Apolytonistas against Religion: who's with me?

[Mercator]

Re: Apolytonistas against Religion: who's with me?

Originally posted by Agathon
When I was small (not just in height, don't laugh), religion was definitely on the way out. The consensus was that empiricism was in and that anything based on faith or scripture was simply discredited superstition that ought to play no role in public life. That no longer seems to be the case.

When things are going badly, people turn to their god for help. When things are going well, people turn to their wallet.

During the nineties, the economy was booming, everybody was happy, nothing to worry about. Then recession set in, people got fired, debts needed to be payed and they started to go to church again, praying that everything will get beter again.

[Flip McWho]

Aye, hows that saying go ... "you don't find many atheists in a foxhole"

[Seeker]

https://www.infidels.org

Look for the permanent thread on athiests in foxholes, from WW2 to the present. Many are proud to say they never called on god during combat.

I could care less what religion you are as long as you don't try to shove it down my throat.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

The real issue at hand is the "I'm gonna tell you what to think" issue.

For all the hue and cry 'gainst religion not surprisingly, it seems embodied all too well by the vitriol of Aggie.

[Elok]

How come this hasn't been locked yet? Has this sparked some kind of intelligent discussion and I missed it somehow?

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Agathon
Z - the religious people hate porn. Isn't that enough for you?

I couldn't give a **** what JohnT thinks. Anyway, he can't go around accusing anyone of being boring without being a total hypocrite.

Says a man who responded to me no less than five times in this thread, and about me no less than four additional times.

Actions speak louder than words, you know.

[loinburger]

The problem with "fighting religious bigotry" is that there is no effective way to directly attack it. Say, f'rinstance, that you meet Fred Phelps on the street. How are you going to go about fighting his religious bigotry? Kill him? Great, now you've replaced religious violence with anti-religious violence. Are you going to have a rational debate with him to change his views? Not bloody likely, "rational" and "Fred Phelps" do not belong in the same sentence. Are you going to pit your slogans against his, combat "God Hates Fags" with "Can't We All Just Get Along" or whatever? You're welcome to try, but the problem is that hate-mongering slogans are typically much better at rallying a crowd of dunderheads than are hippie slogans, and it's fairly safe to assume that Phelps's target audience are the dunderheads, so you're bound to lose on that front. Are you going to paint religion with the same broad brush that Phelps has used to paint atheism so that you two can square off on equal terms? Evidently that's what the OP is calling for, but while replacing religious bigotry with anti-religious bigotry is a bit better than replacing religious violence with anti-religous violence, you're still going to lose most of your support if you take that route.

In other words, using a bonzai charge to defeat religious bigotry makes about as much sense as attempting to conquer Chicago to take out Al Capone. You can directly oppose violence, but bigotry is usually best dealt with in feints and flanks.

[JohnT]

nm

[loinburger]

nm

[JohnT]

Totally read the sentence wrong, Loin. My bad.

[loinburger]

No problem. That's always the risk you run when posting in a thread where the fur's been flying.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Elok
How come this hasn't been locked yet? Has this sparked some kind of intelligent discussion and I missed it somehow?

Troll threads don't get locked unless they go over the line which this one hasn't. Besides one of the mods agrees with Aggie's stupidity so that's an added hurdle if you want it closed.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Agathon


Whatever...

You are exactly the same. You post snide remarks, but never anything of real substance. At least the Libertarians argue their case, instead of presenting the facade of smug ignorance that you persist with.

Your initial post that created this thread is FULL of snide remarks.

[The Mad Viking]

Originally posted by loinburger
The problem with "fighting religious bigotry" is that there is no effective way to directly attack it. Say, f'rinstance, that you meet Fred Phelps on the street. How are you going to go about fighting his religious bigotry? Kill him? Great, now you've replaced religious violence with anti-religious violence. Are you going to have a rational debate with him to change his views? Not bloody likely, "rational" and "Fred Phelps" do not belong in the same sentence. Are you going to pit your slogans against his, combat "God Hates Fags" with "Can't We All Just Get Along" or whatever?

Well, when it gets as extreme as Phelps, I'm all for using "hate" legislation, like was used against Ernst Zundel.

I doubt you'd find any respectable church or religious leader who will argue that God hates fags.

I am irreligious and agnostic. The last time I attended church was in 1999, when we had just completed a major design and construction project to modernize a 140 year old church. It was presbyterian, the audience was middle class WASP mainstream, and the reverend CHALLENGED THE CRAP OUT OF THEM, insisting that prejudice against homosexuals was evil and that God loves all people.

Of course their are extremists and missionaries. They are the ones you are most likely to hear from. That does not make them representative, ibut instead, it misleads you from the truth.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger

Don't tell me there wouldn't be a lot less hate without the Protestants and Catholics going at each other with tongs and hammer.

The conflict in Ireland represents an exception to the norm in which Catholics and Protestants do get along much better in their communities in other parts of the world today than they have in the past.