Re: Dear Blinktards
I'm an agnostic/atheist depending on the day, and I think it's very important to note that while I think a lot of things done in the name of religion are abhorrent, those things are done by people. People who have free will. Religion may in some cases give them a framework, an excuse, a reason to do what they're doing, but it is not religion itself that does these things. It is people using said religion who are to blame.
I have a problem with religion not as a system of beliefs, in the abstract, but as a construct. I don't like the fact that many religious constructs target the young and vulnerable, and shame those who do not follow teachings. I don't like that people can't see past this.
Put another way, you can believe in whatever you want if you are truly a good person and respect the autonomy of others, and I will have no quarrel with you. Don't just swallow what your religious upbringing or indoctrination tells you; think critically and compassionately first and foremost. That's how I see it.
Why am I stepping in here? Because I don't want this to turn into more religion-bashing. It's not really needed. Yes, it is sometimes cathartic and helpful, but sometimes it's just excessive. And yes, I say this knowing full well that at times I have probably bashed religion too harshly.
Let me be clear, too. I'm not giving organized religion a free pass all of a sudden. Perish the thought. I'm still very wary of any large group purporting to belong to virtually any religion, because troubling trends are usually the result. I want a lot of those trends to just disappear and never plague the world again. But people, specific individuals, can very easily subscribe to a religion with which I do not agree, while still being perfectly good people of sound mind. I can't understand how one puts one's faith in a mythical creation, but that doesn't make it wrong if you feel otherwise. I also can't understand gender dysphoria, either, but I know it's a very real issue, so it's not fair of me to say that things are not valid just because I cannot understand them on a gut level. Basically, so long as people treat each other with genuine respect and compassion, that's all we can expect.
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