I constantly think that most poeple simply kill each other because of our DANG religoun, it is not a very suitable reason to kill millions of millions of people rite?
I agree, Thoad. It is my personal opinion that all great, human-caused, pain has root in the arbitrariness of others or oneself. Being an Atheist, I feel that all religions are based in arbitrariness* and as such, are a tool of pain. Religions may have started out as a base for morality to stand on, and have done some good to a degree, but others undermine that by pointing out the gaps in that base, which are inherent *to* that base, because the base's foundation itself is imaginary. They tunnel through said gaps, using the *arbitrary* blind faith of the followers like a tool of destruction, and the sad thing is, the followers think they are doing good. In Iraq, if you die by setting off a suicide bomb, you are promised the Muslim heaven. The Crusades, the object of which was to fend off "Heathens," caused unimaginable death tolls. Slavery, although not founded upon a religion (although some of the arguments for it were based on passages of the bible), declares that white skin is better than black. Who needs proof? "It just IS" is something I cringe to hear, because it represents denial that something that a person is arguing for is completely and utterly unbased in it's judgment.
I am not willing to debate that here, it is my view, and you can disagree if you want, but I'm using it as a example of my larger view. I do not care if you believe or not, just understand that I'm not trying to insult you, your religion, or anything else you identify with, unless you identify with arbitrariness.
Whoops. Wish there was an edit button. The little asterisk after "arbitrariness" in the third sentence was supposed to lead down to the last paragraph. That last paragraph was only referring to my statement that I felt that religions were based on arbitrariness.
Jeez...I think we have just about exhausted the religion based debates here. We have run the gauntlet from them being the root of all evil to new sins. Huh. Religion needs to do something new, exciting and stupid. Just for us.
yup, may I introduce you to the (im aeithiest also) scientology? It's all the rage! lol just joking and Pfhortipfhy, I completely agree with you if what you said is what I think you said. I am not offended.
Well....religion is something that no one wants to admit....no matter what theirs is...it is just there because have to believe that there is a greater power and that our existence isn't "just because." the world would go mad.....there will always be disputes over this...duh.
Wars not caused by religion: American Revolution, War of 1812, Vietnam, Korea, Napoleonic Wars, Franco-Prussian War, all the Russo-Truk wars, Russian Civil War, Russo-Japanese War, Russian-Poland War, Rwanda Genocide, Darfur Genocide, Cambodian Genocide, the Red Terror (in Russia and Ethiopia), Ukrainian Genocide, First Congo War, Second Congo War, Soviet War in Afghanistan, and let us not forget the two deadliest wars ever: World War I and World War II.
Yes, there will be extremist factions who use religion to push the cause. But all the wars listed above (and hundreds, if not thousands more) had nothing to do with religion.
Actually World War Two was linked to religion. Religion did not cause it, that was Hitler and the Nazis. But Hitler started a genocide against all who were not Christian or the 'Ideal German'. In the end all wars link to religion in some way. In every war people fight for what they believe in, and some people are always going to fight for their god. War, realigion, power, and territory will always be connected.
I said at least one of either religion or economics, those have economics as part of their cause, and I also did mean some of the extremism which gets some people to fight. Several of those did have religion as a minor cause like the Anglican church's control angered some during American Revolution, Ngo Dinh Diem's anti-Buddhist policies in Vietnam, Darfur - Islamic Arabs v. non-Arabs (although less religious based than second Sudanese civil war, combat during the cold war was often driven by general ideological differences (some religious, like the communists lack thereof) I guess I can give ground on WWI which was just plain stupid.
I know. But I hear so many say every war is caused by religion, and it gets old. As much as I despise right-wing religious nuts, they do not cause every war, nor do they cause even close to half the wars. I'm tired to people blaming religion for everything.
