[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by Anom Alley ↗

I love meaningful and intelligent discourse. Please continue, you guys.

me too! im really enjoying this convo!

[niknik]

Originally Posted by the hawk ↗

You're right there. Canada are already way ahead of you too!

Canada ☆is☆

I didn't know we were racing.

[niknik]

Originally Posted by Kanda444 ↗

understand that my view of the future is an admittedly idealistic one... and one i find to be somewhat unreasonable. i love mankind but i find it hard to have a lot of hope for mankind's survival.

with regards to religion, i feel like hitchens did...



baby steps and see where they go from there. for now, im content with getting religious bullying to stop. mankind's desire to be ruled or to be free isnt really something i have any influence over.

i do feel that mankind can live morally without governing. they do it all the time... governing is really an illusion in the sense of it maintaining a sense of morality. i mean, most dont commit crimes because they dont want to... not because of God or because of a government. however, there is a certain sense of security that people get from being governed (by god or government) and people are willing to sacrifice some self respect (in admitting that they can in fact do the right thing without being told or governed) for that sense of security. years and years of social conditioning is a hard thing to break free from.

I feel like people would have a better chance to stop religious bullying if they weren't attacking religious people for their beliefs.

I grew up in what is referred to as the bible belt. And I never went to church. Raised a lot of hell growing up. And not once did a religious person ever pressure me, or bully me or anyone I knew.

I've seen many religious people bullied, and heckled. I will never understand why people feel threatened by someone who's religious. Or why people who believe are attacked so much. Why does it matter? Why do people take offense?

[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

I feel like people would have a better chance to stop religious bullying if they weren't attacking religious people for their beliefs.

I grew up in what is referred to as the bible belt. And I never went to church. Raised a lot of hell growing up. And not once did a religious person ever pressure me, or bully me or anyone I knew.

I've seen many religious people bullied, and heckled. I will never understand why people feel threatened by someone who's religious. Or why people who believe are attacked so much. Why does it matter? Why do people take offense?

come to where i live... you will see it first hand

i love the idea that believers (particularly Christians since they are the majority) in america feel 'attacked' that's nonsense.



nobody is attacking believers.... we are asking that religion is left out of politics.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

that quote was by - Thomas Jefferson

i also posted an example of religious bullying from my high school (where a child was forced to sign a contract agreeing to religious counseling, which included getting prayed over, from a public school teacher because the student had played with a homemade Ouija board) and not only experienced religious bullying at my school but was an active part in it. shameful as it is now, i know religious bullying is a real issue because i have personally partaken in it.

a recent study showed that atheists are the least trusted minority in America... speaks volumes about the treatment open atheists receive in America.

Im glad to hear that you havent personally suffered from religious bullying but that doesnt mean it's not real or a non-issue simply because it hasnt happened in your experience (as you know).

[OhJstFkOffAlrdy]

Kanda just blew his low-sperm-count pothead load in his shorts.

[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by Metal Mike ↗

Kanda just blew his low-sperm-count pothead load in his shorts.

you want to tell people why you're the expert on my sperm count, sweetie? <3

[niknik]

I think people look for reasons other than the obvious to explain their treatment by police, employers, and their neighbors. I also think anyone who chooses to put themselves into groups will always feel slighted by the majority.

But i agree kanda, religious bullying is a problem. But not all religious people should have to bare the responsibility for it. Or carry the shame.

[niknik]

Anything John Stewart says should be taken with a grain of salt.

[rapeWhistle]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

Anything John Stewart says was written by his writer's,
don't give him too much credit - he isn't that clever.

[Kanda444]

Originally Posted by niknik ↗

I think people look for reasons other than the obvious to explain their treatment by police, employers, and their neighbors. I also think anyone who chooses to put themselves into groups will always feel slighted by the majority.

But i agree kanda, religious bullying is a problem. But not all religious people should have to bare the responsibility for it. Or carry the shame.

absolutely, not all religious should take the blame, nor should religious people be banned from anything because of their religion. places of worship should be left alone... but they shouldnt be tax exempt (its not right that your tax money vicariously supports churches and mosques you dont go to). my focus is on theism and not theists.

IRL, i dont preach atheism to strangers... only to people who ask me about my religion first. even then, i am respectful since that is how i would like to be treated.

i do agree that somethings need to be changed as far as religion in politics go but i also think it's vitally important not to make religious people out to be the enemy. they are not...

also, to be fair, atheism isnt really a group. i dont identify with any movements or ideologies. in fact, other than my wife, i know no atheists in RL, i dont go to atheist gatherings, im not a part of atheist forums and i dont meet up with atheists here to chat other than when they or i interject into a conversation. saying that atheism is 'identifying with a group' is a bit like saying that 'all non-muslims are a group'. you and i have things we agree on and things we dont but the fact that we are both not muslim doesnt mean we identify with a group. our views on islam are likely drastically different... just like my views on religion and the origin of life differ from a lot of atheists. if there were an atheist leader that all atheists identified with and an ideology all atheists believed in, then i would agree with you... but that's not the case. even with that in mind, state promoted atheism is very much a group and is (imho) not a good idea either. the state should have no opinion on the matter either way. nobody needs to be told by the government that there is or isnt a god.