On 23 Apr 2008, at 09:07, Ronn! Blankenship wrote: > 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 . . .
And these rationalising excuses rely on irrationality and intellectual dishonesty. Things which religion necessarily promotes in order to survive. Part of the religious meme is the notion that faith is good, that there are ideas that are exempt from question. As long as religion promotes this viewpoint it is responsible for all the other faith-based evil in the world. Blinkered thinking Maru. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
