Religion

[posttrainwreck]

Went to a friend's birthday party. We got drunk quickly in order to cut the awkwardness and get down to conversation. Imbued with liquid courage, I apologized to Joe for being an ass to him when I met him some time ago. This got us talking about religion and morality

Comments

[posttrainwreck]

A more scholarly look can be found at http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/node/137

Whether that author's more sympathetic look contradicts me is debatable, though. The very fact that the interpretation shifts over time speaks to the reliability of using religion as your pillar of morality.

[mijopo]

just about the first thing he started talking about was how Islam is a religion of hate. This sort of thing makes me angry; like saying Democrats are socialist

I'd argue that it's different (much more inaccurate) than that.

If we were to draw a continuum and place socialism, Democratic Party policy and Republican Party policy on it, the Dem. Party would, in fact, be closer to socialism. Perhaps still some great distance and perhaps only marginally closer than the Rep. party, but closer nonetheless. On the other hand, whatever a "religion of hate" is, it's not obvious to me that Islam is closer to it than either of Christianity or Judaism is. So, while the claim that Democrats are socialists is false, it's at least accurate to say that it's closer to socialism than "Republicanism" is, I'm not sure the same can said of Islam vis-a-vis "religion of hate".

good point

[posttrainwreck]

you are right, but I really meant to describe the flavor of frustration. In politics, I wrestle with it all the time; defending the Democratic party from accusations that they are Stalinist Socialists detracts from my ability to attack the party as a part of a larger "pay to play" system that works for corporate constituents more than for actual voters. It's the same frustration I get when defending Islam because I see monotheism and religion in general as the real problem.