When People Ask Why I Have a Problem with Religion... (dial-up warning)

[Ian David]

[dmallind]

1. You're just picking and choosing a few bad apples! nt

[MarkCharles]

2. Highly recommend !! Now I know that no religious believer people who

post here would engage in such a barbaric form of religious intolerance. So before people start citing their "no true Scotsman" arguments, and object to this thread being posted, let's look at ONE SINGLE LOGICAL FLAW religious believers fall into which is the VERY SAME FLAW that bigots, terrorists, and other "true believers" fall into.

If one allows oneself to believe whatever one wants to believe, without any substantive, verifiable evidence in favor of such a belief, simply because religion is defined by one's "FAITH" alone, then ANY religion allows for this kind of bigotry, this kind of inhumane treatment, because logic and evidence are thrown out the window, and "FAITH" alone is allowed to replace logic and facts. That is the crux of what is unacceptable about religion. It gives people permission, specific permission to simply BELIEVE ON FAITH whatever that particular religion is pushing, be it virgin birth, talking snakes, Noah's floods, or simply life after death, and Christ as a son of a god. When humans fall into the trap of allowing their FAITH to give them permission to believe whatever they want, these kinds of horrific events are and can once again the result, throughout the history of humankind.

Christian, Jewish, Muslim, even ancient Chinese and other Asian and early Native American faiths: all led to validations of systematic bloodshed and mistrust, from the witch doctors of Africa, to the sacraficial high altars of the Americas, to the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts. Religions are a key giving humans permissions to open up a mind to illogical thinking, and to disastrous, horrific actions following from that, based simply and exclusively upon that word "FAITH".

[lindysalsagal]

23. It really is frightening that the so-called God-fearing people

are also capable of so much aggression, hatred and even violence.

I don't think religion does this to people, however. I think hateful, violent people use religion for their own defenses. Religious identification allows the uglier parts of humanity to feel better about themselves.

We are still barbarians. Someone freeze me and wake me up when we've evolved beyond all this!

[PVnRT]

3. Bullshit. Doctor Who never performed an abortion.

Did I misread something?

[mr blur]

4. Almst osted that one here myself. Well done.

Actually, I almost posted it in Religion.

[darkstar3]

5. That last one reminds me of Lewis Black.

Why? 'cause there sits Bieber, a successful recording artist, and I remember "...because if there were a just and loving God he wouldn't allow this shit to happen!"

As for the rest...it needs a wider audience.

[Heddi]

6. Why are you painting all believers with such a broad brush

It's easy to take an example here, and an example there, and remember, there are bad people in ALL walks of life.

Oh, don't forget Pol Pot. Or Stalin. They were bad, too. AND they weren't Christian. Ha! TOP THAT ONE, BIGOT

And also, please remember that these people weren't really Christian/Catholic/Muslim/etc. They just said they were. They're not. Because real ____'s don't hate or kill. Only the fake ones. And there's not many fake ones. Just a few. Like 3. And they're probably just disgruntled atheists.

STOP PERSECUTING THE RELIGIOUS, YOU BIGOT

[BlueJazz]

7. I'm an Atheist and according to the populace, I'm worst than a Rapist...

...and I'm persecruting religion??...I think not.

[Ian David]

18. I'm pretty sure Heddi was being sarcastic. n/t

[BlueJazz]

24. Oh....sorry...(crawls through hole in floor)

[BiggJawn]

8. Don't forget Hitler!

He was a Christian.

Oh, I bet you already knew that, since you didn't include him with Stalin or Pot...


Something like 11% of the population claim to be Atheist or otherwise non-religious. 80%+ claim to be washed in the blood of the precious slain Lamb, and somehow YOU are the ones being persecuted?

Why don't you just go fuck off and run and tell Pastor how you fought mightily with the Powers of Darkness. I bet he'll give you a cookie!

[Heddi]

11. uh yeah I'm an atheist

I really didn't think I had to put the sarcasm tag on there. I'd appreciate it if you'd apologize for your unwarranted 'fuck off' and other personal attacks aimed at me

[BiggJawn]

12. You're good...

You fooled, me and I retract the "fuck off" and regret any hard feeling it caused.

You don't get the cookie, though, I hope you understand that, now...

[Heddi]

14. :( I want a cookie

you selfish hateful atheist. why are you angry at god? :-p

[JNelson6563]

17. I was going to post "It's sarcasm"

but I see you've now made that clear.

Rock on fellow atheists!

Julie

[Ian David]

19. Poe's Law

Poe's Law

Poe's Law states:[1]
“ Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won't mistake for the real thing. ”

More:
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe%27s_Law

It's your responsibility to either appropriately label your posts as satire, or else not take it personally when someone tells you to fuck-off.

[BlueJazz]

25. Don't pay any attention to Bluejazz. He sometimes gets things wrong.

...but he apologizes afterwords..

[BiggJawn]

9. Oh, but the people you're claiming are xians...

... Aren't RealChristians(tm)!

Why, I'm sure as soon as the Bat Signal is noticed that they'll be hoards of RealChristians here with their Nottareal Scotsman kilts.

Or this thread will be yanked and subjected to the not-so-tender mercies of a predominately myth-believer "jury" in the Kangaroo Court of Public Opinion.

[BiggJawn]

10. Every day...

it's confirmed that the decision to re-arm myself is the right one.

[laconicsax]

15. This thread conforms to the posted SOP.

A place where atheists and agnostics can engage in frank discussions about the effects of religion on politics, free of debate about the existence of a deity or deities.

Please edit your post to remove the hyperbolic attacks. I am asking this as a host of the group. If you can't express yourself without resorting to stale anti-atheist attacks, then I suggest you self-delete.

[uppityperson]

16. Fundamentalists of all stripes suck. I do hope you don't consider everyone who believes in something

as those in your OP as there are many who decry them.

[PVnRT]

20. Really? There are?

Are they mumbling, or what?

[cleanhippie]

21. I keep hearing about these folks, but I never actually HEAR from them.

Maybe you can point us in the direction from where these voices are coming from.

[dmallind]

22. Then it should be easy for you to post an equal number of religious rebuttals to these.

I'd especially welcome Xian defenses of those hated by more...vocal, heck more present, Christians.