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Blasphemy law abolished
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handofdave
handofdave
3515 posts

Edited Mar 10, 2008, 12:49
Re: Blasphemy law abolished
Mar 10, 2008, 12:47
nigelswift wrote:
"I think there's too much patent anti-religiousness on these boards sometimes"

Ummm, I really feel like taking issue with that.
What's "too much"?.


I get the feeling sometimes that there's a contingent here that claims that all religion, even the most mild, is the dominion of ignorant, stupid, or even evil people. Call me generous, but I can't condemn so many so blithely in good conscience.

nigelswift wrote:
Anyone that criticizes the downside of religious belief is perfectly well aware there's an upside, presumably.


Well, then why not say so?

nigelswift wrote:
But are they obliged to balance it out? I don't see why. Let those who support religion do that if they want.


As there seems to be nobody here doing that, perhaps I feel compelled to play devil's advocate (er, you know what I mean- haha). Chalk it up to my nature- I try to see arguments from both sides, if possible. It helps to clarify my own eventual conclusions.

nigelswift wrote:
I think people who teach their kids creationism are a.) pretty ill informed and b.) doing their kids a disservice. I don't feel obliged to add "but they're entitled to their beliefs and are nice sincere people" yet that seems to be what you're asking posters to do.


I agree- Creationism taught AS FACT is a disservice. But what you're talking about is a SUBSET of religion.

Listen, I obviously have to keep saying it- I'm not religious and I'm not advocating for religion. I'm advocating for PEOPLE who may have been raised under religion... They should not be condemned because their parents did so, and ought not be alienated or ridiculed. This just confirms their suspicions that the secular world is shallow and just as closed-minded as the worst of the fundamentalists.

And WHY do some lump all religions together into one undifferentiated target of derision? That's intellectually lazy. The world isn't black and white. Even WITHIN the religions there's a myriad of subsets that frequently butt heads. Some religious people are willfully ignorant and some are quite open to new ways of thinking. Not all believe in the literal version of Genesis.

Point is, religion is a fact of life, it's not going away, and the best way to deal with religious extremists is by persuading moderates to put distance between themselves and the lunatics. If we, as non-religious people, do what the fundies do, (claim absolute truth and denounce all other views absolutely- even the ones that AREN'T extreme), it only makes us look like hypocrites.
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