Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
Well religion is way deep seeded in human culture so I would say it’s not really the same thing…
Feds move heaven and earth to get pot user out of russian jail and leave millions of american pot users caged in american jail.
- Thread starter LucidSDreamr
- Start date
Xorkoth
Bluelight Crew
Yeah I agree... although it is pretty crazy from the outside looking in to believe that a big man upstairs judges you and you go to eternal bliss or eternal torture, meanwhile the guy is every bit as petty and sadistic as the worst of humans, hmm, what a coincidence... that's from the outside. The reality is that people are brought up to believe that if you don't believe in that, you're a bad person. You cannot underestimate the power of social constructs and indoctrination of children by their parents/community. It seems crazy, but it's only natural. Some people, as they become adults, choose to take the courageous step of questioning the orthodoxy they were indoctrinated to (whether that orthodoxy is religious or otherwise... there exist parents who are wise enough to not indoctrinate their children too much, but most people aren't able to accomplish that, and from their perspective, they're just trying to do what is right by their children). But most people don't. It's just the way it is.
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
I prayed to god as an atheist to have the judge give me custody of my niece, which at the time seemed damn near impossible since the courts rarely ever take a kid from the bio parent, but when I got guardianship I swore I would never speak Ill of religion, so if someone is religious I say more power to ya
Xorkoth
Bluelight Crew
I respect it, everyone wants answers, and everyone needs to feel like they're a part of something bigger, or dare I say, magical. I believe it's an important part of the human psyche. Being nihilistic hurts us.
The only part of it I don't respect is when people weaponize religion to spread hate. I find that disgusting. Other than that, let people believe what they want to believe, it's their business, and you don't know what's behind it for them. Many religious people are very good people, and religion, and the social glue of religion, brings them happiness, security, and peace. Religion done right can be a positive thing for society. Done wrong, it can be horrific. Just like pretty much anything else.
The only part of it I don't respect is when people weaponize religion to spread hate. I find that disgusting. Other than that, let people believe what they want to believe, it's their business, and you don't know what's behind it for them. Many religious people are very good people, and religion, and the social glue of religion, brings them happiness, security, and peace. Religion done right can be a positive thing for society. Done wrong, it can be horrific. Just like pretty much anything else.
LucidSDreamr
Bluelighter
That's not a miracle its a perfectly possible outcome of something. The street cracking open and shooting confetti while prince comes down singing purple rain is a miracle.
Religion is a poison on human society holding it back more than anything else. I don't praise anyone for subscribing to it.
Xorkoth
Bluelight Crew
That said, religion is far from the only way to have a sense of connection to something greater, or to feel a sense of magic and wonder at the world/universe. Hell, just thinking about the vast majesty of the macroscopic universe, how we are a speck f dust on a speck of dust on a speck of dust on a speck of dust.... to infinity, absolutely staggers me with wonder and magical feelings. Personally I am a spiritual person, but I arrived at my beliefs through personal experience and do not subscribe to any religion. Organized religion is something that serves some valuable and important purposes, mostly as social glue to help bind people together into a set of shared morals and beliefs, which helps society function better and feel closer to your neighbors. But inevitably, it becomes corrupted, because the sociopaths among us are well aware that religion is by FAR the most powerful and readily available way to control the masses. So they pervert it and turn people wanting to be good into monsters. However, this waxes and wanes, and in today's world, there are many religious people, mostly far right evangelicals who have been brainwashed into thinking that political party and religion are one and the same, who are using religion destructively. As well as the extremist fundamentalist sects of Islam that have taken over many islamic countries. And yet, there are just as many, or perhaps even more, people today for whom religion is a positive thing. They don't press it on others, they don't use it to hate and oppress, they just find that it brings them peace and satisfaction and a feeling of being in touch with "the divine". Those people I can fully respect. I was brought up that way, and I moved away from it because I just couldn't believe it, but my mom remains christian (Methodist denomination). She is disgusted with how religion is being weaponized by the right, and with the Evangelicals, and is radically outspoken and involved in her church. She has worked hard to get her church to become "reconciling" which means they openly allow gay members, even pastors, and they take in refugees, and all the money they raise goes to helping to save refugees, which is after all, what Jesus was all about if you read the New testament. My mom believes in the radical pacifist communist Jesus who said to take from the rich and distribute it to the poor, and to love everyone as your brother, and to practice nonviolence. She accepts and is fascinated by all religions and believes they're all paths to the same truths, and that hers isn't "the right one". she doesn't believe in the old testament god who judges and throws people in hell for not believing. She loves to hear about my psychedelic experiences that shaped my own connection to my spirituality, and is grateful that I at least have that connection.
And after all the old people who thought all that gay and black pastor stuff was sinful left the church, now everyone who goes there is the same kind of christian. They're really good people, they do good for the community, they are kind and help others and are very happy people. I can only see good coming from their implementation of religion. And it also gives them a close knit community of friends.
In fact I've been a member of a couple of other Methodist churches as an adult because my ex wife was a church pianist and I would join the church choir so I could go there with her and do something interesting instead of just sit in the back. I have had nothing but good experiences at those 2 churches. It was the same deal, every week the pastor would preach about love and acceptance of all people. They would collect and raise money and put 100% of it towards providing housing for homeless people (in one of the churches they focused on that), and the other church they focused on trying to supply food banks and any other ways they could to help feed the hungry in the surrounding communities. All great people.
But yeah, religion has probably done a lot more harm than good over the course of human history, no doubt about that. I just disagree with the idea that you can't respect anyone who is religious. everyone has their own journey, and as long as you're being a good person, however you get there, it's something to be respected. Like almost any issue, there are infinite shades of gray. It's a net negative, I think, but there is plenty of good that comes from it, too, when done right. And one thing I think many of us underestimate is the social fabric that religion weaves in a culture. I believe part of the collapse of our social fabric that we are seeing in modern times is because so many people are abandoning religion. If they would abandon religion to instead discover a deeper, more personal connection to spirituality, that could be a huge net positive. But instead they are abandoning it, by and large, for a cynical nihilism and materialism, which has led to a deeply self-absorbed, lonely, and bitter population who is primed to be fed fear and hatred, and has no incentive to feel like they should treat people they don't know as anything but "others" to fear, or worse yet, potential victims to exploit.
Jerry Atrick
Bluelight Crew
Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
Cute meme, but there is a difference between an illigal arms dealer and a licensed fire arms dealer that runs background checks and follows the law, mental gymnastics
Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
Oh? What's the difference?
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
You don’t know the difference ?
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
Xorkoth
Bluelight Crew
Yeah... gotta say, there's quite a difference. Your average gun salesman sells guns to law abiding citizens whopass background checks and 99.9% of then keep themat home in case of emergency, shoot them for fun at a gun range, or hunt with them. Whereas a bigitime illegal arms deal sells large quantities of usually military-grade weapons to people that are almost always using them for crime or war, and you know full well that this is what you're doing.
Decent meme, but false. Liberals have tons of triggers
Jerry Atrick
Bluelight Crew
I think Snafu's point was that in both instances, innocent people are still being murdered by guns whether illegally purchased or legally acquired. How many of most recent mass shootings were perpetrated with guns that were bought legally? AFAIK, most if not all of them. Like the meme said, mental gymnastics.
Las Veghost grower
Bluelighter
Walk into a gun store and say you want a gun that will kill a person the fastest, and see how fast you get booted from the store and potentially get reported to the ATF, that’s one difference…then ask for a fully automatic rifle, that’s 2 differences, then ask for a RPG, there is 3…the list goes on and on really, what your essentially saying is Walmart is responsible for selling a knife to someone who then uses that knife to stab someone tho, which I think most people will tell you is ridiculous