31st August 2010
“When religious leaders come to be identified as spokespeople for an entire faith community, it is easy for a particular religious perspective to be seen as the will of that group of people. And if a community has few other spokespeople apart from religious ones then ethnic and religious identities merge, the waters muddy and it becomes harder for compromise to occur.”
Faisal al Yafai
August 31st, 2010 at 3:08
Place a paper plate on a plank and hammer it down with one nail, and you can spin the plate. Secure the plate down with 2 nails, and it is immobile, unable to turn. This is just like religious and/or political control of the general public. If people are religiously controlled, but have some political choices, then they are citizens with some freedom. If they are politically controlled, but free of strict religious edicts, again, the citizens have some freedom. But if religious and political power merges, then the people lose citizenship, and become nothing but subjects, chattel, cannon fodder for tyrannical dictators.
Religious leaders as spokespeople, for the will of the people? No, the “will of God” would be exalted as the will of the people, which coincidentally would fall right in line with the clergy’s favorite causes, and favor the clergy’s favorite people(read $$$). How exhilerating it would be for a fire and brimstone preacher at the reins of government to condemn whoever he wants and get away with it. The will of the commoners be damned, both figuratively and literally. Compromise? Why would a satisfied dictator bargain with anyone, especially if he thinks he is divinely placed in a position of power and will be punished for giving ground to infidels?
Unfortunately, Islam is demonstrating that this puke-ugly theocratic power structure is not just theoretical, but is already on this earth. Check out T-foot’s newest excellent video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQE4orNMDAw
August 31st, 2010 at 4:50
Margaret,
You are a fine example of someone who uses useless words to sway people from the true path of God without knowledge and make God’s ways as a hoax. You will obtain a contemp penalty later.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:15
Margaret,
Thanks for the great video link! I think you are pretty much spot on with your assessments of religion in general and Islam in particular. And if your words were truly useless, would they sway anyone?
Loconomolos,
What the hell is a “contemp penalty”?
August 31st, 2010 at 12:15
sol…………..sol…………..
you are SO astonishingly DIM !!!!
einstein said that he thought there were 2 things that were seemingly
without limit……..
a) the universe
b) human stupidity…………….and………. that of the 2,
he was unsure about “a”
think about it
August 31st, 2010 at 12:43
Can we ban solomon already?!
August 31st, 2010 at 13:57
Dan,
If Solomon (or his evil twin, Nomolos) didn’t exist, we would have to invent him.
August 31st, 2010 at 13:58
Nomolos understands that I see religion as a hoax. He cannot give a valid counterargument or add to the conversation in any productive way, so in frustration he condemns me. At least my ideas were about today’s quote. His were about his impotent inability to defend his imaginary deity, so who is useless here?
August 31st, 2010 at 14:11
Wat Duino… Really? Why though?
Margaret… Fair point.
I could always revert to satirizing him like I was trying (badly) to do last week. Poe’s Law is fun in that way. It’s also the only way I can put up with such a tart blend of stupidity and righteousness.
August 31st, 2010 at 14:13
By the way, I’ve been checking out the digs at Atheist Nexus. Looks nice. Anyone else a member at that site?
August 31st, 2010 at 15:40
Margaret that is also why islam puts prices on the heads of or threatens to kill the author’s when someone puts out a cartoon or parody on how loony that little mind virus is (from 30 March).
Forest did have it right; though.. “stupid is as stupid does”… It is all man made.
What if Jim Jones had been a muslim? Would the world not be a safer place? ‘Least until the next idiot stood up in this apparent never ending line of idiots and convinces the new fools to follow the great lie…. nay; hoax.
August 31st, 2010 at 17:20
YAY for Margaret !!!!!!
August 31st, 2010 at 17:43
checking out Atheist Nexus……………looks good !
August 31st, 2010 at 22:11
I was a member on Atheist Nexus for a while, maybe I didn’t check it out deep enough, but it seemed like a lot of like-minded people patting each other on the back. I prefer sites like this where you gotta get a little dirty with the other side!
August 31st, 2010 at 23:48
Nice job, Margaret. Couldn’t have put it any better.
May I also remind Christians of the middle and dark ages. Those cathedrals didn’t build themselves out of magical gold, ya know. The Crusades also painted a wonderful light of “God” into the world.
Lord John Acton had it absolutely right, “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. I find it corrupts even more so when in the hands of “God”.
September 1st, 2010 at 6:43
Edmond,
Sure debate is great and necessary even. But sometimes it’s nice to have friends and a sense of community, when we feel like outsiders. Anyway, if others want to look me up there, just do a member search for “cellsnbirds”.
September 1st, 2010 at 14:14
I will check Atheist Nexus out. As a “new” atheist, recent deconvert, I could use some positive feedback from rational people.