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Religion is ‘the new social evil’

Started by Unbeliever, April 19, 2008, 05:33:10 pm

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Unbeliever

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/tls_selections/religion/article3779988.ece
QuoteReligion is 'the new social evil'Robert Watts
A CHARITY set up by an ardent Christian to fight slavery and the opium trade has identified a new social evil of the 21st century - religion.

A poll by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation uncovered a widespread belief that faith - not just in its extreme form - was intolerant, irrational and used to justify persecution.

Pollsters asked 3,500 people what they considered to be the worst blights on modern society, updating a list drawn up by Rowntree, a Quaker, 104 years ago.

The responses may well have dismayed him. The researchers found that the "dominant opinion" was that religion was a "social evil".

Many participants said religion divided society, fuelled intolerance and spawned "irrational" educational and other policies.

One said: "Faith in supernatural phenomena inspires hatred and prejudice throughout the world, and is commonly used as justification for persecution of women, gays and people who do not have faith."

Many respondents called for state funding of church schools to be ended.

The findings contrast with Rowntree's "scourges of humanity", which included poverty, war, slavery, intemperance, the opium trade, impurity and gambling.

Poverty and drugs remain, but are joined by issues such as family breakdown, young people's behaviour and fears over immigration.

Tom Butler, the Bishop of Southwark, rejected the indictment of faith. He said: "People meeting together, week after week, for worship, support and education in church, synagogue, temple, gurdwara and mosque can not only help people build local community but can teach children to become good citizens."

However, Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said he was "extremely pleased".

"Britain has had it with religion," he said.
"Some say God is living there [in space]. I was looking around very attentively, but I did not see anyone there. I did not detect either angels or gods....I don't believe in God. I believe in man - his strength, his possibilities, his reason."
Gherman Titov, Soviet cosmonaut, in The Seattle Daily Ti

ocenbrz

  Hi there, I'm new but I need to be able to talk to others who know that Religion was created to control us and mislead us into accepting many evil practices in this world.

   People will follow what they need  to but I found I just couldn't continue to support any organization set-up to bring me down and use me.  Too many of those in the Churches I went to did terrible things.  Yet when called up on them they all know they were "forgiven".  There really is little morality in Churches.  I got tired of being used because I was a Woman.

    How can I follow a book that condones incest?  Child Abuse?  Even murder for personal gain?  Most of those people don't even read the Bible.  Then we have the crowd who do, looking for permission to kill those who are unbelievers of their God.   I refuse to follow any God that hurts people and tells us this is good.

    I'm not even an Arab but the Jews killed them and stole their land and then called it sacred.  They use their Gods to justify violence and hatred of others.  It was my own kids who pointed out that Churches are bad Mom.  They tell us gay people are going to hell, you can't protect yourself from pregnancy, if you ask this God for forgiveness all it well.

   Well, I just feel if you do something bad you must make amends.  Either financially or by going to jail.  I am not against the death penalty unfortunately because I know some people are so abused, they care nothing of themselves and can live by re-enacting the horror that they lived or were trained to do.  They have lost their reason to care or live.  Some can be cured but they have to be kept from society and not allowed to have contact with others.  They will teach others to be evil.  This is so ingrained in them.  Others want to study them but we have enough research now.  We know most monsters are made by abuse and twisted education.  Others, have been brain damaged and unfortunately, often thanks to the internet, they have been exposed to such horrible behaviors and have decided to take on these practices.

     I just got in trouble for thinking that Catholics need to answer for their crimes against their Children and other practioners.  The debated said those who are guilty are being punished but we know of the Pope's involvement in criminal activities.  We know Catholics use birth control, get divorced, have creative forms of sex.  We also know that because of their antiquated lesson regarding sex, we all suffer but no one suffers more than Catholics who actually believe they must live under these repressive rules.

      I just argue that it is time Catholics insist that they have a vote in who becomes a Pope and a Pope has a responsibility to follow the Bible and create by-laws that are practiced by their congregation.  Their system of allowing only a few to represent them and their good ol' boy system is ruining their Religion.

     Of course, I don't care if it all falls apart.  I think all Religion is false.  How can people follow any God that kills and maims others?  Gives babies to crack addicts?  We know that no higher power has anything to do with procreation.  There is no hell below us or heaven above us. All of those called, "miracles" can be recreated in real life.  It was a hoax, a trick to gain power and control over a group of people.  They were just copying the Jews and so many others have followed suit.  It was so much better when we just had little festivals based on our cultures instead.  What is missing is Federally funded and mandated Parenting Classes.  We don't know how to take care of our kids and we have not job stability in this Country any longer.  Why are these issues not addressed by the Churches of the World?  Because need is what these vampires feed on.  They want you to need them so that they can collect your money and use it as they will.

     I don't want people to be killed, except for severe abuse and psychopatic killers.  I want them to see the truth and really be free of mind control.  Instead of worrying about going to hell, they should be worried about hurting others because there will be a price to pay.

     Very few people that I have met were ever good because of God.  They may say that but most people are good because they choose to be.  Too many use God's forgiveness to go and sin again.  The Churches play Parents and people go to them to have some stranger forgive them instead of going to the person that they wronged.  You are not forgiven until the person you wronged is compensated for your bad behavior.  Whether in deed, going to jail if you are a criminal and changing your evil ways.

      I just cannot support Religion.  It has been used for too long to lie and corrupt us.  We get misleading information.  It is too bad that it didn't work. People use forgiveness to forgo the laws of this land.  They don't turn in their Relatives or themselves for heinous crimes, they cover them up and ask God to forgive them because they don't want to rock the boat, or disrupt their family or loss face.  So the sins go on, generation after generation.

       Someone thought since I don't give money to Churches I must be giving it to some evil purpose.  I guess, giving money to people who are poor, gifting them with presents, supporting anit-war movements, battered womens and child abuse organizations are all evil and wrong.

        This is how screwed up Churches make their brains.  Not everyone who goes to Church is bad and not everything Churches do is bad but I don't see how one balances out the other.

         I think that those building would be much better used to house the poor and give shelter to those who are being persecuted in their homes.  They should be safe houses, not a place where those already battered and used get hurt even worse.  Churches have failed in their attempt to make people good.

         This is why I feel we should just promote Community Gatherings.  Offer free Parenting Classes that are required of expecting Parents.  Buildings to house charities that help families in crisis and severe punishment for those who break the laws of our land.

         Too many people get away with abuse and it is ruining our society.  I believe in Peace and Love.  Not War or Abuse.  We though as a society have to be strict and enforce our laws to protect Children and all of the innocent people in the world.  If we don't, then those people will grow up and take out their anger on others.

       It's time we get to the root of the problems in our society.  It comes down to childrearing, birth control and competent education that tells us the truth, not fairytales that separate us but stories that bind us all into one big happy family.

Unbeliever

Hi ocenbrz! Welcome!  :-D

I only have a few more minutes I can be online today, so I'll get back to you on this tomorrow.

I agree that crimes commited for religious reasons should be punished just like any other crime. And FYI, the Pope's been brought up on criminial charges in the Phillipines!  8-) I hope they throw away the key. Maybe he'll expire in prison from syphillis, like that other mobster, Al Capone.
"Some say God is living there [in space]. I was looking around very attentively, but I did not see anyone there. I did not detect either angels or gods....I don't believe in God. I believe in man - his strength, his possibilities, his reason."
Gherman Titov, Soviet cosmonaut, in The Seattle Daily Ti