Are we becoming more and more desensitized by ourselves and our government/society? Especially when it comes to religion, I think that many of us have compromised ours, until the point of living like atheists ourselves. Many people call themselves Christian, but never say anything worth while to back their beliefs up. Some call themselves jewish and muslim, and sometimes they don't live as they believe. I think society has such a tramatic affect on people's minds, that there is no emphises on religious living anymore. Note, i didn't say religious practices, because many people boast about going to church still.
Going to church doesn't mean a whole lot anymore, especially to young people. It's a place just to go and hang out with people you know. what if you don't know anybody? Well it's a little bit less desireable to go huh?
In terms of how the school brings students up. There is very little talk about specifics in religion. Every so often there is dicussion about religion, but it is not brought out in a desireable way. Religion is viewed as strict and uncaring, and I that idea is over rated. Religion is very important in the hearts of so many; however nowadays, many of us think little of the god we claim to serve.
Atheism and secularism definately have a hold on american society because religion is viewed as pointless, weak, and only for twerps. Secularism is seen as something apeasing and appitizing to everyone because you don't have to worry about striving for perfection. You don't have to go to church, you can go out and get drunk whenever you want. Basically you can do whatever the hell you want, since you have no supernatural authority to answer to.
As I disagree with secularism completely, I will objectively ask a request of you atheists and secularists. Please repect religion, despite what you think life is meant for. What I'm asking is that you don't mock or critizise religion. That you don't take all measures to destroy religion and bring the world to believing in no god.
To the church comment you made, most kids I know take it seriously.
But we are gradually losing faith.
+mspin
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/weezyf
I think this blog does another excellent job of exposing the horrible effect religion can have on SOME people.
(1) Progressivism doesn't know what he is talking about. NOTHING in this blog concerns dogma from atheism.
(2) There is a point where irony becomes hypocrisy. Progressivism's blog passes that point by about as far as it can be passed ... and he doesn't have a clue that he did it. I suspect he thinks this blog is actually being respectful! ... Hint -- it isn't..
Are we becoming more and more desensitized by ourselves and our government/society? Especially when it comes to religion, I think that many of us have compromised ours, until the point of living like atheists ourselves. ...
(1) Note that Progressivism is equating atheism with being "desensitized ... [to] government/society". When did this become the case?
(2) For that matter when did having a lack of regard for religion (atheist or not theist) become the standard for determining desensitized to government/society.
I think it would be a bit more ominous to go about ignoring social injustice like forbidding people rights granted to other members of society simply based on characteristics like race, sex, or sexual orientation, than to NOT go door-to-door evangelizing for God.
... Many people call themselves Christian, but never say anything worth while to back their beliefs up. ...
From my personal experience I have never heard ANYONE say anything worth while to back up their belief in any God. But ... hey ... that's me and my opinion.
... Some call themselves jewish and muslim, and sometimes they don't live as they believe. I think society has such a tramatic affect on people's minds, that there is no emphises on religious living anymore. ...
Some call themselves "Jewish" and work hard at their jobs ... I suspect by and large they live as they believe. Others call themselves "Jewish" and take over housing projects in the occupied West Bank ... I suspect they too by and large live as they believe.
Some call themselves Muslim and raise families and work hard ... I suspect they live by and large as they believe. Some call themselves Muslims and blow themselves up in crowded marketplaces. I suspect they lived as they believed as well.
The point is that you can be religious and do good or you can be religious and do bad. I think the unthinking dogma associated with religion promotes a mindset that becomes capable of doing very bad. But that can happen to secularists too ... the excesses of communism is a prime example.
... Note, i didn't say religious practices, because many people boast about going to church still.
One thing that I absolutely hate in an argument is meaningless crap. And I seldom see in any argument other than a religiously motivated one. It is almost as though religious people take comfort in the nebulous nature of undefined things.
Progressivism is contrasting RELIGIOUS LIVING with RELIGIOUS PRACTICES ... except he never really contrasts them. He says that society does not emphasize RELIGIOUS LIVING but he leaves open the possibility that society does emphasize RELIGIOUS PRACTICES because people boast of going to church.
But isn't going to church a part of some people's religious living? In fact, isn't it true that for many people RELIGIOUS LIVING is PRACTICING THEIR RELIGION, which includes RELIGIOUS PRACTICE.?
So what is the difference between the two? I suppose Progressivism (or if not him some other religious person) would say the difference is between the person who takes his religion seriously and one who doesn't. The difference is the same as the one who truly believes and the one who just goes through the motions. Except ... how can one tell one from the other? I have found that the non-serious person who goes through the motions is the Christian who doesn't believe EXACTLY like the Christian making the argument. ... Which means if you look closely enough every other Christian on the face of the planet. And that makes the argument meaningless.
Going to church doesn't mean a whole lot anymore, especially to young people. It's a place just to go and hang out with people you know. what if you don't know anybody? Well it's a little bit less desireable to go huh?
It will never be desirable to go unless the person feels like there is something worthwhile that will come out of it. The fault can lie with the person or it can lie with activity.
In terms of how the school brings students up. There is very little talk about specifics in religion....
Er .., (1) It should be the PARENTS who are bringing up the student, not the school, and (2) It is called SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. School is a state-sponsored activity. As such it should not get into the specifics of religion (except perhaps in a comparative religion class and then it should be taught from a scholarly as opposed to evangelical perspective).
... Every so often there is dicussion about religion, but it is not brought out in a desireable way. ...
And what is "a desireable [sic] way"? I think we all know how Progressivism would like for it to be discussed ... and not only is that NOT desirable, it isn't legal.
... Religion is viewed as strict and uncaring, and I that idea is over rated. Religion is very important in the hearts of so many; however nowadays, many of us think little of the god we claim to serve.
(1) I think Progressivism is confusing a scholarly dispassionate approach to religion as viewing religion itself as strict and uncaring.
(2) Progressivism makes the claim that "[r]eligion is very important in the hearts of so many", but contradicts that assertion in the same sentence. In fact, EVERYTHING else in the blog is a complaint that religion ISN'T "very important in the hearts of so many".
So which is it? You can't have it both ways.
Atheism and secularism definately have a hold on american society because religion is viewed as pointless, weak, and only for twerps. ...
None of those covers my complaint with religion. My complaint is that it is wrong and misleads people.
... Secularism is seen as something apeasing and appitizing to everyone because you don't have to worry about striving for perfection. ...
(1) I hope it is a typo. I hope Progressivism meant to say "Secularism is seen as something APPEALING .." instead of something APEASING [sic]. But on the chance that he meant what he actually said then I would have to disagree ... Secularism is seldom seen as appeasing to anyone's sensibilities. I wish it were.
(2) Vocal atheists such as myself are often accused of being arrogant. Yet, Progressivism is touching on an argument that many theists (and I suspect Progressivism himself) take for granted. It is an argument that I think is without peer when it comes to arrogance.
Progressivism is saying that the appeal of secularism is that one doesn't have to live up to the high standards of religion. Secularism allows one to be happy being the scum of the earth.
You don't believe that is his argument?? Well ... read on.
... You don't have to go to church, you can go out and get drunk whenever you want. Basically you can do whatever the hell you want, since you have no supernatural authority to answer to.
Yep, us secularist just love to go out and get drunk. Yep, we like to shoot people and eat babies too. And don't forget rape ... that's a fun thing we secularist like to do too. If we do it right we can rape a woman and then eat her baby later on. ... right?
Except, the godless people like atheist comprise 15% of the general population and only 2% of the prison population. Atheists and agnostics are in general higher educated than are theists. We tend to earn more money. We dominate in the sciences which has discovered the knowledge that has led to the technological breakthroughs that have produced the most tangible good society has ever known.
That doesn't quite fit with the baby-eater scenario, does it? Perhaps, that is because secularism doesn't promote the degrading hedonism that people like Progressivism accuse it of. Perhaps, secularism shows us that progress can be achieved only with the advent of new and useful knowledge, and secularists tend to pursue that.
Perhaps, the religious people of Progressivism's ilk are content with the "received knowledge" of sacred texts. And that received wisdom tells them that the only other way to live is by getting drunk, killing people, raping and eating babies. Perhaps that received wisdom is wrong.
As I disagree with secularism completely, I will objectively ask a request of you atheists and secularists. Please repect religion, despite what you think life is meant for. What I'm asking is that you don't mock or critizise religion. That you don't take all measures to destroy religion and bring the world to believing in no god.
Let me get this straight. Progressivism has made the argument that secularism leads to:
(1) Desensitization of society.
(2) Lowered standards of conduct.
(3) Alcoholism
(4) Unrepentant hedonism
But he wants US to respect religion. See what I mean by the argument transcending irony and being the height of hypocrisy?
He also is saying that we, who don't believe in God's existence, shouldn't try to bring the world into believing as we do. But presumably it is a GREAT thing for him to bring the world into believing as he does.
Excuse me ... but Progressivism has no clue as to what "respect" means. Respect isn't something that should be given to ANYTHING. Respect is something that should be EARNED.
There are a lot of beliefs that the average Christian doesn't respect.
Why should I respect yours? Not only do I believe it is wrong, I believe that it is instrumental in doing harm to people in the same way I think your religious beliefs have harmed you.
Cheers,
DB
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If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. - Anatole France