All in all a post that seems fraught wih depresion my friend, you are okay?
generaly speaking I am in agreement with you. I don't feel that we are not moving though, rather we are moving very slowly indeed. The only issue I have really is you last sentance. I have no idea how much of the world professes to beliveing in any kind of God, and how many do not so. About 50-50 maybe? So I can't really conclude that the majority of us want any kind of global secular sociaty. Personaly I think is is more about empowering peole to live their own lives as they wish to, to not enforce nor limit anyboides choice, withn the scope of the law of course. If people want to live in a secular sociaty then they should have all of the freedoms they need to do so. The opposite is also true. For myself even though the UK is largley now a secular nation, I like the mix we have here and am more than happy to remain neigbours with theist and atheist alike. On 9 Mar, 12:35, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > http://www.documentary-log.com/d151-religulous/is a link to a Bill > Maher documentary. I think it shows many of the concerns I have about > "religion" in a fairly light-hearted manner. > > My basic stance is this. I think science does a lot to establish the > reality we live in. It leaves many questions that we can't find > satisfactory answers for and room to think about the spiritual and > purpose. I think there are good examples of reasonable thinking in > some religious material. I am averse to respecting dafter, highly > emotive 'in-group' religious manipulation and believe this is very > dangerous stuff. Science involves demonstration and working practices > and results I have been able to confirm once involved with the > knowledge and practice, whereas religion totally fails me whenever I > try and I come to resent goading by adherents in terms like 'it would > let you down because you have no faith' - such stuff usually coming > from people who clearly don't have the kind of faith I have in the > hard work of rigorous thinking, scientific methods and imagination and > don't do this kind of work at all well. > > I object to religious excuses concerning hatred of others, vile sexism > and political uses whether from Bush, Blair or fundamentalists of all > kinds, much of which seems to exploit 'tribalism'. At the same time, > I believe spiritual exploration can turn us on or tune us into > worthwhile views of what we are and could be - not least in exposing > how irrational our actions can be. I am not an unbeliever, but rather > want to be critical in my beliefs, open to experience and to others. > I generally believe authority, including legitimate authority is > almost routinely abused and that we need a better understanding of how > faith is abused in this process. I think the debate needed is always > averted or drowned out in clashes of futile ideology between groups > who have no intention of mutual understanding. > > I see no sign that we understand that we could live together in peace, > or sensible and preferably minimal rules through which we could > achieve this, including population control and sustainable > communities. I doubt we even understand what the main current > religions are in practice and the extent to which this is bound up in > foreign policy and the interests of the 'rich'. I am also sure that > 'tolerance' is part of the answer and the problem. I do not want to > tolerate people voting along religious or fascist lines, or the > current situation in which I have no one to vote for and have no vote > in anything that matters to me. Or people who say I have no morality > because I'm atheist and use the inertial violence of a system clearly > failing ... > > I'm bored by 'arguments' that given religions are really about peace, > love and joy, if only we get to the truth of revelation and ignore > centuries of rotten history, genocides and corruption. In the > meantime, we are not doing much of a job creating a fair, critically > reasoned, secular society across the globe. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en.
