Thats because you think your religion is better. I'm sure you consider your religion as acceptable rather than tolerable.
Religions are useful to society and to individuals. As pointed out they help people deal with life and that is not a bad thing. The question is where do they go over the line and become unacceptable in their actions and deeds? Clearly you have had some not so good experiences with religion. Sometimes in their zeal for their doctrine they over extend their welcome and become abusive. Is some cases like Bin Laden's sect, they become terrorists...murdering innocents. Christianity is also not without its terrorists. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Robert_Rudolph
What makes a religion acceptable? if there is a hope that things will be better in the next world heaven, virgins on call, .. a step up on the ladder.. unless you have something along those lines... your religions going to be a dud
chris is right i think, the op is really asking what makes them more tolerable. so what, the scriptures of atheism tell people to be annoyed with other religions? my annoyance stems from my dislike of religious values, methods, behaviours etc. i think good starting points for making religions tolerable would be respect the laws of the land, respect other people, do nothing to someone you would not wish upon yourself. use your brain, and remain skeptical of religions and politicians, would help a lot too
You bring up a good point SAM. I think they can be religion like...take Buffalo Roam for example. He has a political belief system that is not based on rational thought or fact. He is very dedicated to it. He follows his political leaders without question. But unlike religion, I would be pained to find anything of a spritual nature in his Republican brand of nationalism.
Because you think your values are better. :shrug: Why only Buffalo Roam? If you decided unilaterally that you do not recognise borders, how far would you be tolerated in any nation state? People set limits because they benefit from them. Regardless of whether the benefit is real or perceived.
A religion that puts humans into the centre would do a good job. Miracle? Show them satellites. Believe? Show them the examples of great men and women of human history who brought us from caves to the universe of knowledge. Hell? Tell them about great massacres of history, ultimate punishments of human stupidity. Heaven? Show them possibilities of human ingenuinity, show them photographs taken by satellites. Hope? Make them work for it, not pray... Story? Tell them continue to dream the impossible, tell them we are writing and playing the biggest show in universe. Create generations who believe we are the real force of everything in our existence. If it is not really so now, they will transform themselves into their dream.
Nations are made of individuals and ruled by a few. The few could not rule if they controlled a signficant number of the individuals within the state. Buffalo Roam is a prime example of the individuals who support and enable rogue states to stomp on human rights internally and externally. The few could not rule the many without individuals like Buffalo Roam.
“ Originally Posted by cosmictraveler They ALL are full of nonsense and NONE of them are any good. ” Yeah, just think of all the good Hitler & Stalin did.
Regardless, according to his quoted comment, the amount they screwed up doesn't erase the good they did.
You could try it and let us know if it works. Ultimately, there is only one test of any religion: survival of its followers.
So far as i know... all followers of all religions survive about the sam amount of time befor they dye.!!!
Well... i thank the mos excepted religons are the ones whare the people go to church ever now an then but perty much behave in non-stoopidstitious ways the rest of the time.!!!
The thread openly asks "What makes a religion acceptable?" It does not say "What is your plan to spread your religious invention?". If you open a thread like that I may or may not write down about ultimate human prophecy which will securely take us to other galaxies, save planet and its inhabitants, feed the world, crack the nature's most secret (they are actually over there, they have always been, we just can not see them with the scope of today's technologic limits), and bring peace and prosperity to all.