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"Religion on our side of the world looks rosy. If you look away from the west, you will see how religion enslaves and dilutes entire populations into believing

"Religion on our side of the world looks rosy. If you look away from the west, you will see how religion enslaves and dilutes entire populations into believing this is what god wants." I think religion is ingrained in humans. If all religions were gone today, people would would still be getting religious over something. Open source has turned religious in the development community. So has development languages (PHP/Ruby) or editors (VI/Emacs). The only difference is we aren't killing each other over it. Even Global warming has gotten religious. The problems aren't even about the religion itself. It's about a group or person gaining power over others and abusing that power. The right-wing of America uses that as a power-base to swing votes. On the other side, the left uses things like the unions to do the same thing. Christianity, in my mind, is a guide on how to be a good human being. Many people have bastardized this and use it to force their views onto other people through fear, which is wrong. "f we want to really solve the world's problems, we must finally stamp out the tools used to cause pain for millions, and if we look to the roots, the catalyst is most obvious." Which means taking away the right to be religious. I don't agree with you, sorry.

tomkin 15y ago
> I think religion is ingrained in humans. If all religions were gone today, people would would still be getting religious over something. Diluting religion into a fan club of sorts is a way to get around why actual religion is bad. You can't find a path of brutality and enslavement to Ruby enthusiasts. It's not the same thing and I think that should be pretty obvious. > Many people have bastardized this and use it to force their views onto other people through fear, which is wrong. Because we're allowed to interpret religion. In the west, talking snakes and Noah's Arc are ridiculous notions, so we can conveniently forget about that stuff. In other countries, beheading someone for having a Facebook photo that doesn't adhere to the religious doctrine isn't just allowed - it's reinforced by Sharia Law, which in some countries is the actual law. Human mutilation is even possible in the US by way of circumcision – the act of cutting parts of a person's body without their permission. But that's okay. As long as it's - what? What can I possibly put here that makes mutilation okay? I can't. As a person who sees positive in religion, you have a few tools in your belt to banter with. But none of those tools will ever be able to denounce the fact that thinking in large groups without evaluation is bad.
- kls 15y ago
  You can't find a path of brutality and enslavement to Ruby enthusiasts. It's not the same thing and I think that should be pretty obvious. I once watch a Vikings fan beat unconscious a Tampa Bay fans with a baseball bat and put him in the hospital after a game, the melee involved probably 30 men, I almost got hit just trying to defuse the situation so that someone did not die. Development is a little different given the composition of people that identify with it, but the same dogma can rear it's head. That being said, dogma and violence can crop up in any group given the right circumstances.
  - tomkin 15y ago
    I'm not sure if you're trying to prove me wrong or back me up here. You're saying a bunch of people acting as a single group of dumb terminals of a single ideology is a bad thing? I agree. And I agree that there are other forms of religion and that when a bunch of people react irrationally it is usually in a mob setting. Not sure how this is in support of religion, so I appreciate the sentiment!
    - kls 15y ago
      I am not trying to prove you wrong or back you up, just merely adding depth to the conversation, dogma and human nature seem to be deeply intertwined and religion is but one manifestation of it. I do believe that it is only a manifestation though and the real issue is complex human nature. I think that if all religion where gone tomorrow, that the world would not be a better place. It may not be a worse place but it would not be better. You see religion is just a mirror of humanity it has produced great beauty and it has created horrendous atrocities, but that has little to do with the content of religion and everything to do with the fact that humans are involved.
      - tomkin 15y ago
        > I think that if all religion where gone tomorrow, that the world would not be a better place. Seriously? You think religions that tell people to behead unbelievers, circumcise (read: mutilation) without permission, kill animals in horrific, ritualist ways helps our world be a better place? > but that has little to do with the content of religion and everything to do with the fact that humans are involved. "The boss says if we don't do 1000 units by the end of the day, you're all fired" or "God says if you don't kill 1000 unbelievers this solstice there will be no food for 10,000 years!" I don't know about you, but I am going to say people blindly following orders is probably a bad thing. Especially if your job is on the line. :P

tomkin 15y ago

> I think religion is ingrained in humans. If all religions were gone today, people would would still be getting religious over something. Diluting religion into a fan club of sorts is a way to get around why actual religion is bad. You can't find a path of brutality and enslavement to Ruby enthusiasts. It's not the same thing and I think that should be pretty obvious. > Many people have bastardized this and use it to force their views onto other people through fear, which is wrong. Because we're allowed to interpret religion. In the west, talking snakes and Noah's Arc are ridiculous notions, so we can conveniently forget about that stuff. In other countries, beheading someone for having a Facebook photo that doesn't adhere to the religious doctrine isn't just allowed - it's reinforced by Sharia Law, which in some countries is the actual law. Human mutilation is even possible in the US by way of circumcision – the act of cutting parts of a person's body without their permission. But that's okay. As long as it's - what? What can I possibly put here that makes mutilation okay? I can't. As a person who sees positive in religion, you have a few tools in your belt to banter with. But none of those tools will ever be able to denounce the fact that thinking in large groups without evaluation is bad.

kls 15y ago
You can't find a path of brutality and enslavement to Ruby enthusiasts. It's not the same thing and I think that should be pretty obvious. I once watch a Vikings fan beat unconscious a Tampa Bay fans with a baseball bat and put him in the hospital after a game, the melee involved probably 30 men, I almost got hit just trying to defuse the situation so that someone did not die. Development is a little different given the composition of people that identify with it, but the same dogma can rear it's head. That being said, dogma and violence can crop up in any group given the right circumstances.
- tomkin 15y ago
  I'm not sure if you're trying to prove me wrong or back me up here. You're saying a bunch of people acting as a single group of dumb terminals of a single ideology is a bad thing? I agree. And I agree that there are other forms of religion and that when a bunch of people react irrationally it is usually in a mob setting. Not sure how this is in support of religion, so I appreciate the sentiment!
  - kls 15y ago
    I am not trying to prove you wrong or back you up, just merely adding depth to the conversation, dogma and human nature seem to be deeply intertwined and religion is but one manifestation of it. I do believe that it is only a manifestation though and the real issue is complex human nature. I think that if all religion where gone tomorrow, that the world would not be a better place. It may not be a worse place but it would not be better. You see religion is just a mirror of humanity it has produced great beauty and it has created horrendous atrocities, but that has little to do with the content of religion and everything to do with the fact that humans are involved.
    - tomkin 15y ago
      > I think that if all religion where gone tomorrow, that the world would not be a better place. Seriously? You think religions that tell people to behead unbelievers, circumcise (read: mutilation) without permission, kill animals in horrific, ritualist ways helps our world be a better place? > but that has little to do with the content of religion and everything to do with the fact that humans are involved. "The boss says if we don't do 1000 units by the end of the day, you're all fired" or "God says if you don't kill 1000 unbelievers this solstice there will be no food for 10,000 years!" I don't know about you, but I am going to say people blindly following orders is probably a bad thing. Especially if your job is on the line. :P