Submitted by Robin (Australia), Jan 28, 2009 at 19:00
Fay
Thank you for the references. I have read the first and will, if time and energy permits track the others down.
It's true that religion has not been the only source of dissension, murder etc and that others like Pol Pot and Mao who are presumably athiests have been as brutal. Athiesm probably doesn't teach that we should love one another, most religions do.
However, that's not my argument. My argument is that religion is ENTIRELY based on belief which, by its nature is fiction and unprovable. There is no evidence to support religion having come from god. There's no evidence of god, although there might be indirect evidence.
That is the TRUTH I espouse, but I don't claim to know THE TRUTH, whatever it might be. If I did I'd be very wealthy.
I'm open to learning the truth, if it is possible to learn it. This is different from belief; if one believes that God created the world in six days and had a rest on the seventh, there is no room for thinking outside that box. I say people need to cast off this belief, brainwashed into them from early childhood, so that they can be free to think. Blind obedience is stifling ... even, as you infer, blind obedience to atheism or any other belief.
If people weren't sidetracked into thinking their religion was the only religion, the best religion, from the last prophet, God's will, or trying to force their beliefs onto others, we would be able to focus on other important things and get along better. Maybe we'd still have to deal with some miscruent athiests, but at least the task would be easier.
I'm occasionally reminded of the well-meaning missionaries who took over Aboriginal communities in Australia and while they did so much good for the "natives" derided religious and philosophical ideals that had existed for maybe 60,000 years ... The Dreaming Myths of visitors who created the earth etc, possibly the only true record of creation.
Anyway Fay, we obviously disagree ... that's healthy in a democratic world, and it's unlikely that we will ever agree, so I'll sign out for good and will not answer any further commentary otherwise this conversation could go on forever.
Robin
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| Title |
By |
Date |
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| Muslim microstates [18 words] | Richard | Jan 22, 2009 10:32 |
| A Humanist World Free From Religion [185 words] | Robinoz | Jan 22, 2009 05:57 |
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| ↔ Interesting observation, Gilbert [222 words] | Archimedes2 | Jan 19, 2009 18:08 |
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| ↔ moslem conversion [186 words] | rw | Feb 9, 2009 01:03 |
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| ↔ Monolith against monolith [467 words] | Fay Voshell | Jan 16, 2009 14:58 |
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| ↔ kick them out [10 words] | tania | Jan 16, 2009 04:25 |
| ↔ Australia Needs to Kick Them Out [171 words] | Robinoz | Jan 22, 2009 06:13 |