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Originally Posted by August
Maybe it'd be like the difference between a lone car crash and a multi car pile up. All I am saying is that eliminating religion means removing the good it does along with the bad and nobody, including you, knows the consequences of such a massive disruption to human society.
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First, I'd like to point out that I don't believe in "getting rid of" religion. It's not anybody's place to try to control what anybody else thinks. I do think that governments, whose purpose it is to prevent us from harming each other, should be controlled by any external organization. My comment was directed toward yours concerning
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a bloody resurgence as religions role is filled by radical cults all fighting for dominance.
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It's my observation that religious history has been exactly that - radical cults fighting for dominance. You can talk about good influences all you like, but I see the Holy Wars of the Reformation as nothing more than disparate groups killing each other simply because the "other guys" believe in the "wrong" God. I see no difference between that and what you described.
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Originally Posted by August
Like I said people come up with all kinds of reasons why religion is bad but nothing about what will replace the human need for it. That scares me because if we just leave it to chance it we could easily end up worse off.
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On the other hand, a non-believer might say that it already has been left to chance, and that you are correct, we are worse off. As for myself, I don't care who believes what, as long as they don't tell me what I have to believe.
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Originally Posted by August
Again lots and lots of words describing who God may be and in what form he may take but nothing on how the entirety of the human race will get along without a social institution as pervasive and all encompassing as religion.
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"Pervasive and all-encompassing." You argue that that is a good thing, but others would argue that those words also mean "Controlling and all-dominating." I have heard many Christians talk about how much better off we would all be if only "their" religion ran everything. Again, believe what you like, but don't tell me I have to believe it too and don't pass laws based on your beliefs.