Correct. But George W. Bush invaded Iraq in part, at the urging of Neocon Christian leaders, who told him he would be helping to fulfill Bible prophecy. And then there was the Daddy issue.
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Especially the organized religious groups that opposed slavery, racism, and oppression the world over… the worst! /s
So, they represent all Christians and are a stand in for literally all religious people or institutions? I beg to differ…
We need to recognized that the problem tends to lie in institutions more broadly that seek only to reinforce power for a few individuals. Some would argue that that is the entirety of society itself, that building cities and larger societies have historical been built on the backs on the powerless by the people who are powerful. Religion is often part and parcel of that, but it’s also been a powerful force AGAINST that. For almost any example of religion itself being employed as an opiate of the masses and force of oppression, there are also plenty of counterexamples of religious people leading revolutions from the ground up.
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Using this and this alone, congratulations: You’ve just rationalized cannibalism.
Again, why respect ‘institutions’ founded on falsehood? And if religion ‘informs how someone’s world works,’ then they could try this thing called reason. It works far better.
“Not everyone believes in faith the same way.” – Yes, but all belief in faith is, by definition, a belief in the irrational. Which means it should be rejected perpetually.
Finally, I find ‘transhumanism’ just as risible as belief; we live, we die, we rot – and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell* you something. You may be fine with the idea people are buying. I am not.
Enjoy your day,
D McM
*spelling error reddacted
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Sorry, I keep editing to expand on my point…
Such as a founding document that states “all men are created equal” while the society around it is based on inequality and slavery… and that inequality existing today.
I believe in the equality of all human beings, freedom, and our inalienable rights, all beliefs… is that “irrational”? Humans are irrational by nature. Just a quick survey of human history will tell you that. Our irrationality seems to stem from the fact that no matter how much we understand the world, we’re still only able to see it through our own eyes, a tiny, little slice of reality that’s time bound and blinkered. We build institutions in part to carry our the knowledge that we create and to help us make more sense of the world, because we are so very limited in time and place.
Maybe Terry Pratchett (an atheist himself) put it best:
It’s irrelevant what I’m fine with, I think. I’m more concerned with beliefs that are reinforced by religion (and other institutions). As long as it’s not impacting my life or the lives of others, I really don’t give a shit. I care when it impacts me or others, I do care. If someone believes something that I think doesn’t make any sense or can’t be proven, and they’re not hurting me or others, I’m not going to go out of my way to be an asshole to them. The world is a shitty enough as it is. I would prefer to try and not make it even worse.
My point about transhumanism is to point out that there is also an irrational belief in technology and science that might as well be religion itself.
You enjoy your day as well.
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There are very few rules that can be broadly applied in classifying humans, but one is that if you are saying "all people in X category are (stupid, vile, saintly, wonderful, etc.) you probably need to reevaluate your thinking. I count myself as Christian, yet reject the dominionist agenda out of hand. It is less the belief system than how it is applied that causes problems. We all have belief systems, very very few of them are entirely internally consistent, and IMHO none are uncomplicated.
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I got news for ya, dude; overzealous, fanatical atheists are as just as annoying and tedious as overzealous fanatical ‘true believers’… especially if they are needlessly snide and rude to others.
Furthermore, being/acting like a dick doesn’t help make anything better for anyone; it just makes Xian fundies feel justified in their fallacious persecution complex… and it makes life even harder on regular-degular non-religious people who simply want to exist in a reasonable semblance of a more logical, fair and just world.
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As a worshiper of Cthulhu I demand that judges in all capital cases sentence their defendants to sacrifice to the Great One that he may rise from his slumber in R’lyeh
Cthulhu Fhtagn to you all
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Natural Law = “Catholics making shit up and arguing by declaration”
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FTFY.
More characters to placate the BB style guide.
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The Arab League (aka Saudi Arabia and Gulf States) have a familiar relationship with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank (Fatah). Since they largely abandoned the Palestinians, nobody else seems to feel the need to care about their existence or demands.
Everything about the Arab League is about oil. In this case the oil sheiks approve the move out of indifference and distraction .
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Meaning Christian fundamentalists disagree. Jews are not being asked about such things.
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Does increasing regional instability benefit the House of Saud? Is the House of Saud our BFF in the region? Yes? Then oil.
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As an atheist, I’d like any religious person to be automatically disqualified from serving as a judge because adherence to religion demonstrates that one lacks the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction. All religion is hearsay.
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Please tell me there is a missing “/s” here.
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Fayk Gnus! Justice Kavanaugh has told us that the President is free to ignore any law He in his Divine Wisdom disagrees with. And other Republicans have explained that the President is the embodiment of Justice, so He cannot be opposed. That “No Religious Test” is obviously a lie spread by Democrats and other Enemies of the People.
And sad to say, there are tens of millions of Americans who believe this.
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Why do you think there should be? Would you rather be judged by a sober rationalist or a person who thinks magic man in the sky made everything?
O for an alternate universe in which Zappa completed & won his planned Presidential campaign. It is chilling to see how prescient he was. Thanks for trying, Frank.
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(Disclaimer: The following contains statements of opinion, you may be offended.)
As I said above, all human beings have a belief system. No exceptions. I have never known one that was 100% rational, nor internally consistent. It is possible that the most insidious belief system is thinking that " I am purely rational and unbiased" because that is just not human. If you would disqualify me out of hand due to my Christian belief, how are you any better than these guys who would dismiss you out of hand due to your lack of same? Your positions on issues, your actions regarding those issues and your ability to absorb and process information regardless of whether it supports your preexisting beliefs should be the basis for assessment of competence, not your personal spiritual beliefs or lack of.
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So when they bring their religious beliefs into political discourse, we’re supposed to just walk away to avoid offending the sanctimonious snowflakes?
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I’m good with that but it begs the question, how can one be said to have the ability to correctly absorb and process information in the age of science and rationality yet still believe magic beings exist?
What your describing is not at all a feature of atheism. That sounds more like a form of narcissism. Atheist usually don’t think that they are purely rational and unbiased. They simply think magic people aren’t real due to observation and lack of evidence.
Well, putting aside all the harm your religion has caused humanity, there is the issue of your belief in the irrational and imaginary. People who think imaginary things are real aren’t demonstrating good decision making capabilities. Additionally, an atheists ability to recognize that imaginary things are imaginary is a qualifier for someone who would pass judgement on others rather than a disqualifying factor.
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