Taking religion to court:
We do this figuratively in small steps. Secular social progress, science education, comparative religious studies, historical investigation… nothing especially dramatic or emotionally satisfying. Religion never gets defeated in some grand spectacle. Rather it experiences a slow retreat, always pausing to save face.
I don’t see any real, plausible option for holding court in any literal sense. The court doesn’t exist. Culture is still too tied up in provincial religious practice for this to happen outside of academia.
It’s ironic and a bit disheartening to constantly hear religious authorities taking credit for the windfalls of their own defeat but I’m willing to make these concessions in the interest of peaceful progress.
I think that secular activism entails a certain altruism. A certain relaxation of the need for personal vindication. I think we need the wisdom to pick fights wisely and do so on the basis of the genuine greater good rather than any kind of retribution or righteous indignation. Progress in this regard is not only to defeat the false metaphysical claims of religion but also to stop perpetuating the cycles of toxic psychology that make religion such a problematic issue in the first place.
What dogma is it that atheism represents?
That God does not exist.
In my experience most *atheists* allow for the remote possibility that a god exists, they simply haven’t seen good evidence. This is most certainly NOT a dogmatic orientation. In fact it’s the opposite of dogma.
Back to the OP:
Science might never answer questions like “Why are we here in this universe?”. It seems to be built into our natures to seek answers to such questions. To me this is where spirituality can play a productive role.
If religion limited itself to the pursuit of such spiritual questions, it would be far less offensive.
It’s primarily when religion invades other domains like morals, values, and ethics that we seem to have problems.
What dogma is it that atheism represents?
That God does not exist.
In my experience most *atheists* allow for the remote possibility that a god exists, they simply haven’t seen good evidence. This is most certainly NOT a dogmatic orientation. In fact it’s the opposite of dogma.
Tell that to GAD and jdrnd and Byrne.
What dogma is it that atheism represents?
That God does not exist.
In my experience most *atheists* allow for the remote possibility that a god exists, they simply haven’t seen good evidence. This is most certainly NOT a dogmatic orientation. In fact it’s the opposite of dogma.
Tell that to GAD and jdrnd and Byrne.
They allow for it too, they’re just not sold on the socially expedient appeasement of the dramatic shift in standards when it comes to rejecting the god claim vs. other extraordinary and/or absolutely evidence free claims.
What dogma is it that atheism represents?
That God does not exist.
In my experience most *atheists* allow for the remote possibility that a god exists, they simply haven’t seen good evidence. This is most certainly NOT a dogmatic orientation. In fact it’s the opposite of dogma.
My experience with Atheists is mostly the same. That doesn’t make it less fun to poke fun of dogmatic atheists when I do run into them. And using terms like “eradication” for this topic sounds kind of psycho-spooky.
It so happens that when you were posting that hunk of garbage you call an original post you were already in conspiracy attempting to bring about your filthy experiment.
But you failed to do it within the bounds of law, so much for your knowledge, reason, and logic.
Actually, the way you use those three terms are an insult to what they mean.
But miscreants like you thrive until the deciding factor is reached : you can’t whoop my ass.
See you later, loser.
Why would you want to eradicate religion? It’s knowledge. History is full of moments when people feared knowledge and decided to burn books, the amount of literature we have lost due to those moments of panic is devastating to our species.
Why would you want to eradicate religion? It’s knowledge.
It’s fictional knowledge
Why would you want to eradicate religion? It’s knowledge.
It’s fictional knowledge
Is it? If it is then same point applies, plenty of great literature has been burned by panic movements.
Why would you want to eradicate religion? It’s knowledge.
It’s fictional knowledge
Is it? If it is then same point applies…
Hey Ray,
You win. You’re right, it IS literature, its just been mislabeled. Lets not eradicate it. Together me and you will start a movement to relabel it.
So what section in the Fiction aisle.
Here are our choices:
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Drama
Legal fiction (i.e. Grisholm)
Intrigue
Fairy Tales
What do you think?
I think we would make a great team.
I look forward to working together with you.
Your new partner in crime
Jeff
Why would you want to eradicate religion? It’s knowledge.
It’s fictional knowledge
Is it? If it is then same point applies…
Hey Ray,
You win. You’re right, it IS literature, its just been mislabeled. Lets not eradicate it. Together me and you will start a movement to relabel it.So what section in the Fiction aisle.
Here are our choices:
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Drama
Legal fiction (i.e. Grisholm)
Intrigue
Fairy Tales
What do you think?I think we would make a great team.
I look forward to working together with you.
Your new partner in crime
Jeff
Where to place religious texts? Nonfiction, just not in the History section, it fits most other sections.
Why would you want to eradicate religion? It’s knowledge.
It’s fictional knowledge
Is it? If it is then same point applies…
Hey Ray,
You win. You’re right, it IS literature, its just been mislabeled. Lets not eradicate it. Together me and you will start a movement to relabel it.So what section in the Fiction aisle.
Here are our choices:
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Drama
Legal fiction (i.e. Grisholm)
Intrigue
Fairy Tales
What do you think?I think we would make a great team.
I look forward to working together with you.
Your new partner in crime
Jeff
Where to place religious texts? Nonfiction, just not in the History section, it fits most other sections.
You are a genius.
Of course!
...in the alternative history section.
I am hanging out with you.
I may need your help.
There is a moderator who is out to get me.
His name is Hnoj.
I may need you to stick up for me from time to time.
Thanks in advance
Jeff
You are a genius.
Of course!
...in the alternative history section.I am hanging out with you.
I may need your help.
There is a moderator who is out to get me.
His name is Hnoj.
I may need you to stick up for me from time to time.
Thanks in advanceJeff
Take no notice of those black SUVs outside and the kindly big men in white clothes with nets.
I’d suggest in the Anthropology section, but Psychology, Philosophy, Law, Political Science, they can all take something for it.