Wow! Out of Babe's mouth!

[Bryn]

lol

[waiting for hope]

I hate seeing things like this, probably has Fundie parents. Last week my Mom was saying that we (my husband and I) need to take the kids to church - I don't not want my kids to be indoctrinating into shit like that, religion has done enough damage and I don't want my kids to think that way as the note does.

[ima_sinnic]

Good for you, WFH, keeping your kids free of ridiculous superstitions and other psychological and mental baggage that serves no purpose other than bringing people into line with the status quo, cowing them with fear of some "almighty vengeful god", and dampening their own creative and intellectual capabilities.
It always stuns me when people assert that, without belief in "god" there can be no morality. Having observed the behavior of many "christians" and other "religious" people, I'd have to say their "morality" is hugely lacking. Haven't they ever heard of a conscience? It doesn't take a slavish devotion to some petty made-up sky father to understand the basic truth of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" or to feel others' pain and suffering. This is instilled by good parenting, not by fear, superstition, and intimidation.

[Borneo]

(06-20-2012 04:04 AM)ima_sinnic Wrote:  Good for you, WFH, keeping your kids free of ridiculous superstitions and other psychological and mental baggage that serves no purpose other than bringing people into line with the status quo, cowing them with fear of some "almighty vengeful god", and dampening their own creative and intellectual capabilities.
It always stuns me when people assert that, without belief in "god" there can be no morality. Having observed the behavior of many "christians" and other "religious" people, I'd have to say their "morality" is hugely lacking. Haven't they ever heard of a conscience? It doesn't take a slavish devotion to some petty made-up sky father to understand the basic truth of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" or to feel others' pain and suffering. This is instilled by good parenting, not by fear, superstition, and intimidation.

I always found that argument disturbing. If all that is keeping these people from gunning down a plaza full of people and raping whoever they want, is the rules set down by a bronze age super being, then it must be horrifying to live in their heads. What do they dream about doing to the rest of us that god is keeping them from doing?

[NowIknowWhy]

and this is why I use the words "Prove it" in front of my daughter very often and in cases both for obvious fibs and misconceptions/mass-delusions.

[ima_sinnic]

I remember, at the age of 5 or 6, strolling around our yard in Connecticut with my father at the height of spring, checking out all the new life. We came across an anthill and I, like a typical stupid kid, raised my leg to kick it in. He stopped me, saying, "don't do that -- how would you like it if a giant came along and kicked in our house? They have families and lives just like we do." The power of that idea, that other creatures could feel the same things I do and that I could hurt them in ways that I could relate to, has stayed with me until now.
But then of course you get into the mad people who know what kind of pain they can inflict and like doing it, or at least don't care, as long as they get some kind of reward, either a thrill or money or both -- kind of like U.S. foreign policy.
Then there is the question of Barack Obama and his penchant for killing with all kinds of false excuses -- here's an asshole who claims to be "christian" (despite teabaggers' best efforts to paint him as "Muslim" -- but I believe Muslims also believe in a basic Golden Rule kind of thing) and supposedly grew up as a churchgoer -- how many times did he hear "thou shalt not kill"? -- so with or without religion, some people just have no morality, ethics, or conscience. I guess he just doesn't care whether he "gets into heaven" -- or maybe he thinks he can con "god" the same way he's conned the world with eloquent speeches.