Religion is Silly Fairy Tales By James A. Haught Next time you pass a million-dollar church, remind yourself that it represents a goofy streak of humanity. Christian houses of worship symbolize the claim that God impregnated a virgin to produce his son Jesus as a half-divine half-human to live among people. But the doctrine of the trinity says God and Jesus are the same deity, which could mean that Jesus impregnated his own mother to make himself. Was that akin to divine incest? Thomas Jefferson wrote, in an 1823 letter to John Adams: "The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." George Carlin called religion "the greatest bullshit story ever told." Thomas Edison said "religion is all bunk." Religion is fading swiftly in western democracies as generations grow more intelligent and educated. Already, fewer than half of Americans belong to a church, synagogue or mosque. Younger adults especially renounce supernaturalism. Read the rest ... https://www.opednews.com/articles/R...dence_People_Religion_Secular-210803-614.html I attended religious school as a child and they did try to indoctrinate me into this nonsensical propaganda through their thousands of years old fairy tales. In my case it was the Old Testament. Then I grew up. Religion is a tool used by the few to control the gullible masses. What else is like that? Government of course.
I'm grateful my parents gave me plenty of exposure to religion. I remember our church awarding me a framed picture of Christ as a reward for my Sunday school attendance. I attended a private school for six years where we had church services six days a week. After all of that I have no problem saying it's all bull s***.
If it were that simple we wouldn't have nothing but dictatorships and self serving governments all over the planet would we?
IMO, Religion = rules to live by so society can reasonably co-exist and survive. Church and state should always be separate.
I've never attended public school. Was raised Catholic but have learned and visited other denominational churches. Religion was absolutely designed to control the masses, but, it also brings some people comfort. For them, it *feels* better to believe there is some powerful being looking out for them and all the madness in the real world will be "balanced" out at the end. Personally, I'm not afraid of knowing hard truths (more preferable than a pretty lie) but I know many, many people that simply can't be alone with their own thoughts because they don't know how to "be still within" themselves. Religion also cuts down on criminal behavior. We are told to forgive and forget and we think we are being "Christ-like" by doing so. People who would normally fly off the handle are often subdued by their beliefs in that system. It makes me laugh whenever I do something nice for someone because they almost always say "You're such a good Christian." I don't break their illusions by telling them that's all BS. We all have control our own behavior and adults shouldn't need a fairy tale to make them do the right thing.
You are using the word religion improperly, tough its very common to do so, not in technical discussion, it does not work. Someone that follows the teachings of a deity for the source of their beliefs with result of those beliefs, that is religion. Your source can equally be science your itchy big toe whatever. Religion does not define the source, only the result of your chosen source. Religion is the belief system you bind to, that you use to govern your lives. Your source is not relevant, its religion regardless of the source, it can even be satan, ie Levoy is a US guv recognized religion that worships satan, ie secular humanism is a religion that is 100% atheist in its nature. You have the source confused with the end product. Oxford Dictionary: The connection of the word religion to religare, to bind, has usually been favored by modern writers. [Philosophers] The use of the word religion is a misnomer, when you should be using words that express a deity. Anyone not in a coma has and practices their religion.
There was nothing "technical" intended in this discussion. The author of the article and I are using "religion" in the terminology that most are familiar with.
So then you dont want it pointed out that the thread is based on an ad populum composition fallacy since there are countless religions that have no deity what so ever and they are equally or more silly? It seems like a backdoor method of attacking diety based religions 'only' and giving non deity based religions a free ticket to ride. If that is the case, that you insist on such narrow specificity your thread is mistitled, and should have stated deities are silly fairy tales, not religion, because religion is a broad spectrum that covers 'everyones' belief systems regardless if they have a deity or not.
Your point is noted (in part) if it's important to you, however no "fallacy" was intended or implied as far as I'm concerned. I can't speak for the author however (in terms of your belief that there is some kind of fallacy on his behalf).
God is real and he lives. It is just as reasonable to say that contrary to this is the tool to control the gullible masses. To say there is no ultimate judge. To say that what evil is done in darkness or buried will remain so. That there is no ultimate accountability. To say that truth held in common in no strong bond but a vain dalliance. Nor shame in deceit or any wickedness. And that there is no justice beyond the strength of our arms. So let justice too die along with valiance and moldering hope. And do well to what end but death? Is this the voice of reason and freedom. What leader scrapes the soul and says there is no God but me.
well as a for instance it wouldnt be possible to have religion listed as a right in the constitution if its meaning designated deity/worship bar all other nondiety religions. All that means is that your scope is too narrow, when seen in the broader spectrum where religion includes the whole scop of world views et al, you ultimately trample your own belief system as silly, since your beliefs that religion is silly is the result of your religion, your belief system based upon what ever source you used for guidance.
I was kicked out of church when I was 5 years old, for hunting flies in the back pew. Never felt any desire to go back.
The quote above fascinates me, because it appears to be starting that what we desire to be so, must be the truth.
I liked your post but I have no idea what "hunting flies" is. Was the church owned by a fly family? Why would that get you kicked out? I mean, I'm glad that you got away a lot sooner than most of us did, but still. Five seems a bit young to be stricken from church for "all of eternity."
Religion isn't my thing. I just cannot handle suspending my disbelief in the unproven supernatural long enough to embrace those stories or beliefs. On the other hand, I have no problem if others can and do.
The pastor was giving his sermon and at one point I swatted a fly and killed it everybody saw and looked at me and laughed. The pastor was not happy about it and asked my parents not to bring me again.
I'm not privy to every religion under the sun so I base my point of view on the ones I'm familiar with (which have hundreds of millions of followers) and in that scope, deity or non-deity they are generally based on silly fairy tales. But that's not the primary problem, the real problem is that most of those hundreds of millions of followers live their lives in accordance to a belief in those silly fairy tales, many without questioning them and have been and are indoctrinated to follow along (i.e. be controlled) like a herd of sheep. And that's the discussion I intended, not the technicality you want to bring to the forefront.
Thanks, you made my point. No it isn't, that makes no sense. That's like saying if you don't believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy you're under some kind of control as a result of your gullibility.