Things that make me glad I live in a Christian Country.

[Satya]

If we are gonna go the route of what atrocities Christians have committed...

http://notachristian.org/christianatrocities.html

Or maybe we could just go with my original argument that it doesn't matter whether it is Christianity or Islam, if you let idiots who don't have the sense to use reason, evidence, and human compassion when they are influencing the masses to do their bidding, then you are going to these kinds of results from unquestioning adherence to religious doctrines.

Maybe its time people start holding these idiots accountable instead of being sheeple.

 

[88chaz88]

I wasn't really referring to you.

The "you might not like Christianity" part either referred to me or Satya within this thread. Without a particular quote I decided to be the one to bite.

If we are gonna go the route of what atrocities Christians have committed...

http://notachristian.org/christianatrocities.html

Or maybe we could just go with my original argument that it doesn't matter whether it is Christianity or Islam, if you let idiots who don't have the sense to use reason, evidence, and human compassion when they are influencing the masses to do their bidding, then you are going to these kinds of results from unquestioning adherence to religious doctrines.

Which is the point I'm trying to get across aswell.

 

[DefectiveCreative]

Hitler used every trick in the book. Just happened that eugenics was more popular at the time.

I guess that depends on whether you think Hitler actually believed in what he preached, or whether he just used Nazism's fundamental concept of a genetically superior Aryan Master-Race to manipulate himself into power. Personally, I think he did believe in it.

 

[bamf]

Unless they were part of the People's Liberation Army. The Tibetan Chushi Gangdruk guerrilla movement rose up against the Atheistic Communist Chinese invaders of Tibet. They were trying to preserve their way of life and religion from invaders.

They weren't acting in the name of Buddhism, and their membership of guerrilla fighters was relatively small. They laid down their arms when the Dali Llama asked them too. They were fighting because their country had been invaded and their people were being executed.

I was more or less trying to make light of the situation. In my opinion it's not the religion, it's the masses of people throughout the years that have warped and molded it into something that condones violence (and I'm speaking religion in general, not one particular one)

 

[88chaz88]

I guess that depends on whether you think Hitler actually believed in what he preached, or whether he just used Nazism's fundamental concept of a genetically superior Aryan Master-Race to manipulate himself into power. Personally, I think he did believe in it.

We'll never know. The Germans are nutty enough for both situations to be just as plausible.

 

[athenian200]

I think just about any country, under just about any other religion, would be a better one to live in than an Islamic country.

Islam is, at core, similar to Christianity. The problem is that the most popular interpretation of it in Islamic countries is extreme and repressive. The typical interpretation of Christianity is far more forgiving and accepting of new reasoning. It wasn't always so, but it was forged into that.

Even so, the end result is that a Christian country (at least in modern times) tends to be far less repressive than an Islamic one. I tend to believe an agnostic country would be even less repressive, but there's no way to test that theory, because most people need to believe in an afterlife.

 

[Tamagochi]

It isn't compassionate to enable idiocy.

So why actively involve religion? Why just not say "I think people who do not use reason, evidence, and human compassion, are idiots."? Why ignore that people who follow religion can be great leaders, scientists, artists and whomever they choose to be?

The word compassion - it's original meaning also involves tolerance and accepting people regardless of their faults. There were many subtle attempts in history to devalue it by declaring that we should ONLY be compassionate IF (!!!) people meat certain criteria - ex. if they of our religion, of our nationality, of our ideology, white, straight, rich, male, smart etc.

The inspirer of the religion you hate had actually shown more compassion than you do by declaring that we should learn to love our enemies. Without exception. And he had lived what he preached.

Lets just sweep the Spanish Inquisition under the rug eh? Nothing to see here... move along.

We are talking about different things here: the moral code that is influenced by religion and how people actually behave.

The issue I saw in OP was that Islam LEGALLY allows such kind of atrocities to happen while Christianity (and Buddhism) does not and has never allowed. Whether you use this right or not is a different matter. When people do bad things and then justify them by twisting religion, morality or reason is yet another matter.

 

[Billy]

God I know, we just burned out evil witches at the stake.

 

[Melkor]

Well, far be it from me to question a culture I am unfamilair with.

If you can't take what you give out....don't give?

 

[TheLastMohican]

I'm glad to live in a more culturally advanced country. (The particular religion, especially among the three major monotheistic ones, does not matter all that much. If you go back a few centuries, most all cultures engaged in practices we would consider barbaric and/or immoral. Time, rather than theology, makes the difference.) That said, there are many people in Western culture today who support the "eye for an eye" policy, at least in principle. Death penalty, anyone?

 

[88chaz88]

I'm glad to live in a more culturally advanced country. (The particular religion, especially among the three major monotheistic ones, does not matter all that much. If you go back a few centuries, most all cultures engaged in practices we would consider barbaric and/or immoral. Time, rather than theology, makes the difference.) That said, there are many people in Western culture today who support the "eye for an eye" policy, at least in principle. Death penalty, anyone?

This wins.

I'm glad to live in a culturally advanced country that doesn't have the death penalty.

 

[NeverAmI]

Sharia (شريعة

 

[NeverAmI]

Let's also not forget the role that technology plays in all of this.

With the printing press, information moved WAY faster, more people knew more things, influences were able to travel further and ignorance started to diminish.

With the technological age, all of that is amplified. The masses aren't as ignorant as they once were. It is easier to organize people, and it is easier to learn. The Middle-East isn't horribly technologically advanced compared to the West, and Africa is worse, but I guarantee you they are feeling the pressure from the rest of the world.

 

[Satya]

So why actively involve religion?

Did you fail to read the thread title? This thread is about religion.

The word compassion - it's original meaning also involves tolerance and accepting people regardless of their faults.

I'm not sure how they define compassion where you are from, but it means feeling for the pain and suffering of others here. It has nothing to do with acceptance or tolerance. Sometimes compassion means not enabling people to do idiotic things.

The inspirer of the religion you hate had actually shown more compassion than you do by declaring that we should learn to love our enemies. Without exception. And he had lived what he preached.

I don't think I said I hate religion, only that I think people should stop being mindless sheep who follow the idiot leaders who justify saying and doing horrible things in the name of their religion. In fact, please point out in this thread where I said I hate either Islam or Christianity?

 

[Faye]

If the United States really was a Christian county, you could expect some pretty ridiculous laws. For any country to adhere to any religion in such as fashion (as more than a decoration), the right economy and political structure is required. In the past, when the United States could have been considered a Christian country, there were groups (esp. Puritans) would could definitely one up modern Muslims.

Oh, you talked back to your parents? Let's take you outside and disembowel you. I wouldn't praise religion; I'd praise advanced technology.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

This wins.

I'm glad to live in a culturally advanced country that doesn't have the death penalty.

One of the titles of your head of state is "Defender of the Faith" is it not? I'm glad she's the head of state here, 'down under' as well.




As for the United States - their state religion is to worship the state.

 

[DefectiveCreative]

One of the titles of your head of state is "Defender of the Faith" is it not?

There's been a fair bit of talk in recent years about whether her successor should go by "Defender of Faiths" or something similar, to better reflect the more secular, culturally diverse nature of modern Britain.

 

[slant]

I officially declare this thread discriminatory.

 

[acd]

Lets just sweep the Spanish Inquisition under the rug eh? Nothing to see here... move along.

Or witch burning... or attempting to justify slave owning with scripture.. regard wives as property according to scripture... etc. etc.


Eh. Regardless. Those living in secularized Christian nations are much more fortunate than those living under extremist Muslim regimes..

 

[Inquisitive]

As for the United States - their state religion is to worship the state.

Sad but true.