Religion is the Opiate of the Masses

[Miss Gomezcat]

Mr Marx had this one right. If people weren't trying to earn treasure in a mythical heaven, they might get busy fixing up this one, amazing world we have and stop letting a bunch of hypocritical perverts tell us what to do.

BTW, just to be clear, I mean ministers and anyone in authority in any organised religion. I've yet to hear of one without problems.

Another caveat. There are some very good folks out there but I think they're good in spite of, not because of, their 'faith'.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Mr Marx had this one right. If people weren't trying to earn treasure in a mythical heaven, they might get busy fixing up this one, amazing world we have and stop letting a bunch of hypocritical perverts tell us what to do.

BTW, just to be clear, I mean ministers and anyone in authority in any organised religion. I've yet to hear of one without problems.

Another caveat. There are some very good folks out there but I think they're good in spite of, :rocker: not because of, their 'faith'. :rocker:

Good post Miss Cat ... very good post indeed.

Far too many men of the cloth in all religions who are glorified WANKERS.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

From what I can tell, religion or the lack thereof is unquantifiable as an influence on society at large, when it comes to the worst crimes. It's just more sickening when people do the worst things in the name of their particular chosen deity. A 20th century history book is pretty good source material - Stalin and Mao, the worst mass murderers in the history of mankind, were resolutely atheist. Of course, one could call the state ideology a kind of religion in those cases, but it's a stretch. Hitler, number 3 "by the numbers" (although he was a special kind of hideous,) certainly had religion mixed up in his world-view, but could hardly be called a crusader in the religious sense; again, he was more about pure power. It's been argued, on the basis of pure numbers, that lack of religion led to the worst abuses in history.

I personally believe that the combination of an unbalanced political apparatus, an unbalanced sociopathic leader, a virulent ideology, and modern technology enabled this behavior, and religious belief (or more appropriately, the lack thereof,) hardly entered into it.

Similarly, I also believe that people can either give a crap about other people, or primarily serve their own egos/sicknesses/power lust/what have you. And so you can as easily have a pervert "man of the cloth" you can't trust your kid with, as a pervert atheist or secular humanist.

The thing is, people don't understand or believe that a religious man, who espouses religious sentiments, can be capable of evil. It is easy to blame the religion (which, in fact, creates a power conduit in many cases, involving the ideas Miss G mentioned, like the afterlife as a reward system,) or to blame religion in general. And in fact, I think there's a lot to be said for being distrustful of any direct hierarchy in which one is encouraged to internalize fear and guilt (for example.)

But if all religion vanished tomorrow, killers would be killers because they believed in some other ideology -- or even just in some malthusian "population control" movement. Child molesters would find kids without the shelter of a religion. But they would still look for, and find, the kids. We produce a small number of these extremely messed up individuals, and of course, they do disproportionate damage. But I don't think they'd disappear because religion does.

Although I will say that seeing some of the religious posts on this board and elsewhere, I can understand the temptation to think they would.

PFnV

 

[Harry Boy]

I hate Organized Religion, every time I have ever entered a Church in my life they were trying to get into my wallet.
I will only enter a Protestant or Catholic Church when I am attending a wedding or a funeral.

Now I would like to ask the educated among you a question.
"Why is it perfectly permissable and in many instances considered Freedom Of Speech and Comical to Trash, Degrade, and Make Fun Of "Christianity" but is considered "Anti Semetic" "Bigoted" and "Racist" to do the same to the Jewish Faith or the Muslim Faith"?

I say it is Politically Correct A$s Kissing, Anti White Christian Bullsh!t, what say you?
:bricks:

 

[thesmee1]

I hate Organized Religion, every time I have ever entered a Church in my life they were trying to get into my wallet.
I will only enter a Protestant or Catholic Church when I am attending a wedding or a funeral.

Now I would like to ask the educated among you a question.
"Why is it perfectly permissable and in many instances considered Freedom Of Speech and Comical to Trash, Degrade, and Make Fun Of "Christianity" but is considered "Anti Semetic" "Bigoted" and "Racist" to do the same to the Jewish Faith or the Muslim Faith"?

I say it is Politically Correct A$s Kissing, Anti White Christian Bullsh!t, what say you?
:bricks:

It's politically correct because they are religious minorities. Like in all religions their are some that are the religious right wing, who murder and kill in the name of God, or Infinite Wisdom. Does that make it right? Hell, no. Should anyone call them out on it without retribution? I say yes.

 

[BruschiOnTap]

I hate Organized Religion, every time I have ever entered a Church in my life they were trying to get into my wallet.
I will only enter a Protestant or Catholic Church when I am attending a wedding or a funeral.

Now I would like to ask the educated among you a question.
"Why is it perfectly permissable and in many instances considered Freedom Of Speech and Comical to Trash, Degrade, and Make Fun Of "Christianity" but is considered "Anti Semetic" "Bigoted" and "Racist" to do the same to the Jewish Faith or the Muslim Faith"?

I say it is Politically Correct A$s Kissing, Anti White Christian Bullsh!t, what say you?
:bricks:

Well I think you're complaining about commercial news-media portraying Zionism as a mainnstream/loyalist ideology. But as far as comedy routines, Christianity is a majority worldview/religion in our nation and so jokes based around this common religious experince are accessible to everyone

 

[Fogbuster]

Actually, this thread is mis-titled. It should be: "Opiates (drugs, too much alcohol, uncommitted sex, slavery to commercialism, etc.) are the quasi-religion of the masses."

Sure, religions cause a lot of trouble, but they have almost always been born out of a sincere desire to seek personal and collective betterment for human beings. Today's religious confusion and chaos is unprecedented in history: on the one hand there is a new religious viewpoint coming out every day; on the other hand, so much of it is simply self-serving, with little social redeeming value.

At the same time the established religious groups are striving to keep or even expand their hold on social prestige, influence, etc. Nothing new here. Even Jesus lived under the most horrific religious persecution: he was labeled a "sect" ("the sect of the Nazarine") and run out of most towns in Israel. Authorities were feverishly looking for a way to get rid of him, as he was labeled simply a "trouble-maker" to the establishment.

What we need is to have clear minds and open hearts. As Jesus said: we must be as a child. Not always easy to do in these cynical times, but definitely worth the effort. One should never lose their child-like innocence, and if it does get lost, every effort should be made to at least never disrespect it.



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