Religion makes you meaner

[Waldo]

Christianity is no different to Islam in as much as it is man-made drivel designed to influence and control people.

 

Do you have any evidence to support your assertion that Christianity was 'designed' with *any* (let alone manipulation and influence) particular purpose in mind?

 

I'd agree that with most religions, control does seem to play a big part. I'm not convinced, that religions were designed at all with that (or any other) purpose in mind though.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Waldo

[ghost rider]

As for Halloween, those demons are real all right.

 

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/52738-why-christians-absolutely-should-not-celebrate-halloween

 

And I thought it was a celtic festival to remember the dead,i could be wrong and there may actually be real demons,but I doubt it.:hihi:

[Waldo]

Also (and not addressing this to any particular person)...

 

While I'm certainly no fan of religion; I'm even less a fan of people who feel it's okay to bash other people, just because they are religious.

 

So, if religion does make you mean; I'd say there's also a lot of non-religious people who are quite mean to people who are religious. I've seen a lot of very vile anti-religious sentiment on SF for example, over the years...

[Dozer]

Interesting study, but let's be careful not to tar all religious people with the same brush.

 

I'm not religious myself, but I've met many religious Christians, Muslims, and Jews who have used their religion as a foundation to challenge themselves to achieve greater kindness.

 

Probably best not to use this study as a stick to beat relgious people over the head with. It's a small difference documented on one specific measure at one specific age. Moral development is a winding road.

 

Let's find ways to bring out the best in each other.

 

(Aren't I pious tonight? Sorry -- pressure of work!)

[ghost rider]

Also (and not addressing this to any particular person)...

 

While I'm certainly no fan of religion; I'm even less a fan of people who feel it's okay to bash other people, just because they are religious.

 

So, if religion does make you mean; I'd say there's also a lot of non-religious people who are quite mean to people who are religious. I've seen a lot of very vile anti-religious sentiment on SF for example, over the years...

 

I do have trouble taking religious people seriously,i admit it.I do not suffer fools easily.I always get the retort from religious people to prove that god does not exist,an easy way out of accepting the more obvious conclusion.Occam's Razor always comes to mind when I hear people trying to defend their beliefs.

[Margarita Ma]

Christianity is no different to Islam in as much as it is man-made drivel designed to influence and control people. The mainstream may have toned down (something mainstream Islam has yet to do), which helps to keep the extremism in check, but the madness still bubbles just below the surface.

from a documentary called Jesus Camp. It is frightening and sad to see the minds of children poisoned as free-thought is drilled out and replace by doctrine.

 

Horrifying is the only way to describe how that made me feel.

Note the little redheaded boy in the video. He still has an independent mind. I wonder if parents know what they are sending their kids to when they go off to this.

[mafya]

Read the link posted above.

 

It is incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to be both objective and intelligent and believe in the ludicrous stuff in religion. For instance, I assume you believe that Muhammed flew up to the moon on a magic horse and sliced it in half.

Tell me objectively that is an intelligent view to have.

 

My bold=

Another load of tripe!

 

---------- Post added 08-11-2015 at 23:41 ----------

 

My bold=

Another load of tripe!

 

I notice mafya has chosen not to answer you.Maybe he has taken a step back and has realised that most religious scripts are what we would call science fiction stories today.The religious books may be works of fiction for all they know.I could imagine that if we sent say the magician Dynamo back in time to the time when these scriptures were supposedly written they would think that he was a god because of the brilliance of his illusions, but the reality is that most of us know that they are just illusions.Vulnerable people can be easily fooled especially when you are a child.

 

I have answered him appropriately.....

[RootsBooster]

I have answered him appropriately.....

 

Although it was stated as a blanket assertion/generalisation, which (in that sense) isn't true, it is true that the average theist is likely to have a somewhat lower IQ than the average atheist. This isn't an insult.

[Cyclone]

Do you have any evidence to support your assertion that Christianity was 'designed' with *any* (let alone manipulation and influence) particular purpose in mind?

 

I'd agree that with most religions, control does seem to play a big part. I'm not convinced, that religions were designed at all with that (or any other) purpose in mind though.

 

Given that they set out a series of rules, threaten hideous consequences after death if you don't obey and so on, that would seem expressly designed to "influence" or indeed control behaviour.

And given that there is a handy guy who has the ability to interpret for you and to pass on "new" wisdom from the supposed source of all these rules, it seems designed to give power to these people.

 

---------- Post added 09-11-2015 at 08:55 ----------

 

Although it was stated as a blanket assertion/generalisation, which (in that sense) isn't true, it is true that the average theist is likely to have a somewhat lower IQ than the average atheist. This isn't an insult.

 

And so long as we remember that all these kinds of things, measures of IQ, altruism, etc, are about averages, then nobody should be particularly upset.

[sgtkate]

Surely true altruism is when you give with little to no thought for yourself. All religions have the lure of heaven (or equivalent) which means you could argue all 'good' actions undertaken by someone religious is done as a selfish act as a means of eternal life. If you bring child up that if they are 'good' they get a reward I can see how that child could grow up far more cynical about good and bad than a child simply brought up to be 'good' with no more caveats.

 

I'd say it's more about upbringing than religion directly.