Precisely, and I do hope things continue moving.
Religion is an opium
by alecholmesthedetective 49 Replies latest members adult
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jgnat
My chief concern in this move is that the greatest fears of the conservatives - that authority, sanctity, and loyalty is trashed along with their cherished organizations. Collaborative, community effort, as long as it does not fall in to the realm of abuse, can be galvanizing and very satisfying.
Consider the flush of activity after WW2, when nations realized they had the power to build and transform, and previously unrealized ability for self-sacrifice and action. So much was built in such a short time. There were abuses, true. There always must be the strident, dissenting voice to remind us to check ourselves.
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alecholmesthedetective
Yes, let us have community effort, without the abuse of power or authority.
Let's have democracy instead of theocracy.
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Apognophos
Yes I was a witness, but I was talking about myself, not other religious people. I'm against religion, not the people.
That's a non sequitur. My point was that you have extrapolated your own experience as a member of a high-control group to the experience of being religious. Many religious people already feel perfectly well connected to others. JWs are self-ostracizing oddballs who enjoy not fitting in. They're not representative of religion in general.
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alecholmesthedetective
You are extrapolating my words yourself.
I have said repeatedly I am against religion and not religious people.
Religion has a lot to answer for the evil that it has done and continues to do in the world.
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jgnat
....as in Christendom simultaneously described in WT literature as too liberal and too authoritarian? It's too broad a sweep from too wide a brush.
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alecholmesthedetective
Religion, as in the man-made construct that is used to control people as the OP shows.
Religion that wants to have their unfounded theories taught to children in school, which passes laws discriminating against homosexuals, which tries to stand in the way of and stifle science and scientific enquiry, which prevents women from being full members of our society, which is tax-exempt, which spreads lies to prevent progress, such as 'condoms help spread AIDS', which brainwashes young men into blowing themselves and others in the jihad, which allows for the systematic rape and torture of children and doesn't send the cuplrits to justice by the proper authorities, which condones the mutilation of the genitals of children, which can't wait for the end of this world, the condemnation of those who don't share in its beliefs to hell, or who waits eagerly for the establishment of the lost empire and the imposition of sharia law on unbelievers, which stands against the Enlightenment and Enlightenment values.
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jgnat
But, but...look at the conservative side of that moral framework. Conservatives want authority figures, a group to identify with and be loyal to, and structure. Again, you lump all religions together. There are abusive organizations and there are welcoming ones.
Not all man-made constructs are evil.
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alecholmesthedetective
I'm perfectly happy with a democratic construct, rather than the theocratic one.
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jgnat
How about churches with elected lay boards, who in turn hire the pastor on contract?
