To think that belief in Father Christmas is not comparable to religious belief.

[Throughthelongnight]

Just that really. I have noticed that the expectation is that we all go along with the pretence of FC for the sake of parent's children's sensibility, but the same is not afforded where religious belief is concerned.

I was mainly responding to the comments that people who have a religious background are stupid....or that believing in a god is the same as believing in fairies. That's an incredibly inflammatory thing to say and I think is extremely rude. I am not easily offended and accept that what I believe is what I believe. Everyone has a choice. However I would never dream of telling someone they were stupid just because their train of thought wasn't the same as mine.

I've not once in this thread said that religion doesn't bring peace to some people.

I have said that it instigates violence.

Just as atheism isn't inherently violent, nor is Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, or Judeism.. All advise peace and kindness. And they facilitate that by advocating acceptance and forgiveness.

Is anti semitism bs too baubles? Would islamohobia in the workplace be classified as bs? Or would there be repercussions? Are you saying islamophobia does not exist? A bit like santa or god perhaps?

Do you believe that when a religious person does something good they do so because of their religion? That they wouldn't otherwise do it?

How do you account for the fact that two people who follow the same religion can take completely different messages? One of peace and one of violence?

If you believe that the good are good because of their religion and the bad are bad because of their religion, what do you think motivates the behaviour of atheists?

"Islamophobia is BS. You can be against a religion without being against the people that follow it." I think you need to explain that a little more as I can' personally get my head around it.

IMO most scriptures were written thousands of years ago. Times have vastly changed and evolved, so the attitude and interpretation of those books has to do the same.

outraged surely you and I could both read the same passage in a book and get totally different things from it. Or the post I have previously found offensive on here, others clearly haven't.
People go into religion for different reasons and maybe looking to get different things out of it. No 2 peoples brains work the same or interpret things the same.

'IMO most scriptures were written thousands of years ago. Times have vastly changed and evolved, so the attitude and interpretation of those books has to do the same.'

Shouldn't God send us some new books? Surely we shouldn't just change our perceptions of what God wants willy nilly?! He told us what he wants and hasn't updated us of any changes, we have to assume he wants us to follow the original set of rules, don't we?

'outraged surely you and I could both read the same passage in a book and get totally different things from it.'

Exactly! What would motivate that difference? Our education, upbringing, values, personality, IQ etc? So nothing to do with religion then?

The religion isn't fundamentally responsible for the message that we take or the behaviour that we exhibit as a result.

The reason people need to keep pointing out that religion is bullshit from start to finish and not entitled to any respect at all is because of the extreme danger associated with privileging the people who have imaginary friends, or particular imaginary friends, over other people. If a person is silly enough to believe in Jesus, Allah, Father Christmas, homeopathy or the immense musical talent of Justin Bieber, that's their business until they start insisting that this gives them special privileges such as the right to abuse or discriminate against women or gay people, or to prevent other people getting necessary medical treatment.

well I guess if you believe in Christianity the whole end section of the bible will come into play. Personally I would rather not think about that. I have read it once and it scared me. I have watched far too many horror films

I don't think it is changing perceptions willy nilly. There are whole chapters in the bible about what you shouldn't do whilst you are on your period. Whilst that may have been applicable/misunderstood back then the modern day society we live in now couldn't facilitate those rules.

I find it odd that some types of atheists blame people's shortcomings on a god that they don't believe exists.

So we can just pick and choose which bits are applicable now? Which bits we want to follow?

see that's the exact thing I'm talking about solid why is it necessary for you to say "imaginary"
ok that might be your opinion but it's rude and offensive.

Again that is why I think that a lot of the things should not be interpreted word for word. In regards to gay relationships I believe that Jesus was all about love and tolerance and wouldn't begrudge two people in love. Other people who believe in Jesus might not feel the same but that is how I have interpreted it. I don't think my religion entitles me to any special treatment. I just expect people to treat me with a bit of respect.
I have been through some horrendous things in life and would not have got through them without the support of the church and my faith.

Solid, I totally get you on the privilege issue.

I think they're blaming religion, not God though? It's not the same. Religion most definitely exists. God, not so much.

No....that's not what I am saying.

1. everyone will read something and interpret in their own way.
2. There is a lot of contradictions in the bible, one passage saying one thing, another saying the opposite. Sometimes you just have to pick which you think is relivant.
3. A lot of stuff is a bit outdated, times have moved on.

At the end of the day I try to be a good person and follow the basic rules of my faith. There are some things I read in the bible and I don't agree with, gay relationships being one of them. I don't know how to explain that. I just don't see what harm two men/women are doing to anyone by being in a relationship with one another. Love is love whatever form it comes in.

So are atheists commended for using their their critical faculties, but believers condemned for the same?

Exactly dione...why do they feel it necessary to be rude and insulting and vent at something they dont believe existed...or is it just an attempt to insult a person by pretending to insult something else.

To say that islamophobia is bs and that you are hating the religious doctrine and not the observer, is like saying something derogatory about my race and then saying it wasnt racist and trying to justify it by saying it was just the doctrine held by that race that you hate! So actually, it is racist. Racism is subjective, as is islamophobia. If the person feels its racism, then it is racism...if a person feels it islamophobia, then it is islamophobia. The people who so daringly call islamphobia bs, would think twice before they said the same thing for anti-semitism.

You can't compare race and religion. A physical characteristic is not the same as a belief.

'If the person feels its racism, then it is racism'

That's not true. Thankfully.

The feeling of other or lesser due to what you are told is exactly the same. Be it gender, religion, ethnicity or sexuality.

No?

Outraged - Islamophobia utilises many racist/orientalist tropes, the "barbarous, savage other" being a particularly popular one.

Despite only a minority of Muslims being Arab, much Islamophobia uses the language and terminology of anti-Arab racism.

That supposedly intelligent people fail to see this is very disturbing.