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It is of course a 'personal story' and throws an interesting light on the way some people thought while being religious. And though perhaps one can't generalize, it is far from the only such story I've heard from former believers.
So I'd say: "Don't be too quick to dismiss an experience as unrepresentative, just because it isn't what you want to hear" In fact I will say it.
"Don't be too quick to dismiss an experience as unrepresentative, just because it isn't what you want to hear" And consider whether it annoys you because it comes uncomfortably near home....
Imagine if all religious believers somehow became sterile. In a few generations the average IQ would soar! Society would heal from all the horrible things people do in the name of religion. It can only happen by "magic" so thoughts and prayers, people, thoughts and prayers.
Yes, in the future no more doing horrible things in the name of religion. After the elimination/outlaw of religion, these things shall be called reasoning...some humans are going to marginalize others no matter what...it's what they do.
Yes, in the future no more doing horrible things in the name of religion. After the elimination/outlaw of religion, these things shall be called reasoning...some humans are going to marginalize others no matter what...it's what they do.
A good point. It is always something to remember that just eliminating religion as a global social force - you will never eliminate it entirely, no more than astrology - may well make things better - much better - in some ways, but will not cure the basic instinctive drives that make man inhuman to man, and what they do to women doesn't bear thinking about.
That's why atheism as such is not the answer to the world's problems. Perhaps not even Humanism is. But it may be the start of the solution.
I'll tell you, gabby old mate, and friends, and others, what's the problem. We are still irrational. We are driven by instinct. We don't reason. We need to understand ourselves and know ourselves and understand what drives us to be so damfool when we do and say things that are stupid.
Science can tell us about ourselves and the instincts that drive to to hate, war, maltreatment of women and lying to get power. No, I won't post "How little man himself has changed" yet again, but it is a misery to me that politics is about cheating and lying and and piling rhetorical trick on logical fallacy on rabble -rousing demagoguery. And they don't see anything wrong with that.
Ok, lecture over...but I know what we need to do, and it may not turn us into angels, but it could turn us into Vulcans. Not of course the straw Vulcans that scriptwriers put in the Startrek scripts but Vulcans as they would be if they were real.
I feel sorry for people who believe in a religion with such certainty, believing it is the "correct" religion as fervently as they do. Because there are so many religions, and they can't all be right. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that none of them are right. Seems most plausible.
Then, they get onto threatening people with "hell" or some fictitious "punishment" because they didn't join their widdle club. That's very nice. Of course, they insist that THEY don't want you to "go to hell", but they must believe it because the "Bible says so". A badly translated collection of books written by superstitious men in an age of scientific ignorance. OK. Nope, if you believe the freaking book then you support what it says, or else you are a hypocrite. So yeah, you Christians for example must believe even members of your family are going to hell for not believing, and you must agree that is the correct thing to happen, if you for one minute have any integrity in your "beliefs". Else you're a hypocrite.
Anyone who would be "happy in heaven" knowing their loved ones were in hell is a sad sociopathic idiotic cretinous imbecile of the first order. So yes I do feel sorry for these people. People with such stupid beliefs are potentially dangerous, the way they can indoctrinate others and especially their children; spreading toxic divisive bullshoot and threats in the name of their little fiction club. They have a severe mental disease. Very severe in fact. Jesus isn't the answer; an asylum is.
I feel sorry for people who believe in a religion with such certainty, believing it is the "correct" religion as fervently as they do. Because there are so many religions, and they can't all be right. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that none of them are right. Seems most plausible.
Then, they get onto threatening people with "hell" or some fictitious "punishment" because they didn't join their widdle club. That's very nice. Of course, they insist that THEY don't want you to "go to hell", but they must believe it because the "Bible says so". A badly translated collection of books written by superstitious men in an age of scientific ignorance. OK. Nope, if you believe the freaking book then you support what it says, or else you are a hypocrite. So yeah, you Christians for example must believe even members of your family are going to hell for not believing, and you must agree that is the correct thing to happen, if you for one minute have any integrity in your "beliefs". Else you're a hypocrite.
Anyone who would be "happy in heaven" knowing their loved ones were in hell is a sad sociopathic idiotic cretinous imbecile of the first order. So yes I do feel sorry for these people. People with such stupid beliefs are potentially dangerous, the way they can indoctrinate others and especially their children; spreading toxic divisive bullshoot and threats in the name of their little fiction club. They have a severe mental disease. Very severe in fact. Jesus isn't the answer; an asylum is.
You've certainly made the case to demonstrate where democracy is a failure.
Anyone who would be "happy in heaven" knowing their loved ones were in hell is a sad sociopathic idiotic cretinous imbecile of the first order. So yes I do feel sorry for these people. People with such stupid beliefs are potentially dangerous, the way they can indoctrinate others and especially their children; spreading toxic divisive bullshoot and threats in the name of their little fiction club. They have a severe mental disease. Very severe in fact. Jesus isn't the answer; an asylum is.
Yes, in the future no more doing horrible things in the name of religion. After the elimination/outlaw of religion, these things shall be called reasoning...some humans are going to marginalize others no matter what...it's what they do.
People will just find another reason to do horrible things to one another. Religion isn't the cause, it's an excuse. Humanity's need to separate into Us v. Them is the cause.
Hutus and Tutsis ring a bell? One was too short and the other had the wrong shape nose, IIRC.
I don't remember atheists doing anything productive. I've seen churches helping out the poor, having food banks, and offering to help in any way they can for the unfortunate.
I don't remember atheists doing anything productive. I've seen churches helping out the poor, having food banks, and offering to help in any way they can for the unfortunate.
Atheists are people just as religious people are. Many do good things. For example, in Austin, they help the homeless. The organization was founded in 2009 and is still going strong today. https://www.facebook.com/AustinAthei...ngtheHomeless/
In Seattle, atheists organize and participate as a group in disaster relief fundraising, assisting the local NPR pledge drive, holiday gift wrapping for charity, blood drives, and more.
The atheist lending team on Kiva loans because...
We care about human beings and understand that it takes people to help people.
As of March 2016, the team had loaned $25,000,000 in total loans.
The above are a few of the highlights in terms of good atheists and agnostics do.
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I won't post "How little man himself has changed" yet again, but it is a misery to me that politics is about cheating and lying and and piling rhetorical trick on logical fallacy on rabble -rousing demagoguery. And they don't see anything wrong with that. 
