XPost: alt.philosophy.zen, alt.society.liberalism, alt.society.kindness   
   XPost: talk.politics.theory   
   From: hollywoodlee@gmail.com   
      
   stumper wrote:   
   > Hollywood Lee wrote:   
   >> Déjà Fu wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> ps:   
   >>> In our laboratory experiments, our staff has found   
   >>> that the KJV Bible, the Quoran and the Book of Mormon   
   >>> produce virtually the same BTU/hr of heat in a modern,   
   >>> high-efficiency stove. The Torah lags by nearly 40%   
   >>> and is not generally available in motel rooms.   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> (sorry, Lee - allah made me do it...:)   
   >>   
   >> I like Richard Dawkins' (author of the God Delusion among others) take   
   >> on religion:   
   >>   
   >> --------   
   >>   
   >> http://www.wpr.org/book/dawkins.html   
   >>   
   >> Richard Dawkins talked with Steve Paulson about the dangers of   
   >> unquestioned faith and why he thinks atheists are among the most   
   >> intelligent people.  An excerpt follows:   
   >>   
   >> . . . .   
   >>   
   >> Q: My sense is that you don't just think religion is dishonest.   
   >> There's something evil about it as well.   
   >>   
   >> A: Well, yes. I think there's something very evil about faith, where   
   >> faith means believing in something in the absence of evidence, and   
   >> actually taking pride in believing in something in the absence of   
   >> evidence. And the reason that's dangerous is that it justifies   
   >> essentially anything. If you're taught in your holy book or by your   
   >> priest that blasphemers should die or apostates should die -- anybody   
   >> who once believed in the religion and no longer does needs to be   
   >> killed -- that clearly is evil. And people don't have to justify it   
   >> because it's their faith. They don't have to say, "Well, here's a very   
   >> good reason for this." All they need to say is, "That's what my faith   
   >> says." And we're all expected to back off and respect that. Whether or   
   >> not we're actually faithful ourselves, we've been brought up to   
   >> respect faith and to regard it as something that should not be   
   >> challenged. And that can have extremely evil consequences. The   
   >> consequences it's had historically -- the Crusades, the Inquisition,   
   >> right up to the present time where you have suicide bombers and people   
   >> flying planes into skyscrapers in New York -- all in the name of faith.   
   >>   
   >> Q: But don't you need to distinguish between religious extremists who   
   >> kill people and moderate, peaceful religious believers?   
   >>   
   >> A: You certainly need to distinguish them. They are very different.   
   >> However, the moderate, sensible religious people you've cited make the   
   >> world safe for the extremists by bringing up children -- sometimes   
   >> even indoctrinating children -- to believe that faith trumps   
   >> everything and by influencing society to respect faith. Now, the faith   
   >> of these moderate people is in itself harmless. But the idea that   
   >> faith needs to be respected is instilled into children sitting in rows   
   >> in their madrasahs in the Muslim world. And they are told these things   
   >> not by extremists but by decent, moderate teachers and mullahs. But   
   >> when they grow up, a small minority of them remember what they were   
   >> told. They remember reading their holy book, and they take it   
   >> literally. They really do believe it. Now, the moderate ones don't   
   >> really believe it, but they have taught children that faith is a   
   >> virtue. And it only takes a minority to believe what it says in the   
   >> holy book -- the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Quran, whatever   
   >> it is. If you believe it's literally true, then there's scarcely any   
   >> limit to the evil things you might do.   
   >>   
   >> Q: And yet most moderate religious people are appalled by the   
   >> apocalyptic thinking of religious extremists.   
   >>   
   >> A: Of course they're appalled. They're very decent, nice people. But   
   >> they have no right to be appalled because, in a sense, they brought it   
   >> on the world by teaching people, especially children, the virtues of   
   >> unquestioned faith.   
   >>   
   >> Hear the full interview at http://www.wpr.org/book/Richard%20Dawkins.mp3   
   >>   
   >   
   > He does not appear to understand faith.   
   > His flat reasoning cannot capture   
   > the depth of human consciousness.   
      
   Speculation.   
      
      
   > Most people stop and think of others   
   > because of their faith.   
      
   And more speculation.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)