FanOfKOTOKO said: "When have I ever pushed my religious and/or philosophical beliefs onto you? (or to anyone, for that matter)

Shiro is t3h sads."

Kevvl said: "
Not necessarily you, just..necessarily a load of atheists."

Mejust said: "Whether you call religious people thinking they're saving you a valid excuse is up to you, but to me it's nonsense. Fair is fair. It's like rescuing someone who doesn't even want to be rescued in the first place. We know it's there, and we don't want you to come to our house and annoy us with your (for us) stupid yammering about some God and some salvation. Thinking you're saving people is the most selfish reason I can think of. And that's where the difference lies between atheists and religious people, atheists are on the internet while religious people are on the internet also AND on your doorstep trying to convert you."

Kevvl said: "
At least they THINK they're helping. Y'know? Whether or not they're right is an unknown unknown. They don't know if they don't know."

Mejust said: "

On the other side, atheists believe religion manipulates people and causes them to do very stupid things. Like saying to their child that he's getting no presents for christmas 'cause he said he's agnostic, like refusing to believe what someone says 'cause their reverend tells them that person is wrong, like how Israelian jews are now illegally evicting palestinians who've lived on those lands for centuries because they believe it's their holy land, like how Iran is probably building a nuclear arsenal right now as we speak to wipe out all non-muslims in a holy war as we speak and I could go on about this one. Bottom line, a lot more bad stuff is happening right now in name of religion than in the name of atheism, and you could say those people are only a small part of a large group, it doesn't matter, it's still in the name of religion.

I hear from people that I lack empathy a lot, I find that normal people, like you, who can't even consider what the other side must be thinking, to be far less empathic than I have ever been."

Mejust said: "

On the other side, atheists believe religion manipulates people and causes them to do very stupid things. Like saying to their child that he's getting no presents for christmas 'cause he said he's agnostic, like refusing to believe what someone says 'cause their reverend tells them that person is wrong, like how Israelian jews are now illegally evicting palestinians who've lived on those lands for centuries because they believe it's their holy land, like how Iran is probably building a nuclear arsenal right now as we speak to wipe out all non-muslims in a holy war as we speak and I could go on about this one. Bottom line, a lot more bad stuff is happening right now in name of religion than in the name of atheism, and you could say those people are only a small part of a large group, it doesn't matter, it's still in the name of religion.

I hear from people that I lack empathy a lot, I find that normal people, like you, who can't even consider what the other side must be thinking, to be far less empathic than I have ever been."

Mindstormer said: "

This is the predicament in which people who maintain a belief system find themselves in: Being a part of a system which is looked to as being of more harm than good.
Yet frankly, those who put into practice the principle beliefs of most major belief systems will never bring about any of the atrocities that religion has. Therefore, the root cause, although under the scapegoat-name of "religion" is nothing less than the result of greed, hate, and corruption. Issues that only exist in "corrupt" religious systems on the whole. Such aspects of life should not be and are not found in people such as Christians who truly practice what they preach. Thus I would have to say that at its core, for bad things to happen in religion ultimately goes against the nature of the core belief systems within it, whereas if and when the same applies from a non-religious group, it isn't contrary to the said group in a purely materialistic sense, except for perhaps being contrary to "ethics" which may have been formulated by them.

Have many wars and problems come into play because of a difference in belief? Certainly, but I'll be of the first to admit that with less people who are moral individuals BECAUSE of their belief system, that things would be far worse if they lacked the said belief system. The existence of religion doesn't cause the corrupt inclinations of human nature, nor greed and hate as these are things that exist independently of it. What I'm suggesting is simply that whether or not religion is here, wrongs will be committed and if not under the name of "religion", some other excuse will be formulated to take its place."