At 06:07 PM Tuesday 4/22/2008, Charlie Bell wrote: >It seems to me you're missing the point, which is that all number of >damaging behaviour is excused in the name of religion when it is >otherwise not tolerated. Of *course* these things aren't exclusive to >religion (as you rightly point out, politics is damaging too), but >religion provides a shield.
I think the bigger point is that rather than being a "rational" species, humanity is most often a "rationalizing" species. Its members commit damaging behavior particularly against other members of its own species but also against most other things, living and non-living and then look for an excuse to justify that behavior. Sometimes that excuse is labeled "religion." Sometimes it is labeled "politics." Sometimes it is even labeled "science" (e.g., the "eugenics" movement, sterilization of the mentally retarded, the Tuskegee syphilis "experiment," [ObGodwin:] the "experiments" of Dr. Mengele and his "colleagues" . . . ) And no doubt the preceding list of excuses is incomplete . . . If we want to get to the bottom (tip?) of that bigger point its underlying cause we should ask why humans seem to find that committing (or even contemplating committing) damaging behavior which does actual harm to other persons, beings, or things makes them feel so good . . . Three Stooges Fan Here Also Maru . . . ronn! :) _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
