Project Reason is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. The foundation draws on the talents of prominent and creative thinkers in a wide range of disciplines to encourage critical thinking and erode the influence of dogmatism, superstition, and bigotry in our world.
Religion isn’t doing anything and won’t become irrelevant in a vacuum. It becomes irrelevant only to the extent people consciously choose something else. They can’t do that if they are not presented with the options and the arguments in favor of choosing one instead of the other. The work isn’t done. We all still have to call this baloney out for what it is.
I don’t disagree with your goals, just the methods. Start a war by attacking someone’s closely held beliefs and you get counter-attack. Show, over time, that the purposes of that belief are better met otherwise, and thren it begins to decline; sometimes more over generations than within one lifetime.
We’ll work on different flanks. I’m not so concerned with those who hold religious beliefs closely. Probably lost causes anyway. I’m more interested in the people who have not consigned their brains to irrelevancy. I believe those people can be influenced by seeing how stupid the truly religious look when confronted with facts, evidence, science, logic, rationality, humanity and decency.
You boys, who sit at home and jerk off, think you are the best of humanity, and religious people, who meet together and volunteer time and money for others, are the worse of humanity?
You boys don’t think very profoundly.
You boys are rather ridiculous.
You boys are kinda stupid.
Only if life is eternal is there true justice, goodness, love, meaning, and on and on.
If life is what the atheist says it is, then life is a joke, and the bad guy always wins.
One day we will be rewarded or punished for how we lived.
Only a piece of shit person does not long for that day.
You boys, who sit at home and jerk off, think you are the best of humanity, and religious people, who meet together and volunteer time and money for others, are the worse of humanity?
I’m guessing from the insults that you’re not one of the kind-hearted folks. Or maybe you’re one of the many religious people who do nothing for others and instead try to get bigotry to rule politics. It’s worth pointing out, as well, that atheists are as statistically charitable as believers, but I suppose you’re not a fan of evidence.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
You boys don’t think very profoundly.
You don’t seem to value profundity.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
Only if life is eternal is there true justice, goodness, love, meaning, and on and on.
This is not true, and it betrays an ignorance of centuries old philosophical questions such as the Euthyphro dilemma, which fully calls into question this quite childish notion that an everlasting arbitrating tyrant is necessary for humans to flourish maximally. If you require that tyrant to do so, you are a lesser human being than we are.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
If life is what the atheist says it is, then life is a joke, and the bad guy always wins.
If life is what we say it is, it is a glorious, precious accident that we must take extra care to enjoy while we have it because it doesn’t last long and it’s the only one we’ll have. There’s no better frame of mind to care about human well-being.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
One day we will be rewarded or punished for how we lived.
No we won’t.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
Only a piece of shit person does not long for that day.
Only a morbid, immoral, inhumane jerk revels is eschatological fantasies. It is an affront against the value of human life to wish for a judgement day.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
Are you boys, pieces of shit?
We are people who bother to think before we open our mouths and spew ignorant trash.
You boys, who sit at home and jerk off, think you are the best of humanity, and religious people, who meet together and volunteer time and money for others, are the worse of humanity?
I’m guessing from the insults that you’re not one of the kind-hearted folks. Or maybe you’re one of the many religious people who do nothing for others and instead try to get bigotry to rule politics. It’s worth pointing out, as well, that atheists are as statistically charitable as believers, but I suppose you’re not a fan of evidence.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
You boys don’t think very profoundly.
You don’t seem to value profundity.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
Only if life is eternal is there true justice, goodness, love, meaning, and on and on.
This is not true, and it betrays an ignorance of centuries old philosophical questions such as the Euthyphro dilemma, which fully calls into question this quite childish notion that an everlasting arbitrating tyrant is necessary for humans to flourish maximally. If you require that tyrant to do so, you are a lesser human being than we are.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
If life is what the atheist says it is, then life is a joke, and the bad guy always wins.
If life is what we say it is, it is a glorious, precious accident that we must take extra care to enjoy while we have it because it doesn’t last long and it’s the only one we’ll have. There’s no better frame of mind to care about human well-being.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
One day we will be rewarded or punished for how we lived.
No we won’t.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
Only a piece of shit person does not long for that day.
Only a morbid, immoral, inhumane jerk revels is eschatological fantasies. It is an affront against the value of human life to wish for a judgement day.
TheBrotherMario - 04 June 2012 03:47 PM
Are you boys, pieces of shit?
We are people who bother to think before we open our mouths and spew ignorant trash.
Be careful Polednice, BM will start ranting in capital letters if you dare disagree…
“A glorious precious accident” is an idiotic concept.
GLORY needs an object.
PRECIOUSNESS needs meaning.
And, an ACCIDENT is nothing more than happen-chance.
To claim PROFUNDITY while writing such nonsense above is a lot like claiming to possess beauty with a face full of pimples.
Your post is full of lies, opinions, and ignorance.
Any teenager in his first year of college could have written it.
You BELIEVE you woke up one day with more knowledge of WHAT IS TRUE than centuries of great men and women who DISCOVERED TRUTH through searching and sacrifice.
It is YOU who is living a life of MUNDANE fantasies.
A so-called atheist who engages in the antidisestablishmentarianism of religion and, in turn, the floccinaucinihilipilification of God is a fool and living a life of INGLORIOUS SERVITUDE TO AN INDIFFERENT AND DISCONNECTED WORLD.
What kind of information do you think will lead to reduced religiosity? Clearly, information for evolution abounds online, but it has little effect on fervent believers who instead use the internet to support pseudoscience. So if scientific knowledge isn’t going to reduce religious irrationality, what will?
I think it is becoming common knowledge in a number of previously Christian countries that religion causes millions of people to murder each other. This is one of the main themes of Sam Harris’ The End of Faith. Brother Mario’s posts clearly show someone who cherishes the day when his religion destroys and tortures all who don’t worship that religion - the same view as Islamic fundamentalists.
These murderous threats, Israel and its neighbors, India and Pakistan, Shiite and Sunni, Al Qaeda and its ambitions are in the news every day, so I think current events along with scientific knowledge will reduce religious irrationality.
I wonder how many moderate Christians in the U.S. can watch the old Billy Graham sermons on TV and not see the ugly face of bigotry masquerading as ‘God’s will’ - the ugly face of bigotry damning billions of men, women and children to endless torment? “Be like me, or else!”
I wonder how many moderate Christians in the U.S. can watch the old Billy Graham sermons on TV and not see the ugly face of bigotry masquerading as ‘God’s will’ - the ugly face of bigotry damning billions of men, women and children to endless torment? “Be like me, or else!”
That theme echoes from some secular ideologies as well, though religion has a longer history perhaps of it. I’m cynical, but if somehow religion were removed, people, or some people, would find something else. We had the mn in Norway who killed 70 or so people because he hated “multiculturalism,” and, sad as it seems, he was not found psychotic.
I think those young folks on Yutoya Island (sp) had found/were finding something else. That monster shot them dead cos he didn’t like what they were finding - that is, a world in which it is possible to live happily with other people/races. Diagnosed or not, the guy is a nut case. Who here would like to live in a world where he was in control? He’s Hitler with blond hair.
I’m cynical, but if somehow religion were removed, people, or some people, would find something else. We had the mn in Norway who killed 70 or so people because he hated “multiculturalism,” and, sad as it seems, he was not found psychotic.
It seems to be more to do with the legal wranglings of prosecutors as to whether Breivik is classed as psychotic, it could affect his sentence, although I haven’t followed it all the way through Dennis, can’t remember the details.
“Breivik’s sanity is key to the case and is still an unresolved issue. Two psychological examinations carried out before the 10-week trial started in mid-April reached opposite conclusions on whether he is psychotic or not.”
From most recent article I could find on subject.
Die fröhliche Wissenschaft (Rob) - 05 June 2012 11:10 AM
I think those young folks on Yutoya Island (sp) had found/were finding something else. That monster shot them dead cos he didn’t like what they were finding - that is, a world in which it is possible to live happily with other people/races. Diagnosed or not, the guy is a nut case. Who here would like to live in a world where he was in control? He’s Hitler with blond hair.
Agree, but the disturbing thing to me is that he has been quite rational, unapologetic and even proud of his deed. The most dangerous people we sometimes face are not “crazy,” except as the use of that term expresses our disgust. It also obscures the possibility that, unlike really psychotic people, these folks can act in concert with others.
Religion is always dying in the sense that the iron-clad convictions of todays pulpit pounders will be the embarrassing skeletons of tomorrow. There is no internal self correction. Only a path of least resistance that allows its inherent toxicity to be mitigated by current social norms. I believe my responsibility is to try and perpetuate a healthy community that stresses human worth over and above any provincial confession or association. This doesn’t kill religion but it does go some way toward removing its claws.
I’m actually glad for mario’s contribution. I think its a pretty vivid insight into the psychology of religious authority. Notice what happens when you try to reason with it. Then notice what happens when you ignore it.
I’m actually glad for mario’s contribution. I think its a pretty vivid insight into the psychology of religious authority. Notice what happens when you try to reason with it. Then notice what happens when you ignore it.
By what “authority” does an atheist maintain the position, and call for a collective action, against religion?
Any half-wit can see that religion has done, and is doing, great works of charity, along with providing humanity with a very large contingent of volunteers.
By what “authority” do you less than half-wits claim that religion does more harm than good?
When I tell you that God exists I am being “religious” and “superstitious” and “fantastical”?
By what “authority” are you, in making these claims about me, not merely “opinionated” and “skeptical” and “liars”?
You rail against religion for claiming to possess dogmas of truth, yet you do the same thing as atheists, and without the tradition and vast amount witnesses that serve as a foundation of religious belief.
You mention Sam Harris as if he is an important writer.
He’s not.
He is a lying, opinionated, skeptic, who takes drugs. Nothing more. As are you.
One thing is for sure-sympathizing and apologizing for religion will not help it die or become irrelevant.
It’s often stated by many people that confronting it will not help it die or become irrelevant, but the reverse is also true.
It’s quite a paradox and quit fascinating IMO. That’s why I am here. The schism between faith and reason is the most interesting of all subjects and debates.
