What is at the heart of the DU religion wars?

[HEyHEY]

Poll question: What is at the heart of the DU religion wars?

Seems to be the big issue these days.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Other: People who can't speak about religion rationally.

[brainshrub]

2. There's a religion war going on in DU?

That's news to me.

[Zynx]

3. Tension from the loudmouths on both sides.

Those types should shut up because neither side knows the truth. We simply have our beliefs/thoughts about it. I choose to believe in God, but I respect those who don't and I hope they afford me the same courtesy.

[libhill]

7. The problem is

that, as other posters have stated, a minority of loudmouthed, ignorant Fundies have usurped the term "Christian" in this country. An agnostic myself, I do realize that there are a lot of sincere Christian's out there who do live their lives in a kind, decent, loving way, who do what they can to help the less fortunate, and treat other people with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, these are not vocal enough, they are being drowned out by the "Hey, look at me, I'm a Christian" types, who, in fact, are anything but.

[Wonk]

11. Shut up! Shut UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!! JUST SHUT UP!!!!

:sarcasm:

[Democrat Dragon]

26. Indeed

[_TJ_]

4. Intolerance is my perpetual answer

Can't we all just get along? I'm ok, and you're ok! :7

[stellanoir]

5. Swedish Fish

[applegrove]

6. Other: we need to discuss it and own up to our own hypocrisy of being

intolerant of the devout or the religious who we have known. We have no right to be intolerant of people born with the ability to have faith.

Yes we can be angry at opportunistic leaders and politicization. Perhaps the idea that religion should be mixing with the state is a great fallacy that needs to be fought off. Activist religious leaders are at times very wrong. And at times do as good questions: abortion is not trite.

So we have some discussion to do. The only way to defeat the heinous psychopaths in the WH is to be really adult (to their adolescent followers) and know our own Liberal hypocrisies. We have to know ourselves and know our pettiness to fight them off. We need to deal with the whole religious issue. And we need guidance from the religious in our own movement... and not be taking guidance from the libertarians who have been kicked out of the Conservative Party and want a place to 'yack on' about their all-important lives and do not extend the same rights to others (the religious).

Saying that religious organizations should not have the same privileges as non-profits or non-governmental organizations if they follow the same criteria is just ignorant. Of course they should not pay taxes!

I say the ones bringing up this issue and 'framing it in religious intolerance' are trolls. Just trying to keep us DUers from learning about our own hypocrisy.

IMHO

[_TJ_]

14. Well said !

That was a damn good post! :7

[Ron Green]

18. Thank you. I think your post is right to the heart of the matter.

The more discussion, argument, questioning, and self-examination we do, the better. Our fundamental principles of liberalism and tolerance will allow the truth to emerge.

[Extend a Hand]

8. fear

of the religious zealots that are taking over our country
:scared:

[Demit]

9. Agitators on both sides?

Whether they start the threads or just join in at some point, they are people who love to stir the pot (not you, HeyHey). There's a reason there used to be a social stricture to avoid talking about religion and politics in social situations. People get so heated.

I predict most religious threads will subside back into the religion form after the Schiavo thing subsides. Or not. I remember predicting that this asshole would be a caretaker president. :(

[TahitiNut]

10. It's called the Gag Reflex.

Any healthy human being has one. It's a reaction to having something shoved down your throat. :shrug:

With practice, some can overcome this. Sword-swallowers are one example.

[Cannikin]

12. I dont have one.

Ooops. Did I say that out loud?:evilgrin:

[QC]

People who don't know which damn forum to post in. n/t

[HEyHEY]

16. I was gonna say assholes - but hey

[salin]

13. just what is 'the birth control affair'?

[LincolnMcGrath]

15. Blame Canada

[oscar111]

23. especially the part that

is descended from the Icelanders

LOL

[JVS]

17. Satan

[Az]

19. Silence, ignorance, discomfort, unfamiliarity, stress, politics, society

Oppression, frustration, fear, war, loss, disharmony, noncommunication, isolation, arrogance, presumptions, media, politicians, extremism, conflict, mideast, evangelism, creationists, reproduction rights, school prayer, dominionism, etc......

[DBoon]

20. being psychically mangled by a strict religious upbringin

eom

[oscar111]

21. Some religs have fascist elements: why be tolerant of that?

some have sacrifices, animal and human.

i cannot see being tolerant of fascist elements in religions.
They bring palpable harm.

religions fall on a spectrum, of equalitarian to fascist. Just like political groups. Be tolerant of the good LW religs, and treat the fascist religs like you treat fascist political groups.

Large religs have LW and RW branches. But the core, historical tendency remains there. A LW core may have RW branches appear over the centuries, as with Jesus.{Luke 18:22}

Every relig is also a potential political party to some degree.. a good thing to keep in mind.
However, some are much more overtly political than others.

Personally, i like to see a relig as its core, not so much the branches that have appeared over the centuries. Because the core can always be resurrected by new preachers.

The best single judgement to make of a relig is always based on its historical core, IMHO.

Remember too, that good people can always be born into a bad religion's geographical area. Never condemn an idividual till you see if he has just been raised in a relg without understanding what it is really about historically. Especially if he is young.

[Behind the Aegis]

22. Arrogance

One side thinks they are 'morally superior" and the other thinks they are "intellectually superior." Then, there is the rest of the us caught in the middle. The other real issue I see is that one side is for legislating THEIR religion.

Government has no place in religion and religion has no place in government!

[kodi]

24. the eons long struggle of knowledge vesrus certainty

i had thought, and hoped knowledge was putting some distance between the two, but the last week on this site makes me believe differently. from what i've seen we are heading back to a time before the Enlightenment when rationalism, logic, and empiricism were considered tools of the devil and anyone asking for proof in response to the demand for fidelity to a religious dogma is considered intolerant.

btw: i'm a Bokononist.

"Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy." (Book of Bokonon I: Verse 5)

nice, nice, very nice.

[Susang]

25. I am

It's all my fault. I didn't mean to cause all that trouble. I apologize. I'll never do it again, I promise. O8)

[Biased Liberal Media]

27. Years of pent-up frustration, the fundamentalists taking over the US

it's all exploded with this Schiavo thing. Frankly I'm tired of the bashing I see coming from some people who are Atheist/Agnostic towards those who are Liberal Christians. Before anyone flames me, I'm Agnostic myself. I'm just tired of it. Just because a person is a Christian, it does NOT make them a fundamentalist. People need to stop with the stereotypes and assumptions.