I’ve taken tests like this before. Very interesting to see where people end up.
Here’s the test:
http://www.politicalcompass.org/test
http://www.politicalcompass.org/printablegraph?ec=1.00&soc=-3.18
Wiki's handy at knowing the name of Harry Potter's third movie...but when it gets to 'deep and meaningful' it can easily be derailled by agenda.
So says 'that evil fascist bastard admin from Wincustomize.com' .... I doth quote Wiki ...
So... you're saying it's accurate?
I don't think there is a history book written that the author does not include their bias, either consciously or unconsciously.
Also...
“History is a set of lies agreed upon.”
Edit: Oh ya, no edit
He once attended Buddhist school so clearly it's all religion's fault.
The article does not state that at all, it just clearly stated that he was not, at east publicly, an atheist.
I have seen the damage of religion, not just in the big picture, but in the every day life. I live in Kansas. We voted to not teach evolution in schools, we have the vile Westboro Baptist Church and in my work at a hospital for the mentally ill, many people who work here believe our patients are infested with demons. Whatever good religion serves, it is overshadowed by it's evil and ignorance. I don't pride myself on being any type of intellectual I am a realist. And religion is a problem. People are willing to scream, fight and kill for it, without even knowing anything about it. Prideful, hateful ignorance. I've seen my lesbian cousin shunned, I was the only one to go to her wedding. My father and uncle driven to suicide from their guilt inducing religiously preoccupied mother. I know there are good and smart religious people, but they are a minority and they know it too.
Xia, all your points about religion can (and do) apply to all other belief systems or institutions made by man...ignorance, hate, and incompetency are not restricted solely to religion, but in fact apply to everything in our society and history as a species...a lot of bad has been done in the name of or sake of things other than religion....
Religion has done a lot of good...a lot of good...on that note, science, governments, and businesses have done a lot of good....and bad...you criticize attributes of religion that are in no way unique to religion, ignoring the same exact flaws of other elements of our society/history...
By your logic (or application thereof), we should rid ourselves of government because people have fought and killed in it's name...we should rid ourselves of businesses because they have done selfish, evil things....we should rid ourselves of science because people put faith in it without even knowing anything about it....
That you don't believe in religion does not bother me....your ignorance and blunt cherry-picking however does....
In short, your intolerance and narrow-mindedness rivals that of the religious zealots you so passionately hate...
OK...now we delve into the realms of 'attacking the person, not the opinion'....which is a sure-fire way to find oneself gagged.
Each is entitled to an opinion, equally. Whether or not you agree with it is immaterial.
I'm sure someone will say that it helped finding of the Americas. But really we are talking about the genocide of millions of native Americans over the course of a few hundred years. Christians actually labeled them heathens.
The number accepted by most historians is about 112 million.
I'll be nice and discount the fact that the abundance of religion literally caused the dark ages when Musulman where killed by Christians in Europe (chiefly Spain). There was a time where Baghdad was the center of scientific learning.
What ignorance and cherry picking? I know more about religion that most, I have seen it's effects both in every day life and throughout history. There have been terrible and dangerous ideologies not based on religion, but that doesn't change how damaging religion is. Narrow minded because I refuse to give in to the PC ideology that all beliefs are wonderful and valid. They are not. Your imaginary friend saying it's wrong to eat bacon, but okay to marry a 7 year old is not a valid belief system. It's not okay for those with that belief system to enforce those beliefs on others.
Lord Xia is old...... [sorry, couldn't resist]...
[but I know what you meant to say]...
Damn it Jafo you caught me, I'm actually Zeus, and I'm getting pissed nobody worships me anymore...I'm just as good as these uppity new gods...
Tell me about it. There's nothing worse than uppity new Gods...
Uppity new gods and their capital "G"...jerks...
Xia, I am not here to defend Christianity or religion, I am simply trying to make a point....
You criticize religion as if it is inherently the problem...
Let me use your most recent example:
"It's not okay for those with that belief system to enforce those beliefs on others."
How is this different than the government? We have laws banning public nudity because, well, most people just don't like it very much so we enforce it on everyone regardless of their beliefs...
Of course that's quite trivial to laws banning communist party members from holding public office or military policy that (until recently) prevented woman from joining as infantry or bans on abortion in the 1st trimester...
Well those issues concern things that maybe you could argue are influenced by religion...that's clearly not the case though for public smoking bans or bans (in NYC) of large quantities of soda...
Each criticism you have of religion is something that any human organization is capable of...
Of course religion has done lots of evil...so have governments, businesses, and other organizations...
What has religion done that's good? Islam (under the caliphates) was a major influence in preserving and pursuing scientific knowledge...religious scholars meticulously translated ancient Greek and Roman works, some of which we would otherwise not have any knowledge of...
When hurricane Katrina hit, the Mormons were one of the first groups their helping people....the amount of resources and sheer organizational power of the Church of Latter Day Saints was phenomenal and vital to initial recovery after the Hurricane...
After completely his Hajj to Mecca, Malcolm X came to the belief that all races could live in harmony without the need for violence....this is in great contrast to his prior beliefs where he felt black rights should be protected by violence and that whites and blacks could not ever coexist...
The bottom line is that religion, just like any other institution made by man, is quite capable of both great good and great evil...the religious people I have met in life are just as likely to be ignorant and close-minded as the atheists I have met...
Religion can do nothing good, that can't be done without the terrible baggage it comes with. Did religion do something good with Malcolm X? His beliefs that the races couldn't coexist was a foundational belief of the religion he believed the Nation of Islam(not to be confused with Islam itself). So being introduced to people of other sects of his religion, helped remove his racist beliefs of his religion. Just more evidence of not needing religion in the first place.
Islam preserved science, yes, couldn't they have done that without religion? Mormons sent help? Couldn't we send help and not persecute gay rights at the same time?
