Religion

In the other thread about blasphemy, I said that one's religion should be able to stand up to criticism but I didn't really take into account what you're referring to, which is other people being harassed and treated with contempt time after time. At that point, there is no dialog and just, well, harassment. Even if one is right on all the facts, being a jerk is just plain wrong.

One issue I see here is with laws pertaining to blasphemy. I don't see how they do any good. They are used to silence criticism, not protect people from harassment. On the other hand, a lot of the vitriol towards religion, and Christianity in particular, that I see and hear both on this board and other places, I see it as a release of a lot of pent up anger toward the oppressive nature many churches and other religious institutions have exhibited throughout history. At this point in time, we have the freedom to speak out without fear of being arrested, tortured and possibly burned at the stake. It makes sense there would be a great deal of contempt for religion in general because of how heavy-handed religious people have been towards others who haven't shared the same beliefs.

All the better for the religions themselves if the criticism and anger burns away those who just used their religion for power and manipulation and to cover up perverted behaviors. A lot of these charlatans that profess such great faith are often the very demons tearing the religion apart. What better way to destroy religion than to corrupt it from the inside out.

So I can understand athiests who really tear into religion with a vengeance but at some point it does become tit-for-tat. And if unchecked, it's just as disrespectful as unwelcome proselytizing by people from a church.

I hope we can discuss religion in a way that goes beyond the reactionary and values the sincerity we all feel about our perspectives and personal experiences. Since the subject is religion, we're talking about some of the deepest mysteries in life. It should be a joy to explore and differences can be acknowledged and appreciated if they don't come with the baggage of demanding everyone else to see and believe - or not believe - the same way. Nature provides us with the most illustrative example of how to live in a world filled with diversity. We ought to be emulating that rather than trying to define the one true way for everyone. It can be done with respect and humility. Why not.