Theism Vs. Theism
Offline First off, I hope no one is minding all the questions i post on here. I am reading everyones answers and thank you all so much for your insight. I love to debate in the offline world and you all are self proclaimed rational people also, so needless to say i love stepping into all your shoes for a brief moment in time to gain another perspective and see where i land in comparison.
So now the question, when you see/hear one religion targeting another how do you feel? Do you find it funny, does it get you upset/mad, do you not give a shit?Will you say something if possible? Are you normally religious tolerate?
For me-
Best example I tend to get a little pissed off, when i see Christians targeting Muslims beliefs and saying they all must be terrorist. Why? Because their beliefs are just as schizophrenic, and there is more if not an equal amount of blood on the Christian name along with children's fluids. Fundamentalist Christians have done acts that could be considered terrorist acts. I see no difference it is almost like that father that never liked his son and he could not figure out why, then one day he comes to the realization he hated the son because he reminded him of himself. So when possible yes i will say something i will asks them what makes jesus more real, what makes their stories so right, what makes their morals better, i wont stand up for a religion but i wont stand for one assuming they are better because they have a bigger ego. Again this was just one example using the last one i saw it would work the same way regardless of what religion was targeting another.
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Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. It depends on my mood and the context. Sometimes it is just funny when one says your sky daddy is ridiculous how can you believe in it? Then they profess their belief in their own sky daddy. Like when a Xtian laughs at the absurdity of believing people are reborn but maintains that there is an afterlife. Or attacks Muslims because of the violent parts in the Koran while ignoring the violent parts of the bible.
It gets me upset when it leads to one religion using government to persecute another. Of course, it gets me upset when any person uses government to oppress another for any reason so religion being used as a motive is a moot point with me.
And generally, if they are leaving me alone I don't give a shit.
I will say something if the mood strikes me. Generally, I consider myself religiously tolerant. For example, I'm not one of those that will crawl up someones ass for saying "God bless you" or "Merry Christmas" I usually just thank them for the sentiment and move on. As long as they are leaving me alone and are not trying to bring up an explicitly religious discussion I leave them alone. If they are actively trying to convert me or trying to bring up a religious discussion the gloves come off.
If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X
I like to see non-violent debating between theists; it helps show them that their absurd views aren't the only absurd views.
It upsets me a bit when the vaguely religious or agnostic attack something like Scientology when ignoring their own problems, though- I think Scientology is a great mirror for them to look into (and a mirror which has conducted itself far better than the other religions, yet by the looks of it you'd think they were worse). I won't attack Scientology and I don't think any active secularists should be- there are much bigger and more socially destructive religions to address.
Violent confrontation is really just and example of what theism does- I point to it, but I don't like it or cheer it on so much as pity it.
Coming from the strict Catholic background that I grew up in, there was quite a bit of anti-Protestant hatred in my family(and I encountered alot of Anti-Catholic hatred from the other side as well, I even had a girlfriend, when I was in my teens, whose family refused to have anything to do with me because I was not good Baptists like them). The one thing that I used to hear from both sides of the fence, was the reference to the TRUE Bible. Years ago, when I was a teenager and involved in the Catholic Church, I used to hear references about the TRUE Bible, or the way that the TRUE written word of God was supposed to be used. The other side was always quick to tell me that they knew that I could not go to Heaven because I did not follow the TRUE Bible, that their church had the TRUE word. Funny thing about it, no one was ever specific about what the TRUE word was. But, it is quite funny to see both sides bicker so much about who really holds the entitlement to Heaven. Odd how the all loving, all powerful, all welcoming God only wants a certain denomination in his floating cloud city.
Kinda reminds me of the joke where the Paramilitary group in Northern Ireland asks the man : ARE YOU A CATHOLIC OR A PROTESTANT ? ? ? ?
To which the man replies : I am neither one, I am an Atheist
To which the group replies : Yes, but which one are you ? Are you a Catholic Atheist ? Or are you a Protestant Atheist ?
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.”
― Giordano Bruno
a few years ago, a muslim and a christian were slugging it out. Each was right they insisted, because their book was the inviolate word of god. Each insisted the other was blinded by the devil or the desire to sin. Both tried to leverage freewill and morality as external proof of their arguments. They both said the other would go to hell. The muslim scoffed at the christian's peculiar triumvirate. The christian laughed at the muslim for not being sure he would attain heaven no matter what he did that was moral, unless he murdered some dhimmi for his loving god. The muslim ridiculed the christian for worshipping a jew. They crossed swords about a range of miracles, too, with each calling the other's impossible doctrinal claims into question. There was serious debate about the horseshit in Revelations.
Both were right about how ridiculous the other's mythology appears to a dispassionate observer. Watching the silliness unfold was hilarious.
"Experiments are the only means of knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." Max Planck