My God is better than your God!

[Qui-Gon Glenn]

I think we are in agreement on all of these things Achilles. I guess I am advocating a different kind of faith for those who choose to involve themselves in a formal "faith". Follow the Baha'i Faith's doctrine of universal acceptance. Be tolerant and inclusive, recognize similarities and respect another culture's POV.

 

I think that the similarities in world religion is a result of humans across the world having the same questions to grapple with. Phenomenal events required phenomenal explanations, until more mundane ones were made available by human advance. Religion is a vestige of human misunderstanding and fear, IMO. That does not exclude the possibility of a deity - it is simply non-requisite.

 

Societies cling to their fear, under the warm cloak of common religion, and justify war with religio-centric self-righteousness.

 

I would posit that no god is better than your God.... (not speaking to you Achilles, or the other Atheists in the discussion) I think that is the angle I'm going for in this thread. If there are strong fundamentalist-types in the forum, I would hear them.

[Achilles]

I think we are in agreement on all of these things Achilles. I guess I am advocating a different kind of faith for those who choose to involve themselves in a formal "faith". Follow the Baha'i Faith's doctrine of universal acceptance. Be tolerant and inclusive, recognize similarities and respect another culture's POV.

And if another culture's point of view advocated child sexual abuse, murdering outsiders, and torturing small animals? The problem with moral relativism is that it's relative.

 

I think that the similarities in world religion is a result of humans across the world having the same questions to grapple with.

I think that speaks to the commonality of the human experience. Not the existence of supernatural beings

 

Phenomenal events required phenomenal explanations, until more mundane ones were made available by human advance. Religion is a vestige of human misunderstanding and fear, IMO. That does not exclude the possibility of a deity - it is simply non-requisite.

Well put.

 

Societies cling to their fear, under the warm cloak of common religion, and justify war with religio-centric self-righteousness.

Mmm...for the most part I agree. I don't think all religious violence/conquest is explicited malevolent. I truly believe that in our history that have been genuinely intentioned, yet misguided people that really thought they were doing the right thing by murdering, torturing, maiming, etc in the name of their god. In fact, I'd like to think that there have been more of these people than the truly evil ones that used religion as an guise for their perversions. My 2 cents.

 

I would posit that no god is better than your God.... (not speaking to you Achilles, or the other Atheists in the discussion) I think that is the angle I'm going for in this thread. If there are strong fundamentalist-types in the forum, I would hear them.

I think it's generally a silly question (no offense OP). Unless there was some objective criteria to use and some empirical way to test, it's similar to arguing whose favorite flavor of ice cream is superior.

[Nancy Allen``]

I don't get too fussed over how I stand with other religions. I only ask that they are allowed to operate free of harassment. Of course if someone was going to commit an act of terror on the pretense of their religion, something that is quite the fallacy, you would of course intervene. The last thing you want however is to look like Jack Thompson making claims that games are made for pedophiles.