[Merged]All religions are idiocy

DanishDynamite said:
Let them explain the subtle difference then.
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Even more unlikely, given the tone of your OP.

If this spirit can in some way be reached by humans and can in some way affect their lives, then it is God as I define it in this thread.

I'm defining it as I understand most God believers minimum define it.
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See, now you are making some progress.
 
Defining religion is so notoriously slippery that it is almost impossible to do so, which is, of course, welcome by the religious since it always allows moving them there goalposts in the desperate evasion of legitimate critique.

If it is mindset that does any of:
(1) Uses self-affirmation with no external referents as "evidence" for its claims;
(2) Involves supernatural entities, properties or spiritualism;
(3) Presents itself as Truth(TM);
(4) Suggests that humans are evil and need to be controlled with internalized normative structures;
(5) Posits humans as its servants instead of the other way around,

Then I call it religion and I oppose it.
Does Buddhism do any of that?

As far as Buddhism being offended (offended? Hahahaha!) by being derided as a religion, well who chose to call it a religion? If anyone wishes to clarify that it is not a religion (and has none of the properties above), then I'll be only too happy to take it off my list of enemies of humanity. Even if it doesn't share any of the properties above, if it refers to itself as a religion, it is lending "legitimacy" to those malignant, viral mindsets that go by that name.

And, yes, I rue the idea that secular humanism had itself declared a religion. That was a major loss for humanism. That's why I wouldn't even consider calling myself one.


They'll never...
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...that way.
 
If we call an idiot soemone who doesn't realize there's no God, then how should we call someone who doesn't realize how important a role the environment plays in whether logic will manage to rise above insecurity ? How do we call someone who doesn't see that the human brain hasn't changed for tens of thousands of years and so logic is not hardwired in it anymore now than what it was 100,000 years ago ? How do we call someone who doesn't realize that the most important traits of humans are not critical thinking and reason, but rather compassion, adaptability, willingness to judge based on intentions much more than beliefs, acceptance of differences and ability to communicate instead of insult ? Because, with the current preponderance of theism, I can still see humanity progressing, and perhaps even progressing towards an atheistic world. But without compassion and understanding our future seems gloomy. Realizing this is much more intelligent than the mere realization that there is no God.
 
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DanishDynamite said:
If you are religious, you are an idiot.
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I don't understand why you are asking others to defend themselves here.

You've started a thread with a bold (and fairly offensive) claim and the ball is firmly in your court to provide the evidence and reasoning to support it.

Please present your case that all religions are idiocy and that if you are religious, you are an idiot.
 
DanishDynamite said:
When you have something relevant to the OP to add, please do so.
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Just because you started this thread it does not mean you own it. You start a deliberately provocative thread and get righteous when others do not respond in a way you deem appropriate.
 
Am I the only one sensing the wiff of a troll? If you are saying those who believe in God are idiotic DanishD, you aren't a shining example of the alternative.

It's true!
 
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No not a troll as such, but close. Just deliberately provocative. There can be no serious debate when someone starts a thread like this one.
 
lionking said:
There can be no serious debate when someone starts a thread like this one.
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I suppose that was the point: “See how it’s impossible to discuss religion in any reasonable manner." Looks like a bully trick. On the other hand, maybe the whole business with the Mohammed cartoons and the after play therein might have provoked such a provocative post in the first place. Who knows?
 
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Gazpacho said:
It is quite formulaic and repetitive.

I'm an atheist. Angry atheists, however, irritate me.
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I often believe the main thing us Atheists should be working on is to stop religion recieving special treatment and be treated the same as any other belief system like Marxism, Liberalism, or Pacifism.

Which is why it pisses me off when any person goes 'Liberalism is pure idiocy' (Even though I am not a liberal). Likewise here.
 
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Undesired Walrus said:
I often believe the main thing us Atheists should be working on is to stop religion recieving special treatment and be treated the same as any other belief system like Marxism, Liberalism, or Pacifism.

Which is why it pisses me off when any person goes 'Liberalism is pure idiocy' (Even though I am not a liberal). Likewise here.
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Yeah, but then, you agree that Libertarianism is pure idiocy.

Right? ;)
 
If you look up religion on Dictionary.com you will get quite a collection of different definitions for "religion". What is most notable is how few of them actually make any mention whatsoever about belief in a deity.

What they tend to have in common is a set of beliefs and practices agreed upon by a collective group of people, and typically some sort of significant devotion to said beliefs and practices. Often some sort of moral code by which members live is included.

Thus religion would appear to be quite possible absent a deity, and belief in a deity would appear to be quite possible absent religion.
 
gumboot said:
If you look up religion on Dictionary.com you will get quite a collection of different definitions for "religion". What is most notable is how few of them actually make any mention whatsoever about belief in a deity.

What they tend to have in common is a set of beliefs and practices agreed upon by a collective group of people, and typically some sort of significant devotion to said beliefs and practices. Often some sort of moral code by which members live is included.

Thus religion would appear to be quite possible absent a deity, and belief in a deity would appear to be quite possible absent religion.
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If that is "religion", then I am religious because I am moral.

And I'm not.

(Religious, that is. :))
 
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