Hi Steve, [Steve] > Hi Platt, > > >> dmb says: > >> Yes, "what people do with professed religious faith" is probably > >> Sam's > >> central concern. What people do with their faith is prevent stem cell > >> research, put creationism in the science classroom, behead infidels, > >> bomb abortion clinics, shoot doctors, fly airliners into skyscrappers, > >> blow themselves up in a crowd and teach their children a bunch of > >> bullshit. The pragmatic consequences of religious faith is a disaster on > >> a scale beyond measure. > > Platt says, > > Lest we forget, the worst genocides in history were committed by > > atheists.
> Steve: > Where do you stand on the questions I posed? > "Does the MOQ oppose dogmatic religion? [Platt] I think the MOQ opposes dogma of any kind, including scientific dogma. [Steve] > I would say that since the > "truths" of religion are to be accepted on faith, social institutions such > as religions are an example of a social pattern attempting to devour an > intellectual one. What do you think? [Platt] Most social institutions, except those that provide for change from within, are examples of social patterns attempting to devour intellectual patterns. [Steve] > Do religious beliefs need to be "respected" in some way since the > intellectual level's evolution depends on the social level?" [Platt] All beliefs should be "respected" except those that justify physical harm to others. Someone's beliefs you consider mistaken may turn out to be valid. Intellectual level morality requires an open mind. [Steve] > As for atheists being responsible for the worst genocides in history, I > agree with Harris who says that the problem isn't that the regimes > responsible for these genocides were not believers or were too critical of > religion, it is that their regimes were too much like religions. [Platt] He has a point. It is certainty of belief (dogmatism) that leads to trouble, whether religious or otherwise. The crowning glory of science is the belief that all their "truths" are provisional. Unfortunately, some scientists as well as a lot of lay people forget that. Thanks for asking for my opinion. Regards, Platt Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
