"Ken Collins" <KPaulC at email.msn.com> wrote:
[>stoney wrote ;
[>>And there's the key point; "Religion has often been used
[>>to justify terrible crimes against humanity."
[>
[>what about stuff like 'nuclear' weapons, "Love Cannals",
[> "Big Brother", &c.?
What about it? You're mixing oranges and orangatangs here.
[>it's not so easy to dillineate the wellspring of "terrible crimes
[>against humanity" along the lines of "'religion'/'not-religion'".
In the cases of Crusades and the Inquisition, you can.
In the cases of Islamic jihads, you can.
[>the problem has been that, in an absence of an understanding of how our
[>nervous systems process inforation, folks have viewed all that's "self" as
[>"good" and all that's "not-self" as "bad".
?
[>so 'science' views itself as "good" and 'religion' as 'bad', and 'religion'
[>views itself as 'good' and 'science' as 'bad'... when doing so is,
[>verifiably, nothing more than prejudice toward that which is
[>merely-familiar.
? Looks like a straw storm to me, Ken.
[>>It also is used to turn honest citizens into crimminals,
[>> mostly brother/sister theists, based on the insecurities,
[>>ignorance and prejudice of the theist legislator. Contrary to what
[>> is often asserted both on alt.atheism and in real life, Christianity
[>>does not generate morality.
That last line should have read; Chistianity does not equal morality.
[>you cannot present a single example with respect to which i cannot
[> present an example haveing prejudice with respect to that which is
[> merely-familiar simply reversed.
[>
[>any discussion that does not get beyond such denies its own veracity.
[>
[>>What many atheists have indicated is believe what you want, just
[>>don't bring it into areas it doesn't belong, such as school boards
[>>and the legislative arena.
[>>Follow it personally and set an example to others based on your beliefs.
[>
[>the difficulty, here, is that all of the stuff inherent in venues of the
[>kind you cite greatly impacts upon folks' beings. so, if the rule you
[>propose were to be Law, the Law, itself, would constitute an egregious
[>assault upon folks' beings.
Disagree, if I'm understanding your correctly. Keeping religion out of the
legislative process, the schools-like school prayer and the posting of the
ten commandments, is creating neutral territory. Infighting like in Ireland,
and elsewhere is a detriment, not an asset.
[>it's a big problem, but it's been resolved for more than two decades, and i
[>hope that, one day, folks of all stripes who, like you, profess 'openness'
[>will finally allow the resolution to be communicated.
The sarcasm ill-becomes you, Ken. I do agree religion is a problem and not a
solution. Religion belongs at home and in the various houses of superstition.
It is a private matter.
[>cheers, ken collins
Stoney
