Respecting Religion

[Wellboneland]

This is what I truly belive. Now stop hating.

I do not hate you, I simply find it depressing that one could advocate outlawing any belief system. I personally most religions to be fundamentally ridiculous and mostly have anegative impact on society, but no one has any right to tell another what they can or cannot believe. Even if one did, why single out those three?

Three? Hehe.
psst it was one.

[Polyamorous Platypus]

If you are trolling, please stop. If you truly believe this, then I feel truly sorry for you.

This is what I truly belive. Now stop hating.

I don't think anyone's hating you. It's just sad and disappointing that these kind of bigotry still exists and that some people are misguided enough to actually buy into the hate.

[The Alma Mater]

This is what I truly belive. Now stop hating.

I don't think anyone's hating you. It's just sad and disappointing that these kind of bigotry still exists and that some people are misguided enough to actually buy into the hate.

It's his religion. Start respecting it, no matter how saddening, bigoted and hateful it is in your eyes

[Wellboneland]

This is what I truly belive. Now stop hating.

I don't think anyone's hating you. It's just sad and disappointing that these kind of bigotry still exists and that some people are misguided enough to actually buy into the hate.

"Misguided"
otherwise, you make sense

[Wellboneland]

I don't think anyone's hating you. It's just sad and disappointing that these kind of bigotry still exists and that some people are misguided enough to actually buy into the hate.

It's his religion. Start respecting it, no matter how saddening, bigoted and hateful it is in your eyes

You are thinking of WBC, look up Neo-Paganism.

[Polyamorous Platypus]

I don't think anyone's hating you. It's just sad and disappointing that these kind of bigotry still exists and that some people are misguided enough to actually buy into the hate.

"Misguided"
otherwise, you make sense

I'm sorry but only a misguided or seriously disturbed individual buys into the kind of hate you were espousing earlier on the thread.

[Wellboneland]

"Misguided"
otherwise, you make sense

I'm sorry but only a misguided or seriously disturbed individual buys into the kind of hate you were espousing earlier on the thread.

Ok sure. Nice job.

[Norvenia]

Okay. That's your belief. Personally, I do not find myself able to share it; it is not supported by my experience of the world. But I respect your opinion, and it is such respect that I have been arguing for throughout this thread.

From what I understand of psychology, and don't take my word for it, it does seem that empathy is universal, in that everyone cares about their fellow human being - but that "fellow human beings" perception usually extends to their "in group".* I suppose a religion (like many ideologies) can broaden that in-group to cover larger distances and populations, and socio-economic gaps (Brothers and sisters in Christ; the "ummah"; see for instance the concern of most Muslim majority countries on the Palestine issue); however, and especially with Monotheistic religions, it can also entrench who they consider as the "other"; heretics, infidels, gay people, lower castes. Religion is far from providing a perfect, or even good gauge of who we should feel empathaetic towards.

See also: Robbers Cave experiment.

I find that to be true with some religions. With others, I do not. When a religion enjoins empathy toward the entire human race (as I belive Christianity does), then I have trouble seeing how it fails to provide a good gauge for deciding whom we should feel empathy toward.

At any rate, whether empathy is naturally limited or suppressed by social training, the fact remains that religion can enable people to feel empathy toward those with whom they would not otherwise empathise. This is the root of my original argument that one cannot respect a person for doing a deed born of religiously-inspired empathy without also respecting the religion which directly led that person to behave in such a way.

[The Murtunian Tribes]

It's his religion. Start respecting it, no matter how saddening, bigoted and hateful it is in your eyes

You are thinking of WBC, look up Neo-Paganism.

What about it?

[Orcoa]

I wish a day would come when all sides can take a "live and let live" approach to religion.

Just because someone believes something you don't agree with doesn't give you the right to swagger up to them and make a smug, underhanded comment about how wrong and stupid you think they are.

If you think you have the right to act like that considering the "superiority" of your belief, you are an asshole and deserved to be beaten.

Well thats my attitude to belief.

Yeah but this is the Internet, where manners die and being a asshole is a plus!

[Wellboneland]

You are thinking of WBC, look up Neo-Paganism.

What about it?

Has no ties to hate at all. You could say "Hitler wuz nio pagan!1!!!!1!!", but in truth, he was not.

[Imsogone]

It is also a fact that people have an emotional connection to their children, whatever the source of that connection is, chemical, spiritual or whatever. I respect that connection and, unless there is actual serious harm being done, I would not interfere with it - this connection is important to the mental health of the species and, therefore, the survival. Objectively, there is more to the survival of the human species than merely passing on good genes. It's been demonstrated that people who have been considered hopelessly handicapped from birth have actually turned around and done surprising and effective things and people who have shown wonderful promise have proven to be profoundly disappointing - so, for the survival of the human race, every child born (not every child conceived) should have the opportunity to surprise us. But then, if we were a healthy, ethically sound society firmly rooted in rationality and fact-based decision making, we'd have half the population we have now, every person would have the opportunity to fulfill his/her potential and there would be no Rick Santorum.

Let me clarify my hypothetical, and see if that changes your mind:

I have not been detailed enough. Your point is quite valid. Allow me to present a more specific example, though. Consider an individual with, say, cri-du-chat syndrome. Such an individual is severely mentally retarded, to such a point as to render it impossible for them to perform virtually any task which could be considered useful to the survival of the human species. Such an individual thus represents an almost 100% net drain on society's resources. From the point of view of species survival, then, isn't the logical course of action to kill this individual so as to use to use society's resources for purposes that increase the odds of species survival, rather than to provide for the individual in question? But is this also the moral course of action?

Alternatively, imagine that we were back at the "club-a-saber-tooth-tiger stage of survival;" under those circumstances, when a severely physically or mentally handicapped person was a huge net drain on the resources of a tribe which could be better used in order to ensure species survival, would it not be logical to kill this individual? Would it be moral?

There have been many cultures, even in so-called modern times, who have practiced the passive method of "exposure" to deal with the severely handicapped and, in some cultures, unwanted female children. Other cultures have, literally or figuratively, "allowed" their elderly who were unable to contribute to the tribe to choose to set themselves afloat on an ice floe - I find these solutions more humane and, arguably, moral than our current practice of warehousing them until they die of neglect (except, of course, in the case of "unwanted" female children - in fact, healthy females are more necessary to the survival of the species than healthy males). Whether it is actually moral or not is in an ethical gray area and appeals to a deity are not the best way to deal with the question - this is where we have ask hard questions and deal with hard answers and not just use some sort of "it's the will of God" cop out.

[Wellboneland]

Well thats my attitude to belief.

Yeah but this is the Internet, where manners die and being a asshole is a plus!

Lolnope.

[Polyamorous Platypus]

I'm sorry but only a misguided or seriously disturbed individual buys into the kind of hate you were espousing earlier on the thread.

Ok sure. Nice job.

Can you find a good justification for calling a group of people Jewmoneys?

[Wellboneland]

Ok sure. Nice job.

Can you find a good justification for calling a group of people Jewmoneys?

No, I cannot. I was wrong.

[Polyamorous Platypus]

Can you find a good justification for calling a group of people Jewmoneys?

No, I cannot. I was wrong.

Precisely what have been saying for the past few posts. Misguided, wrong, and sad.

[Orcoa]

Yeah but this is the Internet, where manners die and being a asshole is a plus!

Lol nope.

Ninja Fixed!!!

[The Murtunian Tribes]

What about it?

Has no ties to hate at all. You could say "Hitler wuz nio pagan!1!!!!1!!", but in truth, he was not.

Has no ties to anything really. I get the sense that it's mainly practiced by people who just want to be different for it's own sake. Like satanism.

It's as silly as any other religion. Sillier, in fact, as most people convert to these religions as opposed to having been brought up in them.

[Imsogone]

No, I cannot. I was wrong.

Precisely what have been saying for the past few posts. Misguided, wrong, and sad.

He admitted he was wrong, accept it, don't rub it in or try to make it more than it was.

[Polyamorous Platypus]

Precisely what have been saying for the past few posts. Misguided, wrong, and sad.

He admitted he was wrong, accept it, don't rub it in or try to make it more than it was.

I am pointing out to him that people who are misguided are the ones who are capable of buying into such hate. If you think that's rubbing it in, do so. I think it is necessary that he understands that hate on the basis of belief is wrong. Maybe that way he'll think before he says the things he did, and to people that may take action.

[Far Rayeal]

People have the right to practice whatever religion they like, but they DON'T have the right to have their beliefs respected.

[Frisbeeteria]

He admitted he was wrong, accept it, don't rub it in or try to make it more than it was.

Correct. He's been chastised and has changed his behavior appropriately. Move on.

[Wellboneland]

Has no ties to hate at all. You could say "Hitler wuz nio pagan!1!!!!1!!", but in truth, he was not.

Has no ties to anything really. I get the sense that it's mainly practiced by people who just want to be different for it's own sake. Like satanism.

It's as silly as any other religion. Sillier, in fact, as most people convert to these religions as opposed to having been brought up in them.

Yes, i want to be different, but its not silly at all. I know quite a few who grew up being a Neo-pagan.

[The Murtunian Tribes]

Has no ties to anything really. I get the sense that it's mainly practiced by people who just want to be different for it's own sake. Like satanism.

It's as silly as any other religion. Sillier, in fact, as most people convert to these religions as opposed to having been brought up in them.

Yes, i want to be different, but its not silly at all. I know quite a few who grew up being a Neo-pagan.

Then they are marginally less silly than you.

[Wellboneland]

Yes, i want to be different, but its not silly at all. I know quite a few who grew up being a Neo-pagan.

Then they are marginally less silly than you.

I frankly don't give a damn If I am silly. Im used to hearing that.