Bioshock religious references MUST BE RECALLED!

[Godot]

Retrasado said:

Impulsivity said:
In America I run into stories about abortion clinics being blown up and doctors shot year after year without fail. Then I watch people like Sarah Palin refuse to call these people what they are, terrorists. If events like that which continue today and have been going on for hundreds of years in both the US and Europe lead me to be somewhat annoyed about the excesses perpetuated in the name of religion I don't think I'm being too unreasonable.

A lot of people do good work in the name of religion, say, working at a soup kitchen. A lot of the same kinds of people do the same kinds of work with no religious involvement though. There is the religious Salvation Army but then there's also the non religious peace corps. Religion is not required to help people.

On the other hand I have never ever run into a situation where an atheist committed atrocities because he was anti god and wanted to show the world how anti god he could be. 9/11, abortion clinic bombings, doctors being shot, gays being denied basic rights, slavery and countless other dark days in American history have heavy religious community ties. Just today I found out that the Mormon church has given tens of millions of dollars in league with other religious institutions to support prop 8 here in california, a prop that ensures gays are denied any and all marriage rights simply because of their inborn sexual orientation. Why? Because the Bible says God thinks they're sinners of course!

Personal religion is fine, sometimes even a positive influence in the lives of some people. Public religion is not fine and must be guarded against.

It is fine to hold strong beliefs and live with god in your heart every day. What is not OK is pushing those beliefs on others either through infringing on their freedoms (prop 8), taking their lives without good reason (killing doctors), carrying out acts of terrorism (9/11, abortion clinic bombings) and taking other such actions. Just as in Islam there is a difference between the peaceful practitioner and the radical, there is the same split in Christianity. I put missionary work in the 2nd category, it is theological warfare designed to destroy the beliefs of others and supplant them with Christianity. If it is fine to be a Christian and Christians believe they should be free to practice, and they are correct in believing that, then why is it not fine to not be a Christian and be left alone without being subjected to endless conversion attempts?

Again though, boys and girls club, Peace Corps, Teach for America and countless other public service organizations exist all over America without needing religion as a reason to do good. Those who do good only because they seeks some kind of heavenly reward are not in fact good people, but more theological brown nosers. Those who are truly do good are willing to do good with or without reward and those kinds of people do exist both in and out of churches.

Exibit A of an athiest who does good work and has a generous heart? Warren Buffet
http://atheism.about.com/b/2006/07/07/warren-buffet-atheist-philanthropist.htm

He has given more to charity then anyone else alive and continues to do so (he's giving his entire fortune, which will probably be near 100 billion at the time of his death, to secular charitable causes). That kind of assertion that only religious people can be good moral human beings is precisely why overt public religiosity is so destructive.

*sigh* your post is just wrong.

1) Other than insane cult groups and the crazy islamo freaks (who are clearly and by every account a very small minority even in that religion) why kind of religious terrorism is going on today? Also, any splinter group is capable of atrocities and terrorism, not just religious ones (see the IRA and the neo-nazi movement for more). Finally, I know you loathe Sarah Palin (I'm not too thrilled about her either), but I fail to see what she has to do with religious terrorism.

2) who the hell ever said that you have to be religious to do good? I would say that being religious would make you more likely to do good, but no one has ever said that being religious is a requirement to do good.

3) first of all, what did slavery have to do with religion? Second: Being denied an official marriage license is a violation of human rights? that's news to me. Also, if the majority of the population agrees with your position, why are you worried about the referendum? If the majority opposes it, why are you forcing your views on them? Third. I'm greatly interested to hear about the "countless other dark periods in American history" that are a result of religion's atrocities.

4) So, freedom of speech applies to everyone except religious people? That a pretty obvious double-standard. Also, unlike the above, doing this is a clear and gross violation of human rights.

5) Again, why can you advance your views about religion freely but religious people can't do the same? And if it is fine for you to criticize religious people because you believe they are evil, why can't the religious people follow their beliefs and try to convert you to their religion? If they truely believe it is their binding duty to win converts to their belief system, why would you deny their right to free speech?

6) Again, give me one source. ONE. where anyone said you have to be religious to do good.

I do have to say though, that while your other statements are simply incorrect, your fourth point really scares me. Advocating the denial of the right of free speech to a huge portion of humanity (probably upwards of 5.5 billion people) because of the actions of a few members of splinter groups (or because you simply don't like hearing their views) is a terrifying prospect and the fact that you think it is ok to do that really, and I mean really scares me.

Edit: btw, I'm pretty sure the OP was being sarcastic

I have a dark period of human history that is the result of Christianity. It's called the Middle Ages.

Religion isn't bad in itself. However, faith should be something personal. A relationship between you and God. If you want to do good in his name, just do it or do it for no reason. Religion is used by people with hidden agendas to control a segment of the population that has been midly or highly brainwashed. I'm not talking about the average person but some extremist that exists in every religion. However, religion is just one way to brainwash people. After all, totally secular societies such as Nazi Germany and Communist Russia has done evil.

Maybe humans are just evil... or maybe there is no such thing as evil.