[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]Jewbacca wrote:
[quote]StevenF wrote:
Imagine a world with no religion. [/quote]
OK. I am picturing a Soviet Gulags, the killing fields of Cambodia, almost a billion dead Chinese, and millions of children killed in their mothers’ wombs.
Ah, the atheist utopians![/quote]
I would also mention that minus religion, you also remove all hope of some ultimate justice and reprieve for those people.[/quote]
No one is suggesting we force people to give up their religion. I just would like to see what’s beginning to happen in Canada. It’s role in public life wanes and irreligion grows by choice.
Secondly, I think people are better off dealing with the truth, living in reality. What you wrote is nothing but a cope out. Teach people coping skills.[/quote]
Religion of self and religion of government isn’t religion-less.[/quote]
And I’m not suggesting either of those positions…
I’m talking about a lack of belief.
[/quote]
Never met a person like that, so it’s hard to say. Something like a society of psychopaths? No belief in good or evil… yup, that’s hard to imagine.
The truth is that evil is in the heart of men regardless of religion or belief.[/quote]
I’m talking about a lack of a belief in a god or gods. You have met those.
We need law and order to have a functioning society. I don’t like having my stuff taken, neither do you, so we outlaw theft. If you want to label that “good” and going against those greed upon laws as “evil” that’s great.
The fact of that matter is, you needed secularists to drag religion kicking and screaming to develop modern day morality… Otherwise Christians (and other religions) would still be stoning adulterers.
[/quote]
So, you are saying that we should get together and come up with a codified system of beliefs, and practices then force that on everyone else and thereby avoid the pitfalls of religion? lol
And you need to read your history books again. It institutions like the Catholic church that lead the way into the modern era of knowlege, science, books, history, medicine, law, human rights, charity, and on and on and on. It’s also ironic that Jesus lead the way in things like women’s rights, and very specifically, not stoning people, even more specifically, for the crime of adultery.
You are really talking out your ass now.[/quote]
I’m saying we get together and decide what’s wrong and what’s right by thinking out our moral system. Not use a book designed to govern a 2000 year old society for modern day.
Yes they contributed in the beginning, but to get where we are now, you needed people realize not everything in the ‘good book’ actually all that good.
Tell me, how did these religious institutions decide stoning adulterers was no longer just? [/quote]
Cause Jesus said, don’t stone adulterers? Because it went against the moral principals of their religion and the moral feelings God writes in every man’s heart?
So, you aren’t against religion. You just think the world would be better off if everyone obeys the religion that you (we) thought up?
“I’m saying we get together and decide what’s wrong and what’s right by thinking out our moral system.” ← this is the definition of inventing a religion, not doing without religion.