AN EXCUSE TO HATE? (page 2)

EvilForce

Ed,

While that may be true of the American Indian's religious beliefs they certainly warred with competing tribes. Thus certainly had an outlet for their "hatred".

Mabye it's because one of the only socially acceptable form of hatred anymore...."religion". We are too advanced to hate people simply for their skin color, sexual orientation, nationality, or language. Maybe as part of our progression as a species this religious "hate" will be the next to slowly fade into the annals of history :)

JamesThomas

For the most part i agree with you terry. It seems the more tightly we define ourselves, the tinier we become, and the more there is to fear and hate. Our original motivation may have been for good, but it seems impossible to escape the dynamics of shrinkage.

Our favorite ideologies, religious or political, are often major cornerstones of our conceptual made-up identity. The more dedicated we are to these, the narrower our borders of self, and the wider the threat.

Religion sucks, because it does not unit us, but rather divide; and it does it in the name of righteousness and truth. I mean, that sucks big time.

A valuable lesson is here to be learned though. If we wake up enough to see that we can not get what we desire out-there in religion and other things, then perhaps we can begin to look in the only direction remaining.

j

stillajwexelder

IM not so HO there is no excuse for hate - it is a very powerful emotion

peacefulpete

Religion is an enabler and facilitater. Sometimes (tho rare)'group think' is exactly what works, at other times it is the worst that can happen. Religion is at it's best when it fosters individual thinking and yet unites people thru engendering a broader sense of community. At it's worst it suppresses individuality and isolates a group from the larger society.

JamesThomas

I would agree Pete than on a small scale, religion can bring people together to start a soup kitchen; and there is little harm in that. But as far as on a "spiritual" scale ( I'm using that word here as the ultimate truth which includes all existence), religion is a joke. The problem is, is that they masquerade as spiritual, as universally significant. What they are really doing is belittling the Source of the universe to lilliputian proportions, and feeding human separation and strife. If they would just be honest and say "hey, we're simple soup kitchen builders", then great! But Noooooo, they gota fcuk with us. They done the mask of a god and do nasty things to us.

j

Balsam

Hi Terry,

Any time anything or any concept says it is us against them it is going to end up in the loss of life in one way or another. Sad but true.

Balsam

Carmel

Terry,

I fear you have a kean eyesight for the results of the corruption of religion, not the essence there of. All of the worlds older religions have a history of an early flowering that brought great pacification and peace to warfaring tribes and peoples. Over time, they have all declined and human proclivities took over. Want of leadership and political in-fighting as well as age old hatres reared their heads and destroyed the elan and unity of every one of those faiths. What you are seeing is the old wine skin, and you see it and describe it with accuracy. To generalize, however, and paint religion as a means for hatred flies in the face of history. We have to look at all history, not just that which supports our favorite argument to discredit.

I hope you would have an open mind and be willing to look at religion's evolution for what it is, a process, not an end product.

carmel

dh

i think it's a fair way to break it down.

i also think if the world had never had religion or the concept of god we would have come a lot further as a species.

rebel8

People who want to hate (out of agression, fear, or lack of self esteem/confidence) are often attracted to structures which facilitate acting in a hateful manner. Religion is one of several such structures.

hmike

Hi Terry,

Christianity really isn't supposed to be that way, but there'll always be people who misuse it. For instance, I don't consider the violent conflicts between Catholics and Protestant to have anything to do with Christianity--it's a political-cultural issue.

It's something like Nazism in Germany of the 30s-40s. There were always people who despised the Jews. Nazism just gave them a legally and socially acceptable way to express it. Some people use Christianity that way.

You appealed to history to support your thesis. Sure, there have been a lot of disgusting things done in the name of Christianity, but that doesn't prove anything about Christ. Once, in a discussion I had with JWs, they cited the commission of crimes in a part of the city where churches were located as proof that orthodox Christianity was false. Sorry, it doesn't prove the point. The fault lies with the people and the leadership.

Sometimes, separation is necessary, but never condemnation. As Christians, that's not our calling.

AN EXCUSE TO HATE?

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