You quote my post:

‘”Your christian beliefs ‘feel right’; the beliefs of the sikh extremists who attacked the theatre in Birmingham last year ‘felt right’; the beliefs of the 4 suicide truck bombers who massacred 250 Yezidis in Northern Iraq yesterday ‘felt right’. Feeling right isn’t enough to justify a position.”

Those things are obviously not forcing someones beliefs on another. Yep killing innocent nonbelievers is just an act of feeling right in a nonforceful way.’

The section you quote illustrates different degrees of behaviour, all based on nothing more than ‘feeling right’. The outcomes are obviously different. Breaking the windows of a theatre and forcing a production to close is obviously less serious than murdering several hundred people, yet the ‘justification’ for these actions is the same – it ‘feels right’ to the believers. My point – I’m sorry I didn’t express it simply enough for you to understand originally – is that if the only criterion for accepting or restricting other peoples’ behaviour is that it ‘feels right’ to someone or some group, then you will never have a fair or just system, because anyone who is willing to attack or threaten another person or group will get their own way.

You complain that ‘I’m not allowed to have my beliefs.’ – yet you haven’t shown any evidence to back this up. I think everyone reading this would be perfectly happy for you to have your own beliefs, however irrational they may be. Your beliefs are not grounds for special treatment. Other people can question, criticise or ridicule or reject them. If you want to try to justify them, that’s up to you. You have the freedom of speech to do that, but you do not have the legal or moral right to prevent other people from saying that your beliefs are wrong.

“Your christian beliefs ‘feel right’; the beliefs of the sikh extremists who attacked the theatre in Birmingham last year ‘felt right’; the beliefs of the 4 suicide truck bombers who massacred 250 Yezidis in Northern Iraq yesterday ‘felt right’. Feeling right isn’t enough to justify a position.”

Those things are obviously not forcing someones beliefs on another. Yep killing innocent nonbelievers is just an act of feeling right in a nonforceful way.

Lets face it though someone will always use extremes for examples; be they bombers or bloggers.

I just want the average person to take a step back, cut out the higher than mighty “I’m a Christian”, “I’m an Atheist”, “I’m a ….” your wrong if you don’t agree crap.

I could use extremes out there I’m sure of famous atheist, blacks, catholics, jews, muslims, shintos, ping pong players, or even a combo of them who did all or one of the following….

Molested
Killed
Bombed
Left the toilet seat up
Ate pork
went to Disney World more than once (gasp)
Stepped on a crack

You do realize that you just contradicted yourself. You say that Jesus never said to do good because God says so, but then you say He mentioned the second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself” Hmmm..who commands this? I think it might be God. So the question still stands: Do you only love your neighbor as yourself because God told you to? Would you decide it was OK to go around killing and raping and stealing if somehow it was proven that there was no God or if you simply lost your faith?

Go jesusandmo; love ur cartoons.

“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.”

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/1464/christianoppressionfv0.gif

If people keep their beliefs to themselves, and don’t ask for special treatment – education, tax breaks, political influence, laws, exemption from public criticism – that would be fair enough. Religionists in this category are thin on the ground however.

Your christian beliefs ‘feel right’; the beliefs of the sikh extremists who attacked the theatre in Birmingham last year ‘felt right’; the beliefs of the 4 suicide truck bombers who massacred 250 Yezidis in Northern Iraq yesterday ‘felt right’. Feeling right isn’t enough to justify a position.

Relationships are not always logical. Ugly guy pretty girl, intelligent girl dumb guy; rich girl poor guy; etc.

Moods are not logical. Crying because you’re happy. Getting into an argument because the other side wont admit he/she’s right.

We wont get into politics.

Please! Sometimes people need beliefs because the feel right. What’s wrong with that as long as they don’t follow blindly?

1. One main argument for atheism is the fact that it causes wars, subvert the poor, etc. Yet, Darwinism does the same. (Of course both only do so when used by unethical people.)

2. I am not saying that the past was all love and roses (far from it). I truly believe that many of the “causes” that were fought for under the guise of religion had little to do with that and would have occurred anyway. It amazes me that terrorism only exists in the Middle east and not say Africa and Bosnia for instance. ; ) (I should say both parties have ’sinned’ equally on this.) Sadly blind obedience happens to all populations if told the right thing.

3. I have never in my adult life said the Bible is perfect. (Imagine how much better life would be without blind following selected quotes).

4. I rarely accept a quote out of the Bible at face value. Society has a long history of taking things out of context. (Though I do have fun with Leviticus and people who use it as a basis of superiority)

5. I personally, enjoy faith. It is faith based on the golden rule. I always love the story the “Good Samaritan”. Remember faith is feeling / emotion/ moral compass when not followed blindly.

6. I always have felt that quotas to get to heaven and that only the faithful will be rewarded as ego centric. I believe that it wouldn’t matter in your beliefs as long as you strive to be your best. That you amend for your wrongs; not just saying you’re sorry for the Enron scandal and going on your merry way, but reparations to those you harmed even if it meant poverty/ jail.

When was that not the case? This is something Christians don’t do?

Ya might wanna check out: Matthew 10:34-36 (King James Version)

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
————————————
As for this toon, it relates directly to most first-line arguments I have encountered as well.

I don’t think people should take pride in doing good deeds when they’re coerced by a “Higher being” Self-preservation springs to mind but there’s nothing holy in keeping oneself from being killed by a predator, god in this case.

I just wonder what will happen once we destroy this system of faith?

Will they become a morally apt society with the understanding of true benefit of the golden rule?

http://www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc.htm
(above link show the many religions have this rule in one form or another)

Will they revert to money is salvation religions of Scientology, etc. ?

Will they just adapt to the might makes right position? (I’m richer therefore better. I own a corporation with 1 million employees you only have 3/4 of a million so I’m better).

I feel a person is intelligent, people are knee jerk reacting morons; for me it’s scary.

Obviously, time will tell.