XPost: alt.atheism, alt.politics, aus.politics   
   XPost: alt.religion, aus.religion, alt.politics.republicans   
   XPost: alt.politics.democrats, uk.politics.misc   
   From: darstec@neo.rr.com   
      
   HD wrote:   
      
   >   
   > "Kate "  wrote in message   
   > news:49cea36c.1338579328@news-west.newscene.com...   
   >> On Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:43:07 GMT, "HD"  wrote:   
   >>   
   >>>   
   >>>"Kate "  wrote in message   
   >>>news:49ccf6c7.1294382062@news-west.newscene.com...   
   >>>> On Sat, 31 Jan 2009 22:33:34 GMT, "HD"  wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>"Kate "  wrote in message   
   >>>>>news:49c8b164.1276619859@news-west.newscene.com...   
   >>>>>> On Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:22:16 GMT, "HD"  wrote:   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>"Peter Webb"  wrote in message   
   >>>>>>>news:4983e8a8$0$20975$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...   
   >>>>>>>> Atheists have done lots of bad things, but not because they are   
   >>>>>>>> atheists,   
   >>>>>>>> but because they are bad people.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Whereas Muslim terrorists do bad things because they are Muslims.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> Atheism is not comparable to having religious beliefs; religious   
   >>>>>>>> nutters   
   >>>>>>>> quite often kill people for religious reasons; atheists do not.   
   >>>>>>>> Atheism   
   >>>>>>>> is   
   >>>>>>>> not a religion, and it does not dictate how people should live and   
   >>>>>>>> who   
   >>>>>>>> they should hate.   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>Let me see if I got that right.   
   >>>>>>>Atheists do bad thinngs because they are bad people.   
   >>>>>>>Christians do bad things, not because they are bad people, but   
   >>>>>>>because they   
   >>>>>>>are religious.   
   >>>>>>>Is that an Irish joke?   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> The point is, atheism doesn't justify doing bad things, religion   
   >>>>>> does.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Good people do bad things, like not let gay people marry, because of   
   >>>>>> religion.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>"At that time many will call evil good and they will call good evil."   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Precisely - if you rely on religion to tell you what's good,   
   >>>> eventually your progeny will disown you.   
   >>>   
   >>>Why?   
   >>   
   >> Because what you did wasn't truly moral - religion isn't about   
   >> defining morality, it's about power and tribalism.   
   >   
   > If not religion, then who defines morality?   
   > Where does morality come from?   
      
   The community, or in the case of the biblical writers, the tribe.  Morality   
   is that code that protects and preserves that community or society that   
   adheres to that code.  And in the case of the bible, gives that community a   
   sense of superiority over the neighbors or non adherents.   
      
      
   --   
   Later,   
   Darrell   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)