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In my opinion, the biggest tragedy of religion is this: people dedicate their entire lives to something that is fundamentally untrue. They put all of their hope in something that will never come to pass. I've seen it happen to my own parents, and it almost happened to me.
Religion can totally take over a person's life, to the point where one believes life has no value without it. Life becomes about the Pie In The Sky When You Die and little else. I literally believed that I had nothing to live for other than the afterlife, since that's what I was taught since childhood.
Think of all the wasted lives. Think of all the money wasted on building giant monuments (churches, cathedrals, etc) to falsehoods. Think of all the minds occupied with how to avoid hell instead of focused on improving the human condition. So many lives lived for a lie!
I see what you're saying, but I don't think that's the biggest tragedy. I think's it's the dogmatic nature of many religions that is more taumatic.
Think of how many religious people are missing out on the experiences of life because they believe, somewhat arbitrarily, that they aren't allowed to do something or must do this. Muslims can't drink beer, for example. And while, I don't drink often, I enjoy spending time with friends around a campfire and drinking for the night. It's a simple a joy, but a joy all the same.
Or Christians who won't do yoga because it came from a different religion. There are Christians who actively petition against it and tell Christians not to do it. Which is a shame; the people who believe that are obviously in need of some stress relief.
But then we get into the darker side of dogma. Where people are not just wrong, but evil for not believing in something. Parents will kick their child out for being gay. LGBT people commit suicide out of fear of being ostracized. Look at the Middle East. I don't think a more profoundly obvious example of the truly negative result of religious dogma can be found than the terrorism being done in the name of Allah.
I truly think that if religion embraced being open minded, it would be a force for good almost exclusively. It wouldn't be without criticism, but you know what, if it were like this, religion would embrace criticism. It would love having discourse. And freedom. Look to Buddhism or secular Judaism as examples of what religion could be. Imagine if Muslims acted more like Buddhists. You tax dollars would certainly be spent more wisely.
People choose to have kids because they want kids. They want to raise a child. They may love and care for that child, and I'd suggest even that expression of love is God-given (whether you admit it or not), but you did not completely selflessly choose to have and raise a child.
You dishonor men like Pam Tillman who give up everything to protect our way of life.
You dishonor the men and women who were First Responders who gave their lives so others may live.
You debase mankind for your god because without the inherent weakness you preach mankind wouldn't need your god.
Your religion is the epitome of Stockholm Syndrome.
I don't believe that human beings are capable of being truly selfless. We are self-centered by nature. it's why communism has never worked.
First of all, that's not why communism has never worked.
Second, when you say 'truly selfless' what specifically do you mean? Because I look at human nature (which is a phrase I utterly despise) as being a combination of cooperation and competition. The competition can be misdescribed as selfish, but I do not think human nature naturally gives excessive amount of preference to either the self or others. Humans, in order to survive, tend to rely on other humans, so pure selfishness was the default for humans, we wouldn't be having this conversation because we'd have gone extinct long ago. But pure selflessness is naive and asinine, and would not create a good life. Being capable of reason, some of us struggle to find the balance, but I think most humans generally do a have way decent job. When preference is given to one, it's given to selfishness, but these cases are exceptional as most people understand that selfishness turns others away and in a time of need, we are less likely to help someone who is selfish.
You dishonor men like Pam Tillman who give up everything to protect our way of life.
You dishonor the men and women who were First Responders who gave their lives so others may live.
You debase mankind for your god because without the inherent weakness you preach mankind wouldn't need your god.
Your religion is the epitome of Stockholm Syndrome.
Pat Tillman was the definition of selflessness. He demonstrated that in his life well before he gave up his multi-million contract with the Cardinals to enlist in the Army.
He was also someone who questioned the existence of God. Some considered him an atheist. He was not a Christian. Which means....the fundamentalists believe he is in hell. Not only not-selfless....in hell. SMH.
Building giant gaudy cathedrals to one's god doesn't preclude also spending money on drugs or alcohol. There are plenty of alcoholic Christians.
Building giant gaudy cathedrals just means: Okay, buy your drugs. And then contribute an additional sum toward this new gaudy awesome life-size suffering Jesus statue, with tortured eyes rolled upward and the whites and unnatural white, God bless you.
Building giant gaudy cathedrals to one's god doesn't preclude also spending money on drugs or alcohol. There are plenty of alcoholic Christians.
Building giant gaudy cathedrals just means: Okay, buy your drugs. And then contribute an additional sum toward this new gaudy awesome life-size suffering Jesus statue, with tortured eyes rolled upward and the whites and unnatural white, God bless you.
I get it. But they could give every red cent away and we will still rag them to no end. Or is that "sent", well anyway , it all smells fishy to me.
I see what you're saying, but I don't think that's the biggest tragedy. I think's it's the dogmatic nature of many religions that is more taumatic.
Think of how many religious people are missing out on the experiences of life because they believe, somewhat arbitrarily, that they aren't allowed to do something or must do this. Muslims can't drink beer, for example. And while, I don't drink often, I enjoy spending time with friends around a campfire and drinking for the night. It's a simple a joy, but a joy all the same.
Or Christians who won't do yoga because it came from a different religion. There are Christians who actively petition against it and tell Christians not to do it. Which is a shame; the people who believe that are obviously in need of some stress relief.
But then we get into the darker side of dogma. Where people are not just wrong, but evil for not believing in something. Parents will kick their child out for being gay. LGBT people commit suicide out of fear of being ostracized. Look at the Middle East. I don't think a more profoundly obvious example of the truly negative result of religiou.
I know what you mean.
That was why the ancient China practicing the political doctrine of the religions seperatism. The emperor alone took on the full heats from every sides. But that was the old way.
But the people were more liberal these days. So good lucks with the people's governments.
I get it. But they could give every red cent away and we will still rag them to no end. Or is that "sent", well anyway , it all smells fishy to me.
We would, you're right, I admit, and we will continue to, until they stop trying to spread the word about how wrong we are, how right they are, how we're likely going to hell and until they stop trying to change our and our children's lives via laws, education, taking away our choices, eliminating certain groups from being "allowed" certain rights (homosexuals are a big one on this score, though a lot of semantic tap-dancing goes on to cover the fact) and so on. Oh yeah, and until (depending upon the group) they stop banging on our doors shoving pamphlets into our faces, and at other venues and locales (I even went to a sidewalk chalk festival the other weekend and was accosted by a harshly grinning "saved" face and a Jesus video being shoved into mine).
But when all that OFFENSIVE INTRUSIVENESS stops, you'll see the "ragging" stop. Note how nobody is sitting around here ragging and over-questioning Jews, Hindus, pagans, and so on. Why? Because those religions/belief systems don't try to force everyone to convert or be damned. They just practice what they do, and they leave everyone else the hell alone, as it should be. (At least here in the U.S., and although technically CD is global, you'll see more posters from the U.S., overall, than from any one other nation. I can't legitimately, and won't speak regarding, potentially, other nations that also try to restrict and even punish by not obeying a certain belief system. But the idea would be the same and nope, it's not savory, no matter how one slices it.)
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Oh yeah, and until (depending upon the group) they stop banging on our doors shoving pamphlets into our faces, and at other venues and locales (I even went to a sidewalk chalk festival the other weekend and was accosted by a harshly grinning "saved" face and a Jesus video being shoved into mine).
