I dunno about that, Starlight...
Seems to me they're about equal, if not love ahead.
I mean, think about all the soup kitchens in the world, all the food drives
for the homeless, all the visits to dudes on death row, all the religious
private schools that are waay better than most public schools on less
money, all the stuff collected for people in East Timor, Guatamala, or any
other disaster-striken country, all the religious orphanages (I know, they
might not be heaven, but at least its something for the poor buggers), all
of the speech by religious leaders (Martin Luther King Jr, for one) against
hate, all the everything! There's a lot of good out there if you look,
Star...
____________________ Piggy's got the Conch!
callei
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 759 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 23/7/2003 at 09:26 AM
But you can say that about all the non-religous soup kitchens (most of
them), food drives, visits to deathrow (lawyers and journalists), private
schools (again most arent religous), collections, orphanages and group
homes (also not religious en masse), and leaders that speak against
hate.
So its not religion that makes them be nice, they just sometimes find ways
to be nice thru thier religion. or mean.
____________________ Real goths wear silver and crosses to keep the werewolves and vampires
away.
Anya
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 656 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 23/7/2003 at 01:59 PM
Ah huh. As I said, a lot of these people use it as a "shield".
Abbadon
Fanatic
Posts: 499 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 24/7/2003 at 03:43 PM
Whats wrong with you people? Has nobody ever heard of Salman Rushdie?
____________________ Light is changing to shadow, and casting a shroud over all we have known.
Starlight
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 618 Registered: 27/9/2002 Status: Offline
posted on 24/7/2003 at 10:25 PM
I agree with part of what you say Ironboots. I do agree there are some
religious type organizations that do some seriously good things for their
fellow man. However, as Callei has pointed out, a lot of non-religious
organizations do many of the same things.
I also have immense respect for Martin Luther King, Jr. He was a remarkable
man, and I like to think that in MLK, Jr.'s case that his actions
transcended religion and was actually done in the name of humankind in
general.
Leaving the historical battles of religion behind, there are still wars
being based on religion in the world. There are mutilations of young boys'
and girls' genitals done in the name of religion. There are young people
without access to or knowledge of birth control because of religion. There
are population explosions because of religious beliefs that birth control
and abortion is wrong. In many cases, there would be no cause for an
abortion if access to birth control had been allowed.
Many children and women are beaten because their religion doesn't
discourage it entirely. Many don't report such beatings because their
religion teaches them that it's better to forgive and keep the family unit
intact than to leave and not be abused.
There are a lot of people who do actually do good deeds, and who say they
do it on behalf of their religion or their church. I prefer to think that
these same people would also do the same good deeds even if religion had no
play in the matter.
____________________ "When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never
tried before." ~Mae West
Schizo
Extreme Fanatic
Posts: 897 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 25/7/2003 at 05:50 PM
Actually, Starlight and Callei, the same could be said about acts of hate.
There are plenty of wars, mutilations, no birth control, population
explosions, and beatings that have nothing to do with religion.
And Starlight, I would say the same thing about the people who commit acts
of hate in the name of religion - they would do the same things even if
religion were not a factor.
Some people are nasty, others are nice. And it doesn't seem to
consistently indicate religiousness or non-religiousness on either side.
If you want to do something, you'll find your excuses wherever it's
convenient for you. Be it the name of "Christ" or the name of "common
sense".
Hey, not even all homophobes are religious.
____________________ "You can tell by the scars on my arms and the cracks in my hips and the
dents in my car and the blisters on my lips that I'm not the carefullest of
girls." - Dresden Dolls, "Girl Anachronism"
SilentOblivion
Coward
Posts: 1 Registered: 25/2/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 25/2/2004 at 02:08 AM
Religion is used mostly to answer things people can't seem to answer. Also
its used to give security for them selfs. As for the guy he claimed that
"God" told him to kill those people - most likely he's a loony or giving
the media something to think about.
____________________ Beating up a Man, Fucking with your Pride.
Violence is religion.
pale-face
Fanatic
Posts: 478 Registered: 22/9/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 22/9/2004 at 06:40 PM
the whole excuse about god made me do it is just about as credible as i was
drunk. is they say anything like that, o well, as long as people realize
that there full of shit i'm okay with it.
____________________ fucking classy.
Andree
Member
Posts: 112 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 22/9/2004 at 09:00 PM
I think drunkenness is a very legitimate excuse for uncouth behavior.
Getting regrettably drunk in the first place, however, is not.
____________________ < / hate >
angel_of_death
Member
Posts: 119 Registered: 4/4/2004 Status: Offline
posted on 22/9/2004 at 09:42 PM
im religious... that is the first thing i will admit... i am involved in
both my youth group and my church... and i love every second of it... the
second thing i will admit is that most of the stuff said alreday i 100%
agree with...
it makes me so mad when people use God as an excuse for things ie: God made
me do it... thats just that one person being weak and not being able to
stand up and face the world... and it gives all Christians a bad name...
and i dont like that, i really dont...
as was said before... in the name of God SO many cruel and inhuman acts are
carried out across the world... this upsets me... cause once again, it
gives all Christians a bad name... i do not in anyway, shape or form
support beatings/murders/mutilations done ''in the name of the lord''
because its bull... its an excuse... and if i could have one thing it would
be to have it stopped...
i dont have any answers for where god came from etc... and i will admit at
times... i have my doubts about the bible (refer to ravensSOUL's post) but
at the end of the day... i have a point to my life... something that makes
me happy and makes me feel safe... i have good friends... i have stood up
and faced the mistakes i made in my past... and it was the hardest thing i
have ever had to do... but it helped me... what i am trying to get across
is that not ALL ppl who believe in God are bad... that religion is worth
while and not a heap of crap... its not an escape system for all people...
its something perceived differently by everyone...
i am not in anyway trying to push it on any of u... b4 i was a Christian i
was told i would burn in hell more times then i can count and then told to
give my heart to the Lord... i gave up the converting thing ages ago cause
i believe in ppl being happy, and having their free choice... God may not
work for everyone, but it works for me... and i just wanted to show that
not all ppl who believe in God are bad...
____________________ I know whats it like to want to die, how it hurts to smile, how you try to
fit in but you can't, how you hurt yourself on the outside, to try to kill
the pain in the inside.
Andree
Member
Posts: 112 Registered: 31/12/1969 Status: Offline
posted on 23/9/2004 at 02:30 AM
A thing worse than dealing with people who are a bad representative for
one's religion is feeling like you yourself are a poor representative.