Loftus: Are We Angry Atheists? (page 21)

PSacramento

Nickolas,

Yes, I agree great harm HAS been done and CONTINUES to be done to this very day.

Not sure how to word it without making it too wordy though, LOL !
Organized religion is all about maintaining the heiarchy of said organization and because of that, it tends to advocate "the ends justifies the means" and if there is a doctrine that is the direct opposite of "benefitial religion" it is the doctrine of "ends justifies the means".

Too many horrific acts have been done and condone on the basis of "end justifies the means".

Berengaria

It's not just about hierarchy, it's about zealots that believe they have god on their side, or they are doing god's will. That harm isn't all as obvious and extreme as war and killing. It's subtle too. Demanding what they perceive as god's will be done not just by them, but everyone else too. Not all of these people don't even attend "church".

BurnTheShips

it's about zealots that believe they have god on their side

It's about zealots, period. And when I say zealots, I mean anyone that thinks they should lie, cheat, steal or violate another's human rights and freedoms in the name of their zealotry. That is where it becomes a real problem.

BTS

bohm

If fundamentalist could be redefined to mean "someone that thinks he/she are so right that he/she can violate another's human rights and freedoms." (with some qualification for criminals, war, etc.) and NOT just someone who call muhammed names, it would make these discussions a whoooole lot simpler!

james_woods

I think this thread - eleven pages of it now - illustrates that some atheists are indeed angry. We have several here who are angry.

We have one, at least, who implies that all religion should be abolished by saying "religion is ruining mankind".

There are others who (like myself) are simply agnostics or non-believers and who think religious people can do as they please so long as they do not cause real harm or break the law or keep people as hostages like the witnesses do.

Here is a wake-up point for the angry atheists here: WAR WOULD NOT BE ELIMINATED IF RELIGION WERE ELIMINATED - IT IS HUMAN NATURE, AS MUCH AS RELIGION IS HUMAN NATURE.

Nickolas

It's about zealots, period. And when I say zealots, I mean anyone that thinks they should lie, cheat, steal or violate another's human rights and freedoms in the name of their zealoutry. That is where it becomes a real problem.

Woohoo! BTS and I are on the same page!

Nickolas

We have one, at least, who implies that all religion should be abolished by saying "religion is ruining mankind".

Two.

james_woods

Two.

Perhaps more than two.

I agree with you that BTS said it correctly on zealotry (of both sides).

tec

WAR WOULD NOT BE ELIMINATED IF RELIGION WERE ELIMINATED

I agree with this 100%. And even though I'm not 'for' organized religion, I'm not against the comfort people derive from it either. Wars would be fought over land, politics, nationality, culture and greed. There are also enough atheists out there who hate homosexuality and think it is unnatural; and 'might makes right' atheists who think a woman is somehow less than a man - physically and mentally. I see men like this every day. There are also humanist atheists who believe none of the those. But even those are fooling themselves if they think that all of these problems stem from religion. They stem from greed, lust for power, arrogance and/or self-righteousness.

Hate groups like the KKK have warped the bible (those who have actually bothered to read it), so they have a reason/excuse to play out the violence and hatred in their hearts. Religion/God is an excuse, not a cause. Although I do agree that those are the worst cases of violence out there, because they place the blame for these warped things directly on God and Jesus - when it actually goes against everything Jesus taught.

Tammy

james_woods

Thank you Tammy.

You cannot blame Jesus for the KKK, any more than you can blame atheism for Joseph Stalin or Mao.

Loftus: Are We Angry Atheists?

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