MellowDem
MellowDem's JournalNo, people leaving religion will ultimately bring change...
What always goes unsaid is that near every one of the "believers" got that way through childhood indoctrination, and few if any actually believe their own religion, or even know what the beliefs are. Why claim membership in such organizations? None of them ever really try to defend the crazy homophobic, misogynist beliefs for a good reason.
It's hard to take someone seriously that claims to be a liberal AND a member of a homophobic, misogynist institution "just because" and who won't leave "just because", it smacks of intellectual dishonesty and hypocrisy.
The issue is...
that even priests like Matt Ashe can and are homophobic and misogynist, as they follow their religious beliefs seriously. That's the issue. You can be a humble, overall wonderful nice person that holds onto incredibly backward and harmful ideas because of the belief system. That is the issue, that is the contention, and that is why so many oppose such belief systems. It makes nice people, even wonderful people, believe seriously screwy things. There is no broad brush in condemning the entire belief system and everyone that chooses to associate with that belief system.
So people attack the belief system itself as well as those within the belief system that adhere to it, and they don't exclude the Matt Ashe's of the world from deserved criticism of homophobia and misogyny. Yes, the Pope may have been a friend to the poor in quite a few ways, but he also is, as a matter of course due to his religious beliefs, homophobic and misogynist. It is NOT a broad brush stroke to say that every person that promotes a belief system that is inherently misogynist and homophobic are doing harm. People CAN and DO go help others without such faith-based beliefs.
The real core issue is that faith itself, believing something just because, is a dangerous way to think, and no matter how nice and sweet a human may be, with faith they can be made to take some seriously illogical and harmful actions. That is the flaw in every priest, in every religion, and that is what is ultimately being criticized.
I realize there are priests (and many self-identified believers) who don't adhere to their faith or even believe what their belief system says, and this is worse in some ways, because they are validating a belief system they don't even adhere to, it's intellectually dishonest and hypocritical. The worst of it is the childhood indoctrination that spreads this poisonous way of thinking and keeps it going in the name of "tradition" generation after generation.
To DU Catholics: Commiserations on your new pope
As I write this we now know who the new pope is. He is a homophobe and a misogynist.
I am not Catholic, and I am not religious. But I would like to express my earnest sadness to you on this big day. Commiserations.
Seems a lot of DU can't handle criticism of religion yet...
Lots of people saying you are being hateful or disrespectful, but I see no hate, just a rational opinion with little bit of tongue in cheek jab, certainly nothing acidic or hateful. As for respect... honestly I have a hard time understanding why one should tone down criticism of an institution such as the Catholic Church. Your criticism is light in comparison to what it deserves, that's respect enough to me.
But religion seems to have this certain privileged status even here on DU.
I honestly see no reason any liberal of any sort would want to congratulate others or celebrate a new Pope of the Catholic church, it is fundamentally opposed to so many values we hold. I can see why people are interested in it, considering how unfortunately large of an impact the church still has.
It would be like Skinner starting a thread congratulating conservatives about the new head of CPAC or Americans for Prosperity, and criticism being shot down as "disrespectful" and "hateful".
Erm... those are the facts...
It's in their belief system that they are homophobic and anti-women. Nothing judgmental or close-minded about recognizing a spade for a spade.
Unless you don't want the truth.
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Member since: Thu Jul 24, 2008, 05:59 PMNumber of posts: 5,018
