"Darwin's Dangerous Disciple"

[Guest]

Richard Dawkins on religion: http://secularhumanism.org/library/fi/dawkins_22_1.html

[David Floyd]

Believe it or not I thought the article was kinda funny - but to the point, can you give any examples of suicide bombers, or whatever, in any religion besides Islam? And even in Islam, it's widely recognized that suicide bombing is a perversion of the religion.

[devilmunchkin]

I'd Osama say that the hijackers didnt even KNOW that they were going to die.
what about Buddists monks in Tibet..some have set themselves on fire in protest.
umm...The CHildren's Crusade in the early 1000's......that was a no brainer suicide march right there

[David Floyd]

[quote]what about Buddists monks in Tibet..some have set themselves on fire in protest.[/quote

And also in South Vietnam - but this is what I would call a victimless crime as they aren't hurting anyone.

[quote]umm...The CHildren's Crusade in the early 1000's......that was a no brainer suicide march right there[/quote

Again, this was also different - these children were not targeting civilians specifically nor was suicide the intent.

[Az]

The CHildren's Crusade in the early 1000's......that was a no brainer suicide march right there

what was the Children's crusade?

[devilmunchkin]

the children's crusade targeted the muslims

[David Floyd]

Sure, but as with all the other Crusades this isn't an example of suicide bombing which was the point as I understood it.

If you want to compare the killing habits of religious people and atheists, I can always bring up the Holocaust, Stalin, and Communist China and Cambodia, to name a few.

[Adam Smith]

If death is final, a rational agent can be expected to value his life highly and be reluctant to risk it.

I remember seeing one campus protester with a sign reading "NOTHING is worth dying for". But is it? Surely there are plenty of non-religious people who would give their lives for a cause they felt was sufficiently important. If not, then it seems they are far too concerned with valuing their own skins.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by David Floyd
If you want to compare the killing habits of religious people and atheists, I can always bring up the Holocaust, Stalin, and Communist China and Cambodia, to name a few.

For the love of everything that has even been consider holy by everyone who has ever lived, please don't. That would get awfully tired, awfully quick, and would progress to nowhere. True, much like anything else here, but it wouldn't even lend itself to comedy, making it tedious.

LR, I loathe fundamentalism. Athiests can be fundamentalist too. And you are teetering dangerously on the brink.

[David Floyd]

Look, for example, at the large number of volunteers in most of America's wars.

[Caligastia]

What is the point of blaming religion for 9/11? I hardly think that the terrorists could be considered representative of "religion".

[David Floyd]

For the love of everything that has even been consider holy by everyone who has ever lived, please don't. That would get awfully tired, awfully quick, and would progress to nowhere. True, much like anything else here, but it wouldn't even lend itself to comedy, making it tedious.

Well the point is that if one is going to say that mass murder is the fault of religion, I can make plent of counter-examples.

[David Floyd]

What is the point of blaming religion for 9/11? I hardly think that the terrorists could be considered representative of "religion".

Exactly, and they were condemned by Muslims worldwide.

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by David Floyd


Well the point is that if one is going to say that mass murder is the fault of religion, I can make plent of counter-examples.

Oh, I'm aware of that. I've seen that thread. Many, many times. I have no desire to see it again.

[David Floyd]

Oh, I'm aware of that. I've seen that thread. Many, many times. I have no desire to see it again.

Again, I'm simply responding to the arguments.