bestonnet: Christianity and Islam both are demonstrations of what happens when people take half-heard stories only slightly understood, and tack them on to...
... I'm an atheist who happens to also be agnostic. As for direct experience of divine presence, what could I conclude from it? How would I know I'm not just...
bestonnet -- All the divergent tangents of our conversation regarding morality, Torah law, etc. could now be summarized into a few basic statements. What I see...
... It does eventually follow from it (although it'd be a slippery slope argument). ... But then it is no longer faith based. ... Usually local ordinances...
... Yes, but whether the whole society changes is another matter. ... Yes, but the changes should have happened faster. ... Though most people of faith follow...
bestonnet wrote: Are they? I'm sure they are saying it and probably justifying what they are doing based on faith but could it actually be a more secular...
bestonnet wrote: Many of the early figures in the womens' movement were also atheists (Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Margaret Sanger come to ...
... Religion is the main source of absolutes. Some secular philosophies can lead to the kind of dogmatism you see in religion, communism being a good...
... Very much so. ... There is http://nogodzone.blogspot.com/2007/02/slavery-and-christian-mythology.html about how it was not Christians that began the ending...
bestonnet wrote: Besides, the certainty that religion tends to bring is almost a guarantee that someone is going to kill for it whereas if people were told...
... Why not? It may be only a few idiots right now but that doesn't mean they are somehow not representing the religion, nor does it mean that they weren't...
... Not true at all, a lot of people who couldn't get a gun would not use a knife or club even if they would have used a gun (a gun is simply a better weapon)....
bestonnet wrote: The sense of divine authority makes religious morality very hard to change if it turns out that the moral code is defective, especially if the...
bestonnet_00 wrote: People not killing each other over minor disagreements would seem not to be a problem. ... Do not confuse vehicle and purpose. Someone...
... True, very few Christians now would want to take the vote away from women but even so, it took far too long for the change to happen and it was the...
... I think we've all seen things like that. ... If you think it is that which makes people atheists then you are wrong (the absurdities of orthodox...
Thank you. On the Christian Apologist list, I noticed one of the self-assured young Christians commented that too bad for Ghandi that he goes to hell because...
... Such as? People not killing each other over minor disagreements would seem not to be a problem. Unless you have a very strange definition of religious...
Richard -- Beautifully stated! Sorry if I mistargeted my comments... some of those layered replies people make to each other, are a bit difficult to peel...
bestonnet_00 -- Not having a community religious structure creates more problems... How would you recommend instruction of moral code to future generations? ...
... I don't think you actually intended that for him. ... No it isn't because it doesn't actually do that (moral philosophy is much better done without...
Christianity in the form of the real Jesus is very close to Buddhism. Jesus and Buddha essentially had the same ideas. Books have been written on that. There...
I think you are right. I would say religion tends to support and reinforce moral principles, necessary in societies for survival and proper maintenance for...
Richard-- Religion is a structure to scaffold moral behavior to allow humans to live together effectively. That it gets corrupted by non-moral people into a...
Sorry Richard, that reply was meant for bestonnet_00. Trying to grab the first name on the digest post sometimes causes error. Hannah ... Looking for last...
By the way, Richard... Judaism, in its true spirituality, is very close to Bhuddism. Some people just get so caught up in the surface appearance that they...
... Yes, though I should note that this is a recent understanding that only really came about due to the scientific revolution recognising a natural, before...
