Religious superstition and prejudice is a problem, yes, but if you think religion is the singular source of society’s problems and of human suffering in general, or that its absence would make those problems all go away in a puff of euphoria, you should be sorry.
No, of course not. I agree with you on that. Ultimately how a religion is followed is a reflection of the society, but I hope you’ll agree that the source materials have a lot of outdated beliefs from a time where people knew little about a lot of things and it’s fertile grounds for otherwise well meaning people to do harm.
but I hope you’ll agree that the source materials have a lot of outdated beliefs
So does Reddit New Atheism. The Sam Harris-era atheist craving to glass the Middle East and to crave the mass murder of Muslims after 9/11 comes to mind.
Like you.
There’s no special monopoly on unqualified false expertise, bad hubris-laden ideology, or even propaganda that justifies murder and mayhem that is exclusive to religion, and not all of it is ancient. In fact some of the most fucking ignorant people in the industrialized world get taken for a ride and get into some very bad beliefs because they think that abandoning religion makes them objectively smarter than everyone else and immune to being fooled.
Religious superstition and prejudice is a problem, yes, but if you think religion is the singular source of society’s problems and of human suffering in general, or that its absence would make those problems all go away in a puff of euphoria, you should be sorry.
No, of course not. I agree with you on that. Ultimately how a religion is followed is a reflection of the society, but I hope you’ll agree that the source materials have a lot of outdated beliefs from a time where people knew little about a lot of things and it’s fertile grounds for otherwise well meaning people to do harm.
So does Reddit New Atheism. The Sam Harris-era atheist craving to glass the Middle East and to crave the mass murder of Muslims after 9/11 comes to mind.
Like you.
There’s no special monopoly on unqualified false expertise, bad hubris-laden ideology, or even propaganda that justifies murder and mayhem that is exclusive to religion, and not all of it is ancient. In fact some of the most fucking ignorant people in the industrialized world get taken for a ride and get into some very bad beliefs because they think that abandoning religion makes them objectively smarter than everyone else and immune to being fooled.