Can something come from nothing?

[sandorski]

People and groups have and do commit atrocities period. It is part of the human condition. Hitler and Stalin needed no god to commit some of the greatest atrocities in human history. Using god as justification is simply manipulation and clearly immoral.

Hitler definitely used Religion and certain German Religious groups enthusiastically supported him. Hatred of the Jews and certain other groups targeted by the Nazis also were mostly based upon religious reasoning.

The worst contribution Religion makes to the discourse though is the conditioning of People to accept/reject things simply based upon Who or What has stated something. This makes phenomena like "Alt-Facts" viable and something the Religious Right has embraced enthusiastically.

 

[Ajay]

Hitler definitely used Religion and certain German Religious groups enthusiastically supported him. Hatred of the Jews and certain other groups targeted by the Nazis also were mostly based upon religious reasoning.

I'll take your word for it for now - maybe it was true with protestants. I know for a fact he hated Catholics, and loved sending priests to the concentrations camps (when they weren't just straight out murdered). Stalin on the other hand just killed Christians in general with special attention payed to Jews and Catholics.

The worst contribution Religion makes to the discourse though is the conditioning of People to accept/reject things simply based upon Who or What has stated something. This makes phenomena like "Alt-Facts" viable and something the Religious Right has embraced enthusiastically.

Great - scapegoating 101.

Everyone operates on a philosophy and ideology derived from some person or persons (school of thought) - whether it's a whether it's Paul, Augustine or Aquinas; Descartes, Kant, Hegel or Nietzsche, etc., etc. Alt-facts are brought about by the manipulation of those who do not engage in critical thinking. The mixing of the 'religious right' and the prosperity gospel is actually an anti-christian movement (just look at their leaders). Some Catholics are buying into this, which makes me want to puke. The COVID induced community isolationism seems to have accelerated this change in my faith community.

Anyway, it's always and everywhere and at all times been easy to blame 'religion' for the world's evils. Fact is, it is always men in power using religion to bend the will of the masses. Religion and Science are the same in this regard - they are things, they are not evil in and of themselves. People, on the other hand, have agency and can choose to be evil if they want. Or, they can surrender their agency to the will of others and be caught up in an evil movement.

 

[shortylickens]

Woah, you guys are getting way too serious around here.

Go fuck a cat or something. Maybe drop acid in the bathtub.

 

[sandorski]

I'll take your word for it for now - maybe it was true with protestants. I know for a fact he hated Catholics, and loved sending priests to the concentrations camps (when they weren't just straight out murdered). Stalin on the other hand just killed Christians in general with special attention payed to Jews and Catholics.



Great - scapegoating 101.

Everyone operates on a philosophy and ideology derived from some person or persons (school of thought) - whether it's a whether it's Paul, Augustine or Aquinas; Descartes, Kant, Hegel or Nietzsche, etc., etc. Alt-facts are brought about by the manipulation of those who do not engage in critical thinking. The mixing of the 'religious right' and the prosperity gospel is actually an anti-christian movement (just look at their leaders). Some Catholics are buying into this, which makes me want to puke. The COVID induced community isolationism seems to have accelerated this change in my faith community.

Anyway, it's always and everywhere and at all times been easy to blame 'religion' for the world's evils. Fact is, it is always men in power using religion to bend the will of the masses. Religion and Science are the same in this regard - they are things, they are not evil in and of themselves. People, on the other hand, have agency and can choose to be evil if they want. Or, they can surrender their agency to the will of others and be caught up in an evil movement.

There are other "evils", the problem with Religion as a concept is that it encourages accepting things without a reliable method of determining Truth.

 

[Ajay]

Woah, you guys are getting way too serious around here.

Go fuck a cat or something. Maybe drop acid in the bathtub.

Yeah, this topic always gets my goat, obviously.
Anyway - no to the cat; that's just mean