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[personal profile] serene


If there is as much bad as good; if there is MORE bad than good, and the
bad is something people can change, can do something about -- then don't
tell me to focus on the good.

I do not deny that religion and faith (two separate things) have brought
some good to individuals -- I know some of them, and I believe it has made
their lives better. However, I think it's brought a lot of bad to
individuals and societies, bad that could be prevented, bad that is, at
its most sickening, *encouraged* by religion.

So I won't stop talking about the evils perpetuated in the name of
religion, not even if my religious friends write to me and ask me to look
at the good that comes of faith. I've looked. It doesn't outweigh the
bad. Not by a mile.

For every person who finds comfort in a time of need, there are people who
believe their need and lack is God's will. For every person who feels
accepted by God, there are people whose lives are ruined by churches and
other religious organizations, and there are people whose evil is
justified by their reading of "holy" books.

I was there. I was in a place in which my suffering was God's will, and
the natural expression of my joy was forbidden. I've also watched
countless people accept the evil in the world as "God's will".

I hear you, my friend, when you say I'm angry at God, and I can see why
you might think I am. I'm not. No more than I'm angry at the Easter
Bunny. God doesn't exist, as far as I'm concerned -- I'm angry at a large
subset of God's followers. And I love you, but you're one of them.

Date: 2006-09-26 03:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] calebbullen.livejournal.com
I don't think human beings can do without them.

Dream bigger.

We used to think we couldn't fly, not to mention about five way more emotional examples of things we used to think could never be.

Date: 2006-09-26 06:54 am (UTC)
firecat: damiel from wings of desire tasting blood on his fingers. text "i has a flavor!" (Default)
From: [personal profile] firecat
I don't think flying is a good counterexample, because humans seem much better at improving technology than at improving human nature. But I hope you are right that my thinking is too small in this area.

Date: 2006-09-26 01:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rmjwell.livejournal.com
I will say that it seems to me that the desire to turn humankinds tool-making and -improving tendancies inwards has been spreading through a larger percentage of the population over the past century or so. Sometimes I wonder if some of the current fascist response isn't a backlash against non-centralized human development.

Date: 2006-09-26 03:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] calebbullen.livejournal.com
Okay, how about Suffrage or Segregation, the 4 minute mile or home run milestones.

It seems like it always takes forever to overcome some insurmountable goal and then once we do we realize how small a goal it really was. Miscegenation was thought of as a threat to the very fabric of society not that long ago and now only a lunatic fringe even think about bringing back those laws. It'll be the same thing with the next hurdle in equality in marriage. Once we're on the other side, Joe six-pack will look back and think, "Why was this ever an issue?"

There are a lot more out of the closet atheists these days, than ever and according to a recent poll, America likes Atheism better then Scientology.

Religion isn't going away tomorrow or anything but it does seem like we're continually realizing that we can do just fine without gods.

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