The Worst Ideas Religion Has Promoted


Terrible ideas religion has promoted were supplied by the cultures gave rise to these religions. Thus, it is not altogether fair to blame them on religion. The roll of religion was to give these terrible ideas legitimacy.  Several religions have terrible ideas. I'll list just a few of these bad ideas.

Chosen People. So far as I know, every culture thinks it is special. The religion cultures produce reinforces the false notion people there are more important than people elsewhere. The "chosen people" concept is present in groups we call cults. Calling popular religions cults makes enemies. The similarities cannot be denied.

Heretics. This is a label for religions different from our own as well as those who have no religion. Heretics need to be converted or brought into proper alignment by military conquest. I think all the major religions have used force to bring heretics into the true faith.

Blasphemy  This means some ideas, religious or related to religion, simply cannot be expressed. They are off limits. Nothing good can come from use of blasphemy.

Glorified Suffering.  Animal sacrifice is common in religions. The thought of killing animals to appease a god is among the most ridiculous of human ideas. Then there is the notion that humans who are suffering are doing something noble.

Eternal Life. Christianity, in particular, uses this notion to market itself. It plays on humans' fears.

Hell. We all know this is part of the eternal life schtick. The Christian faith would do well to leave this idea in the dust bin of history.

These are a few of the bad ideas religions have fostered.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 15, 2019 at 3:50 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jon LindgrenApril 15, 2019 at 6:13 AM

    Whoops, anonymous, I accidentally deleted your post while trying to approve it. You challenged me by pointing out bad rulers who were atheists. That certainly has happened. I don't recall those rulers saying they were doing these bad things in the name of atheism. Atheism may, or may not, have had a role in their bad behavior. There have been plenty of professing Christian rulers who have killed their people at will. The blog was about ideas that came out of Christianity, not about individual rulers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 15, 2019 at 5:42 PM

    That paraphrase is a distortion of my previous comments. My comments were about ideas that came out of atheism, not about individual atheist rulers. They were merely the result.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jon LindgrenApril 15, 2019 at 6:07 PM

    Maybe you could provide us with writing approved by an atheist organization that endorsed the action of Stalin or Pal Pot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousApril 16, 2019 at 6:30 PM

      There you go again, slipping off track. However, I'll bite and go in that direction. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republic had a de facto atheist religion. This atheist organization endorsed the action of Stalin. Literally.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union

      The Communist Party of Kampuchea instituted the policy of atheism. This atheist organization endorsed the action of Pol Pot. Literally.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol_Pot

      There are your writings. If this doesn't work, maybe you have excessive traces of Atrazine in your system gained from the Coon River.

      Delete
    2. Jon LindgrenApril 16, 2019 at 7:57 PM

      I read the section on religion, Soviet Union, in Wikipedia. It does not say the Soviet Socialist Republic had "a defacto atheist religion." It certainly did not say the atrocities attributed to Stalin etc were done in the name of atheism. Please do not waste my time with references you have not read.

      Delete
    3. AnonymousApril 16, 2019 at 8:27 PM

      That didn't work. Must be the Atrazine.

      Click on the following reference:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union

      Look in right margin. Look under the heading "Religion". Notice "State atheism (de facto)". I am so sorry you did not read this. I am also sorry this must be quite a blow to you for a reference to classify atheism as a reference. It didn't have to be this way.

      Delete

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