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scarcrest's post
Oct. 23rd, 2005 03:21 pmScarcrest posted a link to a HuffPo editorial by Cenk Uygur. The headline of this editorial is "If You're a Christian, Muslim or a Jew-- You are Wrong".
I definitely lean on the side of being an atheist, but this guy came off as a stunning simpleton. Making ad hominem attacks on various religions does not exactly put him on a higher ground than the very people he attempts to attack. In fact, he's sitting in a ditch.
I find it interesting that he seems to be saying a majority of the people are insane.
We live in a world full of insane people. Sanity is an island battered in an ocean of frothing delusion. The people who believe in science are the minority. The people who believe in bloody fairytales are the overwhelming majority.
You can consult your dictionary for definitions of insanity. I contend that if you think the majority of people are crazy, you are probably the crazy one. So, I would recommend to Mr. Uygur step away from that assessment if he wants to convert anyone to a less fundamental point of view.
I do not recall any of the great leaders of history using the "You're all fucking insane!" strategy to successfully unite people of diverse views. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please share with me.
At the same time, I can understand where he's coming from. He's frustrated. He feels put upon to watch this world being led by ignorant leaders:
It is a chilling fact that most of the world's leaders believe in nonsensical fairytales about the nature of reality. They believe in Gods that do not exist, and religions that could not possibly be true. We are driven to war after war, violence on top of violence to appease madmen who believe in gory mythologies.
But I don't think our leaders are ignorant.
Here's what I think:
-Organized Religion is a business that can be used for both good and bad ends.
-Faith is a good thing. Just like other good things (ice cream, chocolate, a fine aged whisky), too much of a good thing can be rather hazardous.
-Religion is used by leaders to mobilize and motivate the masses towards a certain goal. If you want to stop the population from exploding, and you don't have some powerful birth control handy, you may want to encourage your masses to believe that it's a nasty, nasty sin to have sex. If you want to convince a nation that we must go to war, give them a common fear that transcends logic and reason, and then inspire them with messages of faith, and you can get them where you want them.
I don't think people who are atheists are people of science, per se. Just as you cannot prove there is a God, you cannot prove that there is No God. So, both sides of the camp should really quit bitching at each other and work together. Regardless of whether or not you believe in God, Muhammed, or the Spaghetti Monster, you want your family and friends to be safe from harm and free to express themselves, grow, and prosper. Since all faiths preach peace with a few exclusionary clauses that state when it's okay to deliver an ass-whoopin', I think it is vital that we accentuate the cooperative and eliminate the conflictive in our respective faiths.
I definitely lean on the side of being an atheist, but this guy came off as a stunning simpleton. Making ad hominem attacks on various religions does not exactly put him on a higher ground than the very people he attempts to attack. In fact, he's sitting in a ditch.
I find it interesting that he seems to be saying a majority of the people are insane.
We live in a world full of insane people. Sanity is an island battered in an ocean of frothing delusion. The people who believe in science are the minority. The people who believe in bloody fairytales are the overwhelming majority.
You can consult your dictionary for definitions of insanity. I contend that if you think the majority of people are crazy, you are probably the crazy one. So, I would recommend to Mr. Uygur step away from that assessment if he wants to convert anyone to a less fundamental point of view.
I do not recall any of the great leaders of history using the "You're all fucking insane!" strategy to successfully unite people of diverse views. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please share with me.
At the same time, I can understand where he's coming from. He's frustrated. He feels put upon to watch this world being led by ignorant leaders:
It is a chilling fact that most of the world's leaders believe in nonsensical fairytales about the nature of reality. They believe in Gods that do not exist, and religions that could not possibly be true. We are driven to war after war, violence on top of violence to appease madmen who believe in gory mythologies.
But I don't think our leaders are ignorant.
Here's what I think:
-Organized Religion is a business that can be used for both good and bad ends.
-Faith is a good thing. Just like other good things (ice cream, chocolate, a fine aged whisky), too much of a good thing can be rather hazardous.
-Religion is used by leaders to mobilize and motivate the masses towards a certain goal. If you want to stop the population from exploding, and you don't have some powerful birth control handy, you may want to encourage your masses to believe that it's a nasty, nasty sin to have sex. If you want to convince a nation that we must go to war, give them a common fear that transcends logic and reason, and then inspire them with messages of faith, and you can get them where you want them.
I don't think people who are atheists are people of science, per se. Just as you cannot prove there is a God, you cannot prove that there is No God. So, both sides of the camp should really quit bitching at each other and work together. Regardless of whether or not you believe in God, Muhammed, or the Spaghetti Monster, you want your family and friends to be safe from harm and free to express themselves, grow, and prosper. Since all faiths preach peace with a few exclusionary clauses that state when it's okay to deliver an ass-whoopin', I think it is vital that we accentuate the cooperative and eliminate the conflictive in our respective faiths.
