Not if you exercise discretion, and respect your enemy and his or her opinions.
My handyman is a Christian...good guy, knows his stuff. I don't confront him, find ways around the subject; we get along fine.
I have no quarrel with him, just his beliefs. He doesn't know any better. Unlike Christians, I feel no compulsion to 'convert' him. Besides it'd probably only sow discord and discontent and, as you say, might even get me in trouble.
Not interested in THAT!
this seems to be a jackpot post.... are we still having fun?
blzjz
Level 7
Dec 14, 2019
0
Yeah..it truly struck a nerve!!!
Congratulations! You've discovered many if not most people on this site really, really hate religion.
How did you know? Are you psychic?
Animosity and empathy, love and hate, failure and achievement - which are negative and which are positive? Each compliments the other, so there are no negative emotions in the greater scheme of things.
In sport or politics and indeed in religion there are different levels of intellect; this is needed to feed an intelligent species. Purpose is the food on which intelligence feeds; without purpose, there would be no you or me.
There are tens of thousands of different religions and all demanding that their religion is the true one, but what they are really doing is obeying the laws dictated by evolution - there will always be opposing views in whatever field of discussion is being delivered, Only when religion starts to understand its place in society and evolution,will it ever settle to some kind of peace which in the meantime it will continue to send out the wrong message, bringing more animosity.
dinoid
Level 5
Dec 14, 2019
0
we must stop shouting at the shouters.... then quiet will be around us...
@blzjz I do not think so.......
@blzjz You did say if we stop "shouting at the shouters...quiet will be all around us." And, that, sadly is not always the case. Sometimes, we have to shout back in order to be heard. I will agree that we should not start out by shouting, and I do not agree with hateful personal attacks; but shouting/fighting back is sometimes necessary.
And, your other posts make it sound as if you just want to sit back and wait for this storm to pass. But, we are currently in a storm that needs us to be proactive if we want to survive it.
Atheism has gained respectability in the first world countries, but don't rest on your laurels.
Still, there is a LOOOOOOT of anti-theist posts here
Kohelath
Level 6
Dec 14, 2019
1
We usually talk about surgical procedures and physics. There's no need to talk about "anti-theists" on a atheist/ agnostic site.
so everyone gets their say... I am not complaining... just witnessing it unfold before my eyes..
@blzjz
I took your post as a complaint. I think that's how you meant it. You can't fool us!
@2muchstupidity ....really not complaining....just looking for understanding...
Yes, now is the time of spirit anyway, is sambuca a spirit?
girlwithsmiles
Level 8
Dec 13, 2019
1
it is after a few shots...
@blzjz that’s the spirit
I refuse to accept a passive role toward religion.....I realize the tremendous damage it does on a daily, continous, basis....and the same toward trump....they both do and have done damage to children....adults make their choices in life.....most children cannot. So no, I cannot accept a passive role toward religion, trump, or child abusers.
HankSherman
Level 8
Dec 21, 2019
0
Well, one thing for sure, the Universe is big and it is all moving way too fast. People are dying around me like flies! This world is short! 99.999 percent of everything we think and do doesn't really mean anything on Jupiter. Ha ha....
FlyingEagle1952
Level 6
Dec 15, 2019
0
You think maybe we can escape what we have here????!
@AnneWimsey Do you want me to tell you what I personally believe?
@FlyingEagle1952 Do we have enough time?
@AnneWimsey The Universe is billions of years old......so big.....it is evolving and so are we. Our life as a human being is just a blink of an eye. Why we are here is just my opinion and I live with it. I spend hours just wondering what NOAH fed the dinosaurs!!!
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