Views on religion...
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showpost.php?p=2894890&postcount=1
Quoted from thread:
In the past decade Christianity has tumbled from British life. Although in 2001 over 70% of British citizens identified themselves as Christians, in the same year 65% claimed that they do not believe in God. Believe what you will, Christianity is on it's way out in Britian, the estimated proportion of Atheists/Agnostics rising from 14% to 31-44% between 1991 and 2005. Just between 1998 and 1999 church attendance fell from 20,327 to 19,843. If the trend continues 81-94% of the population will be Agnostic/Atheist by 2035, and church attendance will have fallen to about 1,800. Although this is quite unrealistic statistically, such falls tend to flatten out, it shows a bleak, and welcome, future for the Christian churches.
That was, before Blair stuck his foot in it. Yesterday he spoke before a large audience at Westminster Cathedral on how faith should be the solution to the world's problems (this coming from a reborn Christian, the evangelical type, the type who shotgun doctors in America for carrying out abortions). This contained such jewels as "is faith important?... It's like asking is health important, or your family", "the world will be immeasurably poorer, more dangerous, more fragile, and above all more dangerous... if it is without a strong spiritual dimension" and "this is a purpose uniquely found kneeling before God". To not beat around the bush, he has made a farce of himself. Tony Blair has arguably been one of the three greatest Prime Ministers of the century, bridging between two centuries in a way those like Chirac were unable to. Since his resignation he has only redoubled his respect, working in the middle east and in corporate banking, going beyond his political career. However, with his conversion to Catholicism and newfound religious arrogance he has lost everything to nearing a third of the nation's population. In his declaration that without faith the world will fall he has attempted vainly to oppose the trend, that of good health and education. Education, not so remarkably, coinciding with secularism and non-theism. Blair has chosen the loosing team, and if he is not careful, he will be dragged down with them as surely as America was.
In fact, he dragged America, not well viewed by Europeans, into the debate, claiming religion was not in decline and acts of terrorism had highlighted the fact that "we ignore the power of religion at our peril". Well yes, we do. If we ignore religion and let it continue as it is, we will suffer for it, it is only by extinguishing its influence that we can remove this terror.
"Religious faith is a good thing in itself that so far from being a reactionary force - it is a major part to play in shaping values which guide the modern world and can and should be a force for progress," he said. Religion, itself does not. It's fall, however, has much gain to be had from for the world.
- Ruin from www.twcenter.net
I consider myself an agnostic/humanist, albeit with an open view and some Taoist qualities. I don't openly denounce religion, but I have heard many, sometimes shocking stories about faith, particularly in America and the Middle East, including a mother who drove her son to suicide after insisting that homosexuality was a sin, and various other seemingly fanatical and nonsensical acts of faith.
Personally I believe aggressive atheism is wrong, I would never label myself as an atheist as it seems to carry with it too many religiously intolerant stereotypes.
But what practical dimension does religion add to the world?
Is it emotional fulfilment? Can't that just be achieved through psychological help? If religion does help someone mentally, is it worth it for the sometimes intolerant messages carried with religions? Isn't it just fooling yourself to feel better?
Is it a set of ethics and moral codes? Aren't these just percieved? Who is to really say what is right or wrong? Do ethics exist in the law, and if so, do we need religion?
If religion serves no purpose (which I do not for a moment claim, but just speculate here), does that justify its removal from the world?
If a small group of people commit a crime in the name of religion, is that religion to blame? Should we remove or denounce that religion even though the majority are not commiting the crime?
Man, I wish I was on Formendacil's friend list...