I think it's interesting how people act on their beliefs. A lot of Christians, for instance, wear crosses around their necks. Nice sentiment, but do you think when Jesus comes back, he's really going to want to look at a cross?
''Nice sentiment, but do you think when Jesus comes back, he's really going to want to look at a cross?''
How amazing is it that in 2020 when we can manipulate subatomic particles and know about entanglement and can't exactly explain the physics.
And there are people who believe there was a person that was conceived in a virgin, rose from the dead once, and think there's great odds that a twice dead person will once again be reincarnated. Supporting that theory is the largest tax protected business in the wor
One of the things religious organizations do is perform charitable functions. Without them, the government would be forcibly taking your money to perform the same functions, usually with much poorer efficiency and effectiveness. That's why religious organizations should be tax exempt, like any charity.
Another thing religious organizations do is provide a power base in competition with government, thus helping reduce the abuses of powerful government. Alas, this is not always the case, and when a vile religion teams up with the government life gets much worse.
I'm an atheist, and I think religion corrupts minds. That does not make me blind to the good things religious organizations do.
One of the things religious organizations do is perform charitable functions. Without them, the government would be forcibly taking your money to perform the same functions, usually with much poorer efficiency and effectiveness. That's why religious organizations should be tax exempt, like any charity.
If that's true, then they should have no trouble qualifying as some sort of nonprofit without the religious excuse.
I'm not so sure about the poorer efficiency and effectiveness of government activities versus churches. In the case of the catholic church, there seems to be a lot of stained glass and gold foil that needs to be paid for alongside the charitable activities. For other churches, there seem to be a lot of mansions, private jets, luxury cars, mistresses/pool boys to pay for. Even for those charities where there isn't a lot of ostentatious ornamentation and perquisites to pay for, there's the question of how muc
Atheism is also a faith-based religion. You cannot prove the existence or non-existence of God, thus your beliefs are based in faith. Not that that's wrong, but it is wrong to condemn one side and not the other. And Atheism tends to have the same problems as other religions. Taken it to it's logical conclusion, under Atheism there can be no right and wrong, any more then it cannot be sinful for a sun to go nova and destroy a hunk of rock. So what is the difference between that and an atheist stealing somet
Most atheists are actually just pragmatic agnostics. They aren't taking it on faith that there is no god any more than they are taking it on faith that there isn't a tiger under their bed. It's not that they don't think that it's absolutely impossible that there's a tiger under their bed, they just think that the incredibly low probability is as close to impossible as makes no difference. There is, after all no shortage of mutually incompatible religions the world.I've heard it said that atheists really on
What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expect generally happens.
-- Bengamin Disraeli
Plywood? (Score:5, Funny)
Video shows the four young men chanting "Christ is king" as they tear down the monolith and replace it with a plywood cross.
Plywood? I deserve better than that, you fuckers. I'm not impressed.
Re: (Score:1)
I think it's interesting how people act on their beliefs. A lot of Christians, for instance, wear crosses around their necks. Nice sentiment, but do you think when Jesus comes back, he's really going to want to look at a cross?
-Bill Hicks
Re: (Score:3)
''Nice sentiment, but do you think when Jesus comes back, he's really going to want to look at a cross?''
How amazing is it that in 2020 when we can manipulate subatomic particles and know about entanglement and can't exactly explain the physics.
And there are people who believe there was a person that was conceived in a virgin, rose from the dead once, and think there's great odds that a twice dead person will once again be reincarnated. Supporting that theory is the largest tax protected business in the wor
Re:Plywood? (Score:3)
One of the things religious organizations do is perform charitable functions. Without them, the government would be forcibly taking your money to perform the same functions, usually with much poorer efficiency and effectiveness. That's why religious organizations should be tax exempt, like any charity.
Another thing religious organizations do is provide a power base in competition with government, thus helping reduce the abuses of powerful government. Alas, this is not always the case, and when a vile religion teams up with the government life gets much worse.
I'm an atheist, and I think religion corrupts minds. That does not make me blind to the good things religious organizations do.
Re: (Score:2)
One of the things religious organizations do is perform charitable functions. Without them, the government would be forcibly taking your money to perform the same functions, usually with much poorer efficiency and effectiveness. That's why religious organizations should be tax exempt, like any charity.
If that's true, then they should have no trouble qualifying as some sort of nonprofit without the religious excuse.
Re: (Score:3)
I'm not so sure about the poorer efficiency and effectiveness of government activities versus churches. In the case of the catholic church, there seems to be a lot of stained glass and gold foil that needs to be paid for alongside the charitable activities. For other churches, there seem to be a lot of mansions, private jets, luxury cars, mistresses/pool boys to pay for. Even for those charities where there isn't a lot of ostentatious ornamentation and perquisites to pay for, there's the question of how muc
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Most atheists are actually just pragmatic agnostics. They aren't taking it on faith that there is no god any more than they are taking it on faith that there isn't a tiger under their bed. It's not that they don't think that it's absolutely impossible that there's a tiger under their bed, they just think that the incredibly low probability is as close to impossible as makes no difference. There is, after all no shortage of mutually incompatible religions the world .I've heard it said that atheists really on