If you look hard enough, you can just about make out the shape of her hips, and the hungry look in her eyes through that fabric mesh. Those oven mitts on her hands are particularly sexy!

Colonel Panic wrote:If you look hard enough, you can just about make out the shape of her hips and the hungry look in her eyes through that fabric mesh. Those oven mitts on her hands are particularly sexy!

Seeing the skin of the back of her hand is driving me into a sexual frenzy, and those decadant bright colors!! Off with her head!

Marsupialized wrote:

jurgis rudkus wrote:[keeps thinking of recent history, of white Christian & Jewish nations running world affairs, invading faraway lands at will -- predominately muslim countries -- etc.]

How many fucking times do I have to say it? I hate CHRISTIANS too!! This argument does not work on me. Yes, burn the Christians as well. Throw them in the fire. Eradicate their stupid religion along with the Muslims! What else do you have?

I was pointing to how a few power hungry, hateful fucks can corrupt whatever ideology to suit their needs. There are some assholes using Islam to justify violent strikes at their enemy, 'The Great Satan,' which is really just a relatively small number of assholes using Christianity/Judaism to justify their own violent acts -- acts committed to further business interests and not, in reality, based on any faith other than the Free Market.

I hate violence and lying and injustice, but not all religious folks are responsible for such nastiness.

(By the way, I am not religious at all and will not defend any religion, only those who peacefully hold their own beliefs.)

Religion doesn't have to be abolished. Given enough time, over the course of human progress it will eventually fade in importance and go away, or at least become inconsequential. Abolishing it would only serve to strengthen the faith of those who already believe in it, and it would spread even more quickly.

Colonel Panic wrote:Religion doesn't have to be abolished. Given enough time, over the course of human progress it will eventually fade in importance and go away, or at least become inconsequential. Abolishing it would only serve to strengthen the faith of those who already believe in it, and it would spread even more quickly.

You know people have been saying this for 500 years, right?
They were actually saying it 2000 years ago right before the Christian era, too.

From "Don't talk to the police" to "No police state whatsoever" to "'Secular Muslims?" to "...the slow fade-away of religion(s)..." you guys have just about covered it all.

Who needs a hug?

Ace wrote:

Colonel Panic wrote:Religion doesn't have to be abolished. Given enough time, over the course of human progress it will eventually fade in importance and go away, or at least become inconsequential. Abolishing it would only serve to strengthen the faith of those who already believe in it, and it would spread even more quickly.

You know people have been saying this for 500 years, right?
They were actually saying it 2000 years ago right before the Christian era, too.

And see how the influence of the (Catholic) Church in Europe has declined over the past few centuries? From the most powerful entity in Europe, ruling with an iron fist, to being a sideline influence at best. The last major political event that the Church directly influenced was the abolition of Communism in Poland in the 1980s. A strong, centralized Church appears to be a thing of the past.

Of course, Religion in general is still a major presence and it even exercises direct political control over some regions, but much less so than in the centuries prior to the 20th (especially in Europe and the USA).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but most religions nowadays appear to be a conglomeration of grassroots organizations, largely decentralized entities with lesser-dependent individual congregations advocating a variety of interpretations and political messages within a looser ideological framework. In the absence of a strict hierarchical structure like you have in the Catholic or Anglican Churches (or in religious cults), every congregation is going to have somewhat different politics, according to the particular teachings of its leader. Relative to the past, there's quite a bit more ideological leeway nowadays among various congregations within the same faith. It appears to me that this fragmentation indicates a general weakening of religion as a political force.

The most influential factor in the decline of Religion seems to have been the acceleration of technological progress that has been made over the last century, by virtue of the sciences and the widespread discipline of critical analysis. Religion has always thrived on the control of information and discourse among educated people, but now the so-called "Information Revolution" has made it possible for pretty much anyone to follow or even participate in that discourse.

Unfortunately, this freedom of information also expedites the dissemination of unreasoned, sensationalist bullshit (including religious extremism and other forms of bigotry), but most reasonable people are capable of discerning the difference between good ideas and bad.

In the absence of religious control over the "marketplace of ideas", it seems that the marginalization of Religion will continue until it's eventually relegated to the realm of superstition in the public mind. At least, I'd like to believe that such is the case.

Sourmilk wrote:From "Don't talk to the police" to "No police state whatsoever" to "'Secular Muslims?" to "...the slow fade-away of religion(s)..." you guys have just about covered it all.

Yeah, we've gotten waaay off topic, but it's been an interesting discussion. Don't you agree?

Colonel Panic wrote:
In the absence of religious control over the "marketplace of ideas", it seems that the marginalization of Religion will continue until it's eventually relegated to the realm of superstition in the public mind. At least, I'd like to believe that such is the case.

According to recent Gallup polls, nearly 90% of Americans believe that God loves them.

Why do you say that religion is becoming obsolete?

Ace wrote:You know people have been saying this for 500 years, right?
They were actually saying it 2000 years ago right before the Christian era, too.

Bingo. I'd love to think it's all going to change but come on. Look at the world today.

Then.
Now.

Each side has ostensibly different motives but it's all the same shit.

Rick Reuben wrote:but you happily live in a country where our media and political system show extraordinary favoritism for a Christian God and his religions.

I'll ask the dumb question.

Where is it that this is favored? Yes I know idiots get together in stadium-sized churches, but where exactly is the favoritism? The only preference they seem to get is from within their circle. Yeah, politicians say they're religious, but I'm pretty sure they do that to pick off the those religious folks that haven't been quite indoctrinated into the group think.