Originally posted by Zahlanzi
"If I wanted to go to the ballgame with a Yankees' cap, should I be required to sign an affidavit that I'm not wearing it for religious purposes, perhaps?"
it still won't be enough because the yankees supporters club dictate yankees fans should wear those caps. as such, all your choice in that matter is taken out of your hands and you are incapable of making a decision.

he is the only one fit to save you and dictate what you must wear.

The new and improved facetious and even slightly clever Z.

I like it.

Originally posted by sh76
The new and improved facetious and even slightly clever Z.

I like it.

always was like that. you only liked my post because it happened to agree with you this time.

Originally posted by Zahlanzi

This was a story about a muslim woman, being successful while managing to remain true to her beliefs. This is the story of the majority of practitioners of religion, worldwide. These are the true religious people, the face of religions, not the very small minorities who have turned themselves into zealots. You have instead chosen to ignore her and focus on the minority.

That's where you're wrong; I haven't focused on individuals, I've focused the belief system itself. Regardless of how loving individual practitioners of a religion may be, the belief system itself has resulted in more harm than good.

Originally posted by vivify
That's where you're wrong; I haven't focused on individuals, I've focused the belief system itself. Regardless of how loving individual practitioners of a religion may be, the belief system itself has resulted in more harm than good.

"That's where you're wrong; I haven't focused on individuals, I've focused the belief system itself."
if you would have done that, you would have noticed that the vast majority of religious people have no problem practicing their religion without negative effects.

"Regardless of how loving individual practitioners of a religion may be, the belief system itself has resulted in more harm than good"
in the past religion caused harm when coupled with running a state and an uneducated population.
the influence of religion in the affairs of the state has become less and less noticeable with each generation.

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
"That's where you're wrong; I haven't focused on individuals, I've focused the belief system itself."
if you would have done that, you would have noticed that the vast majority of religious people have no problem practicing their religion without negative effects.

Again: the vast majority of gun owners own firearms without ill effects; likewise with how the vast majority of cops perform their duties. That doesn't mean there isn't a huge problem with both. Same with religion.

"Regardless of how loving individual practitioners of a religion may be, the belief system itself has resulted in more harm than good"
in the past religion caused harm when coupled with running a state and an uneducated population.
the influence of religion in the affairs of the state has become less and less noticeable with each generation.

That doesn't change the fact that religion still causes more harm than good. It may cause less harm now than at other times in history, but has still has an overall negative impact on the world.

Originally posted by vivify
Again: the vast majority of gun owners own firearms without ill effects; likewise with how the vast majority of cops perform their duties. That doesn't mean there isn't a huge problem with both. Same with religion.

[b]"Regardless of how loving individual practitioners of a religion may be, the belief system itself has resulted in more harm than good"
...[text shortened]... m now than at other times in history, but has still has an overall negative impact on the world.

"Again: the vast majority of gun owners own firearms without ill effects; likewise with how the vast majority of cops perform their duties. That doesn't mean there isn't a huge problem with both."
there is a difference between having a huge problem with something and that something being an overall negative effect.
but yes, huge problem is a description i agree with


"That doesn't change the fact that religion still causes more harm than good. "
you are still insisting on that. if the vast majority of religion practitioners experience no ill effects, like you admitted in the first paragraph, the overall effect is not "more harm than good"


"still has an overall negative impact on the world"
the vast majority of religious (to a degree or other) people in the world disagree. you have absolutely no basis for this statement.

EDIT: And again, how long will you insist on discussing something that has no relevance to the topic at hand? Make another thread if you must.

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
in the past religion caused harm when coupled with running a state and an uneducated population.
the influence of religion in the affairs of the state has become less and less noticeable with each generation.

So you are essentially saying that the less influence a religion has the better. That would appear to coincide with the charge that the net effect of religion is negative.

Originally posted by twhitehead
So you are essentially saying that the less influence a religion has the better. That would appear to coincide with the charge that the net effect of religion is negative.

"So you are essentially saying that the less influence a religion has the better."
in the affairs of state, yes.

each must choose what influence religion has on them and one should only be able to make that choice for oneself.

"That would appear to coincide with the charge that the net effect of religion is negative"
doesn't follow. lots of things have a positive effect on society, yet they aren't supposed to decide how a country is run.