101–110 of 363 posts
Right on. I challenge anyone who disagrees to come up with a benefit that religion offers that cannot be offered by a secular organization.
Atheism is just ruthless "survival of the fittest", when push comes to shove.
be careful mixing religion and philosophy up they are not the same. One has factual benefits the other we still have no clue about
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Insulting the president stopped being an offense a while ago: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/25/insulting-fren... I still don't see the hypocrisy you speak of, though. France is a reasonably religious country overall but extremely secular when it comes to school and politics. The edicts you describe simply enforce these principles (e.g. "No religious symbols allowed in school, be it a cross, a star of Dav…
No, insulting the President is an offense. Typical hypocrisy + lying by the French government. https://www.timesofisrael.com/frenchman-fined-for-billboard-... About the hijab. You say "Simply enforce these principles". Yes, and these principles are intolerant, which is my point. And this pick-and-choosing secularism when convenient, is a type of opression.
The bottom line is that all displays of religion are banned in French schools, which puts everyone on an equal footing. Even religious people should see the value of that, especially if you're part of a minority religion.
Schools are places where you learn, not practice religion. That's what places of worship are for.
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There is no basis for this assertion. Furthermore, your "average urbanite atheist" probably knows more than you think: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2010/09/28/130191248...
Linked article conveniently forgot to mention the relevant footnote from original article: > This may seem paradoxical, since atheists and agnostics have very low levels of religious commitment and yet score very well on the survey questions. However, atheists and agnostics account for a relatively small share of the total number of people with low levels of religious commitment; 4% of Americans describe themselves a…
Further to that, some religions also heavily use traditions that don't appear in the bible at all. Catholics, for example, are meant to believe that the sacrament literally turns water and wine into the flesh of Christ. As in, it's actual flesh and blood (Transubstantiation).
So either Jesus was a walking breadstick or Catholicism as it is currently practised is obviously wrong.
There are so many varieties of Christianity based on "those other christians are definitely wrong" that I guarantee you somebody cares about those distinctions.
Right on. I challenge anyone who disagrees to come up with a benefit that religion offers that cannot be offered by a secular organization.
The motivation to do good, and stay away from evil. The idea that a person if being watched. You can never get that with atheism. Atheism is just ruthless "survival of the fittest", when push comes to shove.
Atheists do good because it's the right thing to do. You seem to do it because you are afraid of getting punished.
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You can't just pick and choose what is scientific and what isn't to try an conflate reason with religion. That is an argument in bad faith (ahem). Further, using statements like "entirely unsettled" in reference to science is a fundamental misunderstanding of how science works. It's not "settled" like religious arguments where everybody agrees to a particular interpretation of the holy book. Science either works and…
I mean, you're responding to an example of "science" that doesn't work and we make stuff with it.
If you want to argue in that fashion, I'd like to point out to you that praying doesn't always work, so all religions must therefore be bunk.
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> Look at the intolerance and hypocrisy in France, one of the most secular states. A girl is not allowed to go to school with the Muslim head scarf. This is worse than the Taliban. Tolerance of intolerance is a difficult topic, of course. Should France tolerate intolerance? > France allows insulting the Prophet (pbuh), but you'll get to jail for insulting the president. The Prophet is dead but the French president is…
> Should France tolerate intolerance? How is voluntarily wearing the head scarf "intolerance". >the French president is alive. So what? It's still within my "Freedom of Speech" to say whatever I want, as long as it does not directly incite violence. Regardless of whatever Frances' convenient version is. I believe even the US allows insulting the president.
"Voluntarily", sure.
> So what? It's still within my "Freedom of Speech" to say whatever I want, as long as it does not directly incite violence.
Whatever the court says to be within your rights is the thing that is within your rights. It's the courts that interpret law. Are you a court? Specifically, if you're in France, are you a French court?
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What correct predictions and functional devices do religions create?
Here's an example from The Secret of Our Success : > In Indonesia, the Kantus of Kalimantan use bird augury to select locations for their agricultural plots. The anthropologist Michael Dove argues that two factors will cause farmers to make plot placements that are too risky. First, Kantu ecological models contain the Gambler's Fallacy and lead them to expect that floods will be less likely to occur in a specific loc…
this is so wrong, it's "not even wrong".
It's always important to determine why something worked or didn't. If we did not do that, we would never be able to produce enough food to feed ourselves. Ignorance and blind adherence to nonsense is what creates famines in the first place.
Right on. I challenge anyone who disagrees to come up with a benefit that religion offers that cannot be offered by a secular organization.
The motivation to do good, and stay away from evil. The idea that a person if being watched. You can never get that with atheism. Atheism is just ruthless "survival of the fittest", when push comes to shove.
There seems to be little doubt that religion, faith, spirituality or rite can have benefits. The question is how to get the good side of all these (community, meaning, satisfaction and fulfilment) without the nasty side (exclusion and intolerance, resistance to or denial of reality, imposition of impossible standards, the denial of one's own preferences and wants). Religion has been a major source of soothing and a m…
The nasty side applies just as well to non-religious, non-spiritual communities. Even worse, perhaps. There are many examples. Look at the intolerance and hypocrisy in France, one of the most secular states. A girl is not allowed to go to school with the Muslim head scarf. This is worse than the Taliban. France allows insulting the Prophet (pbuh), but you'll get to jail for insulting the president. France has killed/…
You can't be serious.
Somewhat relevant article about new university rules for women in Afganistan (rules created by taliban). https://m.timesofindia.com/world/south-asia/taliban-order-un...