Why I Hate, Hate, Hate Religion!

One more note:

I've also discovered, only moments ago, that the icky, moldy old body of Mao Tse Teung has also similarly been preserved for public viewing.

If that isn't a religious statement!!!!!

DakotaGypsy said:

I have actually read the entire bible, although that was ages ago. I have read commentaries on the Koran.

I certainly agree with much that Jesus Christ has to say, particularly in Matthew, Chapter 6 and the last few verses of Chapter 25. I am impressed that Mohammad wrote such a progressive document of belief for his time but I wonder if the Koran would be the same if he wrote it today.

But, I, an Atheist, would have more respect and reverence for the Golden Dome of the Askariya Shrine of Shi'ites than Sunni Muslims. How can you expect me, a simple, honorable, law-abiding Atheist, to respect such disgraceful behavior as that of the various Muslim sects who go about slaughtering each other and laying ruin to each other's shrines?

And, what about the Taliban of Aghanistan who destroyed centuries-old statues of the Buddha, something which belonged to the cultural heritage of the entire world? How can you expect me to respect such behavior?

Not to mention the religious differences in Ireland and Bosnia? How can I respect such behavior and think that religion is a good thing in light of such behavior by those who are religious?

Be honest with yourselves. How can I respect such behavior?

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Well,I see yu maybe right about these results and causalities if we look at in political sense and misusage of religion by misled mass, you are right about how you can have respect for those people.

DakotaGypsy said:

I am impressed that Mohammad wrote such a progressive document of belief for his time but I wonder if the Koran would be the same if he wrote it today.

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We muslims believe that Kuran doesn't vary according to ages, because revelation is something that a person gets form an external divine source which is called "God". and this Supreme Being is always the same, and the messages will be always in the same style, mostly in metaphorical sense, for example just like the dreams that are always in the same format, though the ingredients and the effects vary, for every body. Briefly, should I say the revelation, which I simply describe as "God's way of contact to humankind", never changes in its process, it will always be as patterns visions or dreams, or in a shape of meeting with external beings, which we couldn't describe sciantifically yet (but there are signs for their existence), i.e. Holy Spirit or Gabriel. And this communication system was already installed in human nature, and prophets were able to use this system effectively. But they were educated very well, for example Jesus (pbuh) was indebted his prophetic education and training to his mather Mary, who is the supremest women in the earth, as having revelations from God, according to Quran, or according to some scholars he was in contact or a member within the Essenes, who had this training and real divine teachings.
Anyway, what I mean is divine messages wouldn't change, even if presents prophets will get the messages in the same manner in the same sense.
if you are interseted in revelation you can read the information in the following links:
http://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation/index.html (Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth)
http://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation/part_4_section_1.html (a part from the same book, nature of revelation)

Regards.

DakotaGypsy said:

One more note:

I've also discovered, only moments ago, that the icky, moldy old body of Mao Tse Teung has also similarly been preserved for public viewing.

If that isn't a religious statement!!!!!

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I am not quite sure why that should offend you. Different countries have different ways of dealing with the dead; you only need to look at Egypt to understand that.

As far as your comments about Africa are concerned, you are quite right. And there is a case in point which actually proves what I was saying (I can only talk about the Congo with confidence because I know the history of the Country).

The Belgians went out there in the late 1800's - because the Congo basin is (or maybe was) bursting at the seams with minerals, tin, diamonds...........

Who went out there along side the pluderers ? - Missionairies, who genuinely thought they were doing the Black man a great service by telling him about the Christian God. Of course some took on Christianity, but most still believe in Voddoo & others are Muslim.

When the Indepence 'took place' in 1959, the white man was mercilessly butchered (by the thousands) by the Black, who then began to have their own inter-tribal fighting. The missionaries, and Nuns (who all did a wonderful job of bringing medicine to the Natives) were butchered as well................for the sins of the first pioneers of the 1800's who were callous, who did plunder the country, who did use natives as slaves.

But, I can assure you that my father's generation were well disposed towards the native; the shame was that this memory of the early yeears was still uppermost in the native's minds......and I can understand that; just how long must we wait before the sins of our fathers are expunged ?

DakotaGypsy said:

One more note:

I've also discovered, only moments ago, that the icky, moldy old body of Mao Tse Teung has also similarly been preserved for public viewing.

If that isn't a religious statement!!!!!

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How is it a religious statement? I don't really see how it's all that different than having a massive statue of Lincoln in Washington D.C. or carving enormous likenesses of dead presidents into Mt. Rushmore. Are they also religious statements?

Michel, I take it that you are of European descent?

I don't think that devalues your commentary, and you make some valid points about some African/Africans not being able to ever forgive Europeans for the conduct of those Europeans who pillaged Africa, alas.

And, also, it is difficult for me to decide who is African. There have been European families living in Africa for generations and they consider themselves to be Africans. I'm not going to argue with them. I believe that the wife of John Kerry, recent presidential candidate in the U.S., is one of those Africans.

DakotaGypsy said:

Are you referring to Unitarian Universalists?

Well, I find them to be excellent people and their publishing house is held in great repute by me. But, ahem, are the UUs truly religious?

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Well I suppose that depends on your definition of 'religious'. If by 'religious' you mean bible-thumping fundamentialist shove-our-religion-down-your-throat type of people, then no we are not. But I call myself religious because I am devoted to my religion and strive to live up to it's standards. By that definition, yes UUs are as religious as any others who are part of a religion, IMO.

DakotaGypsy said:

Please remember that Atheists are a very small minority and have always been persecuted by all religions.

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Not by UUs! We welcome Atheists into our congregations.

Thank you, Maize.

Dakota Gypsy.....why is it God's fault that people, of any and most religions, misunderstand and misinterpret what their holy books say so as to do what they want, and then say that it if for God? Why is it God's fault and not the fault of the people themselves who are intolerant, hateful, and not doing unto others as they would have them do unto themselves, as God instructed? It isn't God's fault. It's the fault of people for using God and their religion as an excuse to do what they want to do, and think they are establishing credence by saying that they are doing in the name of God? Is it God's fault that they are misusing Him for their self-serving purposes? All the bad things that man does is done by man and is the fault of man. And not God. Put the blame where it belongs, please.

Jensen

DakotaGypsy said:

First of all, I must apologize, as a newbie to this site, for starting two new threads. I realize that it is not a polite thing for me to do, but I have concerns. Let me explain my angst about religion.

Today’s headline in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer alludes to the increasing level of violence in Iraq between the Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims.
To me, an Atheist, it is just one more occurrence in the strange, hate-filled eccentricity of the human race, religion.

Catholics rage at and kill Protestants. Protestants rage at and kill Protestants. If they run out of Christians to hate, they go after Muslims and other religions.

Muslims do the same things, they fight amongst themselves and they fight and kill people who do not follow their religion.

Buddhists, being almost Atheistic, are somewhat better, but they, too, have had their periods of murderous excess. Not to mention Hindus, Jews, and just about any religion you can name.

I vowed, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, never again to be anything but an Atheist!

No Atheist hi-jacked those commercial jets.

No Atheist attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Only a bunch of fools who did such heinous acts in the name of their unholy god.

To me, all gods are unholy and unjust and lead humanity into evil.

A pox upon all religion.

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Well, really, Jensen! Why should I blame God for what religious people do?

What does God have to do with it? And, which particular god should I blame?

There are so many around?

If people want to follow a particular god, why don't they set respectable examples? Otherwise, what is the point of their following that particular god?

Atheism is to believe there is no God. So why become Atheist, and deny the existence of God, and not believe in God, unless it is that somehow you feel that the bad behavior of people who profess believing in God, is God's fault?

"To me, all gods are unholy and unjust and lead humanity into evil"

I'm completely confused by this statement. So, as an athiest you believe there is no god, or gods or whatever, but these supposedly non-existent beings have power to lead humanity into evil?

dorcas3000 said:

"To me, all gods are unholy and unjust and lead humanity into evil"

I'm completely confused by this statement. So, as an athiest you believe there is no god, or gods or whatever, but these supposedly non-existent beings have power to lead humanity into evil?

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Excellent point. :clap I wish I'd thought to say it.

dorcas3000 said:

"To me, all gods are unholy and unjust and lead humanity into evil"

I'm completely confused by this statement. So, as an athiest you believe there is no god, or gods or whatever, but these supposedly non-existent beings have power to lead humanity into evil?

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They exist in us. They are not there but we make it so. All things are percived. No things are known. The world is flat. That was truth. Now it is not.

uoY era lla pal sgod fo ytillaer. I pihsrow ehT daM doG. ssendaM si ylno eht gninigeb!!!

The Grey Wolf said:

They exist in us. They are not there but we make it so. All things are percived. No things are known. The world is flat. That was truth. Now it is not.

uoY era lla pal sgod fo ytillaer. I pihsrow ehT daM doG. ssendaM si ylno eht gninigeb!!!

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Then how, I ask, can you say that this notion is true?

If no things are known, how can you know this?

finalfrogo said:

Then how, I ask, can you say that this notion is true?

If no things are known, how can you know this?

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I pihsrow ehT daM doG. ssendaM si eht woh I wonk. ssendaM si ym yaw.

The Grey Wolf said:

I pihsrow ehT daM doG. ssendaM si eht woh I wonk. ssendaM si ym yaw.

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that's neat! i actually can read that! so it is mad god, dam dog, mad dog, or dam god?

Buttons* said:

that's neat! i actually can read that! so it is mad god, dam dog, mad dog, or dam god?

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tI si tahw uoy hsiw. noitpecreP si lla.

The Grey Wolf said:

tI si tahw uoy hsiw. noitpecreP si lla.

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very good! this way you dont actually have to have an answer for me....

Buttons* said:

very good! this way you dont actually have to have an answer for me....

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It is The Mad God, Lord Sheogorath.

michel said:

I quite agree with you; this is a very good point. I don't respect these people either. the trouble is that I think religion in the 'flag' under which these dreadful acts are carried out, because it seems to make them sound so much better than the unvarnished truth.

There is something frightening about ethnic cleansing; and I guess for the most part that is what most of this is about. Politics, money, ethnicity I bet are the real motivators.

As far as I am concerned, God loves; Jesus Christ taught us to love one and other. Much as hate these wrong doings, and disrespect them, my faith makes me 'hate the sin' and not 'the sinner'. The trouble with that is that it is hard to know how to stop people from fighting using only Love.

I was born in Africa, and I can remember my Father telling me that the ethnic in-fighting between the tribes of Rwanda & Burundi strated even before he went to Africa, in 1947. The trouble there is still ongoing, and it will continue to do so.

For some reason people turn a bit of a blind eye to Africa; but if you look at the problems, you will find these two neighbours have hated each othe for the last 45 years, at least. Then look at Eastern Europe, the middle East; what is it all about ? - the same thing, really. Ireland - the continuing problem; it isn't about religion any more, it is in their blood. Children as young as five used to be given a gun; that ain't Religion.

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its Good to know that Jehovah has and does accomplish peace between Rwanda and Burundi ,all togeather sat next to each other in the kingdom halls and that happens all over the world
"I will heal them and reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth."—JEREMIAH 33:6.

But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth,




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And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace psalm 37;11

And all your sons will be persons taught by Jehovah, and the peace of your sons will be abundant. Isaiah 54;13............. individuals from all nations can come to have peace if they are taught by Jehovah