Religion Is an Insult to human dignity

[ItsjustMe]

Religion Is an Insult to human dignity. With or without It you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion ... Steven Weinberg

Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

A foolish faith In authority Is the worst enemy of truth - Albert Einstein

It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.

I generally find it a waste of time trying to discuss anything with people who can't tell truth from lies.

"In my schoolboy days I had no aversion to slavery. I was not aware that there was anything wrong about it. No one arraigned it in my hearing; the local papers said nothing against it; the local pulpit taught us that God approved it, that it was a holy thing, and that the doubter need only look in the Bible if he wished to settle his mind -- and then the texts were read aloud to us to make the matter sure; if the slaves themselves had an aversion to slavery they were wise and said nothing." --Mark Twain

I will never understand the Conservative opinion that It should be easy to hurt people and hard to get healed.

A conservative Is someone who maintains that health care Is not a fundamental right, but gun ownership Is.

People Were Created To Be Loved
Things Were Created To Be Used
The Reason The World Is In Chaos
Is Because Things Are Being Loved
And People Are Being Used

Don't do good things to get into heaven. Do good things so that others won't live in hell.

[keithbvadu2]

1. Because God says so...

https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA17QqGS.img?w=800&h=415&q=60&m=2&f=jpg

[walkingman]

2. I do not believe in a God, especially a "sky god", but

I am beginning to wonder if there is a devil? I am losing faith in my fellow man.

[Random Boomer]

27. Any faith in humans is misplaced

We are apes, first and foremost. The wonder is not that we are violent and self-centered, it's that we manage moments of altruism and restraint.

[Walleye]

3. I think religion deprives people of their basic humanity

One of the things that distinguishes us from other animals is the awareness of our own mortality. Religion tells us we don’t die

[Evolve Dammit]

5. and we can be absolved of anything. Like an ultimate Get Out of Jail Free card. Such utter BS.

It basically is a license to do whatever you want, unless you actually take it to heart and practice the teachings, which are essentially good. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." Pretty simple. Some of it is meaningful, understandable, and something to guide our lives. And so many have "lost their way" and are just unreachable, hate-filled, stupid fuckers that have NO moral compass at all. And we know who encourages that. It has dominated our society for the last several decades and arguably, for centuries.

[Walleye]

13. Also, Do not do unto others that which is hateful to you. Not that difficult

[Evolve Dammit]

16. All pretty simple; Jesus, Buddha, Allah or whoever the prophet was. Teachers of acceptance.

[Karadeniz]

4. Good post!!

[LoisB]

6. Fantastic post.

[calimary]

7. I love these quotes!

Gonna use ‘em!

[spike jones]

8. I think Auschwitz disproved the theory of god. n/t

[BOSSHOG]

9. Catholics perpetuate their money making

By grooming children before they are born. Mom and Dad know their job. The child must know they must go to church at least once a week or burn in hell for eternity. And when they go to church they must give the church money. And when they grow older they must train their children and grandchildren accordingly. For centuries. Real dignified huh?

Oh and of course don’t object when your church violates the separation of church and state. Bishops view such objections as unseemly.

Gays don’t groom, but Catholics do it 24/7. More dignity.

[Evolve Dammit]

17. good observation.

[BOSSHOG]

20. I was born and raised catholic

Served as an altar boy. And have viewed the Catholic Church through objective eyes for decades. I do not like what I see. I find most Catholics to be great citizens. Cogs in the wheel so to speak. But the hierarchy is myopic with dollar signs. Ain’t getting none of mine. (Is that a double or triple negative?)

[Evolve Dammit]

21. Not sure but it is understandable! Thanks for the insight.

[multigraincracker]

10. I look at it as a study of culture.

For most, you buy into what those around you buy into. If you took a child from any culture and raised him or her in another one, they would buy into that one.
Then, there is the 10 to 15% that question the whole thing. Some of those hide it to go along to get along. Others become very vocal.

Then along came critical thinking and that cause more change. Some by education and other thru curiosity.

It’s always changing. I just think it’s all interesting and try not to be too critical. I use to watch Madeline Murray O’Hare on her tv show. She made a lot of sense, but always angry and life didn’t turn out to well for her. I’d much rather observe than argue as most aren’t about to change.
It does become a problem when they seek to control me, they don’t.

[spike jones]

11. Fight the real enemy

https://vimeo.com/181480371

[Evolve Dammit]

18. powerful. What year was that? I recall she took a world of shit for it. n/t

[Duppers]

12. ....👍

[lucca18]

14. Good post! Love all the quotes!

[Lemonwurst]

15. Agreed, emphatically

I’m not just a non-believer, I’m seriously tired of religion being (ahem) deified across nearly all facets of society, as if there are only upsides to such irrational thinking.

Thanks for your words and many references to points made by others, who apparently share our frustrations.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

19. We are being baited with millions of $$$ in tv ads.

Don't bite. We can't win on being anti-religion. Lets live our lives in peace while concentrating on the golden rule.

[Martin68]

22. I'm not religulous, and I don't identify with any faith. But I don't agree that religion is by

definition "an insult to human dignity." On the contrary religion is a human construct that, at its best, tries to explain human behavior and suggest better ways to get along with our fellow human beings. The Golden Rule, prominent in Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism, is an excellent formula for how to be empathetic, kind and generous with our fellow human beings. "Do unto other as you would have them do unto you." Just because Conservative religionists try to impose their fascist rules on everybody else does not mean that every aspect of religion is toxic. On the contrary, religion has produced some of the deepest and most meaningful art, philosophy, and charitable work in history. Marxism is atheistic, and resulted in the deaths of millions in Soviet Russia. the same is true of Pol Pot's reign of terror, and that of the French Revolution. We humans are a complicated species, and it would be unwise to discount entirely the religious or spiritual aspect of our history. Suggesting the religion is toxic and false because it posits the existence of forces beyond our understanding is equivalent to suggesting that fictional literature is a waste of time and of no practical use.

[Escurumbele]

26. I understand what you wrote, and there is a lot of truth to it, but don't forget that many lives

have been lost because of religion, and not going too far back in history lets remember that G. W. Bush called his invasion of Iraq his Crusade, and speaking about the Crusades, remember how many people died because of the whim of a pope?

Religion was created to rule people, to manage the herd, and that is exactly what it does. It is full of absurdities, like on the Catholic religion you are born with a sin because in order for you to be in this world your parents had to conceive, and although the church wants you to procreate, your kids are born with the "Original" sin because they did what the church wants people to do. Too many contradictions, too much guilt put into people's minds, too much fantasy.

I agree with one of the quotes in the original post that explains very well that with or without religion there will be good people who will do good things, and there will be evil people who will do evil things, but it takes evil people to do evil things in the name of religion, so religion must exist for those people. Of course that I did not write it exactly as it shows on the post, but the meaning is the same.

Yes, true that religious people have produced incredible art, but that would have happened without religion, they would have created art that glorified something else from life, same with philosophy and everything else. Religion has also created some of the most corrupt enterprises, starting with the Vatican. Anyway, I could go on, but enough said.

I liked your post very much.

By the way, if anyone speaks Spanish, and likes reading in Spanish, there is a book by a Spanish author titled "El Catolicismo explicado a las ovejas." It is well researched and a fantastic read, the author Juan Eslava Galan, is very funny as well.

Here is the link to Amazon for that book:
https://www.amazon.com/El-catolicismo-explicado-las-ovejas-ebook/dp/B0064BRYDU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=298FNM2X4I9A2&keywords=el+catolicismo+explicado+a+las+ovejas&qid=1677208826&sprefix=el+catolicismo+explicado+a+las+ovejas%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-1

[Martin68]

28. As I pointed out in my post above, religion does not have a monopoly on genocide and

aggressive domination of other people. I disagree with your statement that "Religion was created to rule people, to manage the herd." My take is that certain visionaries interpret their insights as coming from a "greater power". Such insights, such as the mandate to treat your neighbor as yourself, to protect and aid the poor, and to be merciful and accepting one's enemies in the words of Jesus, or the mandate for compassion and non-violence that the buddha shared, are a force for good. Organized religion, over time, does indeed move towards dogma, conservatism and control, but that does not define religion. It reflects something in human nature that leads to the same desire for power and control over others that authoritarian communist regimes engaged in, in spite of the positive side of the Marxist philosophy.

In sum, I suggest you blame human nature rather than religion for the evil men do. Religion is only one aspect of society that often leads to the dark side of our natures. Politics has led to similar results.

[MayReasonRule]

30. Faith rejects doubt. Doubt is the basis of reason.

There is no reason, in the absence of doubt.

Hence, faith, is without reason. Faith is delusion.

Doubt is my "savior".
Reason is my "god".

I was religiously suicidal and suicidally religious for thirty-years from the age of eight to thirty-eight.

I've been "beat-to-hell" then "lifted-out. Odd to say, both times by doubt.

When does delusion deserve respect?

Never.

Mythology reveals and informs.
Religion deceives and obscures.

May reason rule where delusion dwells.

[Martin68]

31. I see "faith" or "blind faith" as the mantra of conservatives.

Liberal approaches to religion accept doubt as a natural human experience. "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a suggestion for improving the life of both neighbors, and a better way of approaching relationships. No faith required, just a suggestion that you try it.

One of the reasons I like buddhism is that it requires no faith, just personal experiential investigation. You are not asked to believe anything except what you actually experience.

[MayReasonRule]

32. I agree. Experiential learning is the very basis of all aspects of human evolvement.

Experiential learning is fact based.

What you are describing within buddhism, I characterize as the voices of singular and collective experiences, which assist others, that wish to experience reality as it is, instead of clinging to the delusions of "hope and faith".

Principles over precepts.

Always.

[Luck Counts]

23. Great quotes

Lately I have begun thinking that a more truthful name for churches would be Imaginariums.

[Escurumbele]

25. That quote you just wrote should be included in the list...Well done!

"Imaginariums"...Brilliant!

[MayReasonRule]

33. Inculcation-ariums

Imagination is one of the aspects that separate us from other primates.

Inculcation is psychological and emotional rape.

Delusion divides and destroys.

Reason unites and empowers.

"Churches" as most often used, are the purveyors of malevolent mass delusions of the "Old Testament" Abraham.

I know of no other single greater destructive force on the face of the earth than the Abrahamic delusions.

I have no more respect for those that purvey such malevolent delusions than I do for those that molest children.

It's equally of harm.

[Escurumbele]

24. Great collection of quotes and thoughts, thank you.

[MayReasonRule]

29. Faith rejects doubt, which is the very basis of reason..

Faith, is without reason, without doubt.

Hence, there is no such thing as a "reasonable faith".

Doubt is my "savior". Reason is my "god".

May reason rule.