Should governments start regulating religion?

[JWeinCom]

Smear-Gel said:

JWeinCom said:

midrange said:

Ultimately the solution is not regulation, the solution is education and toleration. Religion is not a "hobby," it is an organization centered around a belief/beliefs. Of course there will always be those extremists in such organization that commit crime in the name of their belief, but this is no different than say an extreme feminist harrassing a male in the name of feminism. The best thing to do is to educate people. Have classes centered around religions and their beliefs, not to prove them wrong, but to have people accept different viewpoints on life and become tolerant of others.

It is different because we socially and federally grand religions privelages that feminists don't have. 

And we do not have to spend money on classes, nor do we have to accept any viewpoint not founded on reason and evidence, particularly when such viewpoints often have ideas that are detrimental to peaceful coexistence.  For instance, the idea that everyone who does not share your views is hellbound is an idea that is directly opposed to peaceful coexistence.  The idea that there is a book that contains absolutely true is directly opposed to reason.  There is no reason to accept this.  We should use all civil and lawful methods to dissuade people of these beliefs.

You're just finding pretty ways to say "all religious people should stop doing what they're doing and do what I'm doing instead. Also thinking that the source of shitty behaviour is an institution, rather than just people being shitty, because it's easier to blame something specific for potential harm to peaceful coexistence.

Anyways, by simply joining a religious debate on the internet I've already lost, and nobody will change thier opinions so I'm out.

Yes.  If people are believing things without evidence, then they absolutely should do what I'm doing, and not believe things without evidence.  100%. 

When organizations have specific doctines that instruct people to be shitty (for example endorsing slavery, rape, genocide, encouraging the death penalty for blashphemy or idol worship, etc.) we should certainly believe that the organization is a contributing factor.  When a particular type of organization is constantly associated with negative results, we should conclude that organization is likely detrimental.  Whenever any organization makes the claim that certain people are inherently more worthy than others (the chosen people, saved, etc) then we should be very wary of it.