XPost: alt.philosophy.zen, alt.society.liberalism, alt.society.kindness   
   XPost: talk.politics.theory   
   From: hollywoodlee@gmail.com   
      
   stumper wrote:   
   > Hollywood Lee wrote:   
   >> 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.   
   >   
   >   
   > Do you have anything better?   
   >   
      
   Mango Pie.  Wanna slice?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)