Should governments start regulating religion?

[JWeinCom]

Smear-Gel said:

JWeinCom said:

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.

Last comment because I really dont have time for this sort of thing right now.

You're trying to inject logic into faith. Like, why.

All organizations are associated with positive and negative things. Religion being constantly associated with negative things is a result of the media focusing on negative aspects because it makes for a better story.  Actual religious people that arent extremists see the slavery and genocide thing as tthe past to move away from. If everyone were being held accountable for the past we'd be justified in hating all white people but we certainly arent, just racists. Similarly, nothing is particularly wrong with different beleifs outside extremism.

I find any implication that the world would be better or worse off without religion to be ridiculous because it would likely be largely the same. People would find another reason to abuse power and the world would keep chugging theough space.

You're trying to inject logic into faith. Like, why.

Why?  Why wouldn't I?  Why should we use logic in every aspect of our life, but we throw it out for this particular aspect of life, which some people think their whole life should be based on?  Is logic valuable or not?  If it is, then we can't just chuck it out because some people may not like what it tells us.

All organizations are associated with positive and negative things. Religion being constantly associated with negative things is a result of the media focusing on negative aspects because it makes for a better story.  Actual religious people that arent extremists see the slavery and genocide thing as tthe past to move away from. If everyone were being held accountable for the past we'd be justified in hating all white people but we certainly arent, just racists. Similarly, nothing is particularly wrong with different beleifs outside extremism.

Yes, all organizations have positive and negative things.  When the negatives outweigh the positves, you get rid of it.  The news is not just focusing on the negatives.  The news, in the US, is mostly composed of religious people.

Slavery and genocide are in the bible as commandments from god.  Most people have moved away from it because people are generally good, but it's still there.  It's there as a command from an unchanging god.  God never recanted his opinion.  There is no bible 2.0 to fix this and the many other issues.  

There is something wrong with any belief regarding truth that is not backed by reason and evidence.  

I find any implication that the world would be better or worse off without religion to be ridiculous because it would likely be largely the same. People would find another reason to abuse power and the world would keep chugging theough space.

There are certainly other tools that can be used to manipulate people.  Few have done so as consistently and as well as religion.  Would getting rid of religion cure every problem in the world?  No.  But it would leave those who would manipulate and deceive one less too to do it with.  It would be progress.