Should religion be banned in Britain?

[LordChaverly 10]

Hitler was a Christian not an athiest

 

Although raised as a Catholic, the adult Hitler was certainly no Christian. On several occasions in his speeches, he invoked God in support of his arguments, but assuredly he did not mean the Christian God. The Nazis could not of course openly denounce Christianity, because it was too well entrenched in German society. However, if Hitler had a religion, then it was one based on a kind of inchoate racial mysticism, incorporating Germanic and Norse mythology. What it amounted to in Hitler's case was that his 'God' granted him the right to do anything he liked, regardless of any earthly moral constraints, in pursuit of Germanic racial hegemony. In short, Hitler's 'God' was the classic God of psychopaths the world over. It had nothing at all to do with the Christian God.

[plekhanov 10]

Hitler was quoted by Goebbels as saying that he is deeply religious, but deeply anti-Christian. He regards Christianity as a symptom of decay.

 

Albert Speer also reports a similar sentments from Hitler “You see, it’s been our misfortune to have the wrong religion. Why didn’t we have the religion of the Japanese, who regard sacrifice for the Fatherland as the highest good? The Mohammedan religion too would have been much more compatible to us than Christianity. Why did it have to be Christianity with its meekness and flabbiness?"

 

I personaly believe that the only thing that hitler believed in was the providence of Hitler. During his last days he is famously quoted as saying that the only reason his plans have failed was due to the weakness of the German people. So right at the end the only thing he had, was the belief that he was right.

How is any of this supposed to be evidence that Hitler was an atheist? An atheist is someone of the opinion that there is no god, not someone who isn’t a Christian.

 

Sure he borrowed ideas from a myriad of beliefs when it suited him, but his actions and words show him not to be Christian.

Hitler’s actions show no such thing, as it is entirely possible to do horrible things and be a Christian.

 

If someone who claimed to be a vegetarian ate meat would his claims be took seriously?

This isn’t the same thing at all, not eating meat is what defines whether or not you are a vegetarian, so you obviously can’t be meat eating vegetarian. A belief or lack of it in the Christian god is what determines if people are Christians or not, plenty of people believe in that god and do unpleasant things this doesn’t mean they aren’t Christians it simply means they aren’t good people.

[plekhanov 10]

Although raised as a Catholic, the adult Hitler was certainly no Christian. On several occasions in his speeches, he invoked God in support of his arguments, but assuredly he did not mean the Christian God. The Nazis could not of course openly denounce Christianity, because it was too well entrenched in German society. However, if Hitler had a religion, then it was one based on a kind of inchoate racial mysticism, incorporating Germanic and Norse mythology. What it amounted to in Hitler's case was that his 'God' granted him the right to do anything he liked, regardless of any earthly moral constraints, in pursuit of Germanic racial hegemony. In short, Hitler's 'God' was the classic God of psychopaths the world over. It had nothing at all to do with the Christian God.

I overstated somewhat saying 'Hitler was a Christian', the exact nature of his theism is open to debate as he said many contradictory things on the subject (and also some of what he is supposed to have said is of extremely dubious reliability) he however certainly wasn't as JFKvsNixon claimed an atheist. Some Nazis certainly were of course he however wasn't.

[Mr1chop 10]

Religions are a means of the weak to somehow justify there being and for the few to control the masses.

[Gypsy Hack 10]

Just make Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy required reading for KS3 students. Religious problem solved.

[Mr Goose 10]

I think (and Honk) that everybody should be allowed to "do" any religious thing they like - be it worshipping any god, unicorn or pagan concept

 

However there should be big restrictions over religion's rights to get involved in politics or to seek to control other people's lives

 

i.e just because it is OK to believe in mumbo-jumbo on an individual basis, this should equate to being allowed to force your beliefs on others OR for it to find its way in to government policy.

 

Practical examples -

 

Its OK for somebody to believe that homosexuality is a sin, but it is NOT OK for that person to seek to promote that concept into, say, stopping same sex couples fostering kids.

 

Its OK for somebody to believe that the theory of evolution is a crock and that dinosaurs never existed, but it NOT OK for there to be state funded schools that teach creationism in science classes.

 

It is OK for somebody to say that Jerry Springer the Opera is shi*e, but it NOT OK for that person to try and stop me from watching it

[Grahame 10]

I think (and Honk) that everybody should be allowed to "do" any religious thing they like - be it worshipping any god, unicorn or pagan concept

 

However there should be big restrictions over religion's rights to get involved in politics or to seek to control other people's lives

 

i.e just because it is OK to believe in mumbo-jumbo on an individual basis, this should equate to being allowed to force your beliefs on others OR for it to find its way in to government policy.

 

Practical examples -

 

Its OK for somebody to believe that homosexuality is a sin, but it is NOT OK for that person to seek to promote that concept into, say, stopping same sex couples fostering kids.

 

Its OK for somebody to believe that the theory of evolution is a crock and that dinosaurs never existed, but it NOT OK for there to be state funded schools that teach creationism in science classes.

 

It is OK for somebody to say that Jerry Springer the Opera is shi*e, but it NOT OK for that person to try and stop me from watching it

 

What you are talking about there Mr. Goose are, in the main, issues of morality.

[Gypsy Hack 10]

What you are talking about there Mr. Goose are, in the main, issues of morality.

More issues of social and scientific philosophy.

 

Just because, for example, the Church calls homosexuality or 'blasphemy' issues or morality, doesn't make it so for the rest of the population. I don't consider freedom of sexuality or satirical expression to be moral questions.

[Womerry2 10]

---I can't think of anything more pernicious andlikely to perpetuate divisions in society and create more where there were none before.

 

 

How about football?

As long as people feel the need to claim superiority over others, they will find grounds to do so, whether it is claming for themselves

the one true faith (or the one true way of living their faith),

a "superior" skin colour,

a higher value of their opinions because they had the good fortune to receive an education (or because they earn more),

driving skills that exempt them from speed limits

or whatever other example you'd care to think of.

 

I respect the right of anyone to hold beliefs and opinions that I might disagree with. In return, I expect the same. The problem is not religion, the problem is mindless missionising.

[Grahame 10]

The Frech have got it right, a complete formal separation of church and state is the right answer. No point in banning religion,leave peopleto believe what they want to in private so long as it remains private and makes no attempt to interfere in the process of the lives of others. All organised religions exist for the sake of power their officials can wield and its about time the country had no official religion, i.e. the Church of England should be disestablished and as for faith-based schools---I can't think of anything more pernicious andlikely to perpetuate divisions in society and create more where there were none before.

 

Excuse me Waltheof, I have been a Christian for most of my life and I havent got an ounce of influence and neither do I want any.

 

As for faith based schools, they answer to Ofsted the same as all schools and faith based schools often get better results. The local authorities are not concerned with religion, their concern is for educational standards.

 

I would also like to agree with the above poster when they say football has been a major cause of conflict and to that you can add politics, immigration, the land owning aristocracy, the industrial barons, trade unions, fox hunting, women's rights or lack of them, for starters. These are what make the headlines, now show me where religion has made the headlines apart from the media occasionally picking up on someones ethnic background and blowing it out of all proportion, even the Irish problem is about the English takeover of Ireland, it is only coincidence the English are mainly Protestant and the Irish are mainly Catholic which gives the papers a convenient label, but you don't get people fighting or demonstrating in the street about religion, but you do when it comes to politics and the miners, and the suffrajets etc.

[briggy1967 10]

Religion should be banned full stop,its the cause of all the worlds major problems,without religion we wouldnt have had 9/11,london bombings ect ect,how the hell can u believe in something u have never witnessed or have no proof it ever exsisted except in a book???

[Grahame 10]

Religion should be banned full stop,its the cause of all the worlds major problems,without religion we wouldnt have had 9/11,london bombings ect ect,how the hell can u believe in something u have never witnessed or have no proof it ever exsisted except in a book???

 

They were not Christians.

 

Personal experiance.