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they would simply start fighting over who knew God better and who He favored. Listening to Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason, one of his guests pointed out that claims of being God's chosen people always come from within a group to exclude others. No one ever points to another group and says, "Now they are surely the chosen ones and we are clearly not." We would always find reasons to claim we know God better and reasons to fight over things we aren't sure about even if there was just one religion. Just look at how fractured each faith is.
posted by
TVBlogger
on July 31, 2006 at 1:20 PM
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SuccessWarrior - either that or mankind woud immediately invent more gods
to fight and kill each other over.
posted by
gomedome
on July 31, 2006 at 12:50 PM
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What's not to agree with?
Religion has killed and tortured more people than anything else and the pattern doesn't show any signs of letting up. The world would be so much more peaceful if god would quit interfering with man's affairs. If left to think for themselves, humans would most likely treat each other with a great deal more tolerance.
posted by
SuccessWarrior
on July 31, 2006 at 12:41 PM
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Runs_at_dawn - disagreeing is fine - we all have different perspectives but
..it might help if you were a little more specific.
posted by
gomedome
on July 31, 2006 at 12:41 PM
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I don't agree with you...
posted by
Runs_at_dawn
on July 31, 2006 at 12:35 PM
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SuccessWarrior - unfortunately, in jest you speak a horrible truth
It will take a series of blue flashes (controlled nuclear) to get one particular religion's extremist elements to stop their global quest. The other choice is just as unappealing in that they will continue in this madness until this becomes inevitable.
posted by
gomedome
on July 31, 2006 at 10:32 AM
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Maybe what we need is for one religion to kill
everyone else on the planet so that there will be peace.
posted by
SuccessWarrior
on July 31, 2006 at 10:23 AM
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TVBlogger - I was watching a special on Hezbollah last evening
Reporters were interviewing people caught in the middle of the war in southern Lebanon. It is absolutely astounding to me how poweful religion can be to render the thought processes of normal people as completely irrational. Hezbollah has initiated a conflict where they have absolutely no chance of accomplishing their goals. Which are: to destroy Israel and rid the middle east of the Israeli nation. What they have accomplished is to turn their environment into stone age rubble, yet people support them, even those who are caught in the crossfire.
It is true that organized religions provide a great number of important social services, as well as providing a number of intangible benefits but at what cost? The argument has always been that the positive aspects far outweigh the negative aspects but I feel that this argument is a load of hokum. All of the benefits as provided by organized religions can be duplicated and made universally available outside of religion and without the negative aspects.
posted by
gomedome
on July 31, 2006 at 10:19 AM
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gome
I do think religion could have a purpose in society if we could just get its leaders to stop claiming to be the only ones who know the truth and the only ones who will attain salvation. I'm hearing more church leaders say things like, "There may be other paths to salvation, but the bible tells us this is one sure way." It's a step. Churches do mobilize their members for social causes and can provide comfort and hope for some but until they stop claiming to be superior to all other paths, there will always be war and you're right, there will be no hope.
posted by
TVBlogger
on July 31, 2006 at 10:04 AM
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