Structured Religion

Discussion in 'Religion Archives' started by HappyNightmare, Dec 26, 2002.

  1. HappyNightmare Registered Member

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    Structured religion is the basis of all evils in the world because it ignores the individual. Religion should respect the individual, while structured religion tries to control the whole through threats of eternal pain. Over the ages structured religion has been twisted from being non-violent to being an excuse for the destruction of anyone who refuses to conform to their radical beliefs. When confronted with a structured religion most people submit because structured religion supports their instictional laziness.

    By offering set values and ethics, structured religion removes the need for thought. When the individual no longer sees the need for thought he is under the control of the religion. When the religion has control of the individual, it can use that individual to gain control over the other individuals with the threats of eternal torture it used to ensnare the original individual. This system continues until every person in a given area is under control of the religion because they are told everything and no longer think for themselves.

    And when the religion has ultimate power over everyone, it can do anything it wants, claiming that if the individual does not follow the rules it will live in eternal torture. In doing so, the religion violates its rights as a religion and becomes a thing of evil, making all of its followers evil.
     
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  3. tony1 Jesus is Lord Registered Senior Member

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    Hmmm, let me see.

    What religion has "eternal torture," is heavily structured, and destroys those not in agreement?

    Off the top of my head, Catholicism and Islam.
    Is that what you were getting at?
     
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  5. Voodoo Child Registered Senior Member

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    It was actually non-violent once? Actually, I'd say the opposite has happened; with all the pressures of modern society we can rarely make time to go on crusades and execute witches.
     
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  7. tony1 Jesus is Lord Registered Senior Member

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    I guess Islam isn't under the same time constraints, then.
     
  8. Cris In search of Immortality Valued Senior Member

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    HappyNightmare,

    Welcome to sciforums.

    I would go further and include all religions as being detrimental to humanity and not just the ‘structured’ variations. All rely on some imaginative fantasy and claim it to be truth when no such thing can be substantiated.
     
  9. HappyNightmare Registered Member

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    Christianity and Islam are not the only ones, and unstructured religion does not concecrate my harms. I don't want to get into a whole there-is-a-god-there-isn't-a-god debate, we already have a bunch of those going on.

    And yes, the religions (including Islam) were non-violent, they say "thou shalt not kill" and a bunch of other things, I don't study religions specifically, so you'll have to do with vageties. Believe me, though, I won't bring up lies to support theories. The pressures of society don't change anything, people had things to do back then as we do now, and crusaide like things are still happening. I don't know about elsewhere, but there are abortion clinic bombings and assinations here, and all those are credited to religious groups.
     
  10. tony1 Jesus is Lord Registered Senior Member

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    *Originally posted by Cris
    I would go further and include all religions as being detrimental to humanity and not just the ‘structured’ variations. All rely on some imaginative fantasy and claim it to be truth when no such thing can be substantiated.
    *

    The time scale you operate on is just too short.
    Others are able to think on a cosmological scale, and can wait for the proof.

    Your approach to religion is the same as an aspiring businessman who wants to have his success guaranteed before he starts his business. That's pure fantasy, coincidentally what you're accusing us of.

    *Originally posted by HappyNightmare
    religions (including Islam) were non-violent
    *
    Islam was never non-violent.

    ---But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.---
    (Sura 9:5, KORAN).

    Islam is somewhat unusual among religions in that the Koran was written first, and then Islam was based on it.
    Thus, Islam has always had that command as one of its bases.
     
  11. HappyNightmare Registered Member

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    Okay, I'll give you that, Islam might not be non-violent, but it not violence based, as many believe it to be. But don't go attacking that.

    Any religion with a Hell, and any rules (other than the golden) is an evil structured religion for this Topic.
     
  12. Cris In search of Immortality Valued Senior Member

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    tony,

    If they have to wait for the proof then clearly you are admitting that the proof does not currently exist. In which case you CANNOT KNOW that the things you claim are true.

    Without such proof your claims are indistinguishable from fantasies.

    You are also arrogantly assuming that what ‘YOU believe’ will ultimately be proved true. Since you have no proof now you are also quite unable to predict that proof will ever become available. All you have is wishful thinking, i.e. a fantasy.

    Your analogy makes no sense. More appropriately it should be a businessman who wants a guarantee that he has a market in which he can operate otherwise he’ll look elsewhere. I.e. you show me something other than fantasies and I’ll join you.
     
  13. Cris In search of Immortality Valued Senior Member

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    9,199
    Happy,

    Which golden rule, there are many?

    The most well known in the west is ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you’. An essentially Christian rule I believe.

    Unfortunately this rule is not so great as it assumes that what you want done to you will be acceptable to what others want. This isn’t always true. It encourages unsolicited actions that may well be unacceptable.

    I prefer ‘People should be free to do anything they wish except where such actions would interfere with the freedom of others’, which just happens to be my current signature.

    I also think the Wicca variation is pretty good ‘an harm none, do what ye will’.
     
  14. HappyNightmare Registered Member

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    Whatever golden rule the individual sees fit.
     

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