so what's the catch on religion?

[R_P_A_S]

I'm beyond the whole feudal times and how religion was used by the people of those times to install fear in their subordinates and to oppress people....

I'm talking about NOW... present day. 2007! 300 or so years after "the age of enlightenment" there are large groups of people with a deep "religious faith" and they are millions strong and probably out number the leftist in the world.

so I ask.. what's the catch? feudal times are over, religion might still be a form of oppression. But is not as bad, and people aren't as naive. most of us are not...

What do those people get in return? for wanting us to be Catholic, Christian, Muslim or whatever???
why would get people on their bikes to come knocking on your doors? What does the church get out of having more people in it? Not money.. right?

help me out here...

[razboz]

Its almost painfully simple. The smae thing which everyone wants. The same thing that have strived for for thousands upon thousands of years...

power

These pepople seek to increase their influence only in the pathological pursuit of larger amounts of control of larger amounts of people. Power is an incredible thing...

[MrDoom]

Power! Absolute, unlimited POWER!

http://img232.echo.cx/img232/3440/popepalpatine3ct.png

[R_P_A_S]

ok so the particular leader of that religion wants "believers" for power? power for what? to take over the world? or what? I've never heard of "the catholic church ambitions to rule the world!!"

so they use the hope of heaven, and the fear of hell?

[razboz]

Originally posted by [email protected] 13, 2007 09:14 pm
ok so the particular leader of that religion wants "believers" for power? power for what? to take over the world? or what? I've never heard of "the catholic church ambitions to rule the world!!"

so they use the hope of heaven, and the fear of hell?
THEY ALREADY HAVE THAT POWER!

The CHristian faith has 2 BILLION followers world wide. The reason you dont hear about it is because ostensibly thsi indoctrianation is not for world domination. Yet in many countries we THINK are seculare religion in fact plays a bigger role than you think. I Mexico the PAN is actually an agent of Opus Dei one of the most fundamentalist of all fundamentlalist Catholic Sects. If you follow politics in Mexico a little you will realise that PAN is quite powerful. Christianity has always been about world domination. So have Islam, and Judaism and many other religions.

[La Comédie Noire]

Many people still beleive just because it gives them hope of an afterlife. Even the pope beleives in an what he says. It's not at all as devious as it used to be, it just gives people a sense of tradition and purpose. But thats till does'nt mean the church won't try to get power.

[ichneumon]

you know, there are people out there who honestly *believe* and are filled with compassion and the desire to help others. their beliefs give them strength and hope, and encourage them to help others. personally, i often find those beliefs simple, but there is a saying in the Dharmic religions: Ahimsa Parmo Dharma. it means "nonviolence is the last lesson". the sense is (which most reds will abhor), if you find a way to live in peace, then you don't need anything else. i feel this way about some christians - if it works for them, if they are harmless and try to help, then good, no problem. it's blackbox - i don't care what they believe, so long as they are productive and useful, etc.

[t_wolves_fan]

Originally posted by [email protected] 13, 2007 08:09 pm
I'm talking about NOW... present day. 2007! 300 or so years after "the age of enlightenment" there are large groups of people with a deep "religious faith" and they are millions strong and probably out number the leftist in the world.

so I ask.. what's the catch? feudal times are over, religion might still be a form of oppression. But is not as bad, and people aren't as naive. most of us are not...

What do those people get in return? for wanting us to be Catholic, Christian, Muslim or whatever???
why would get people on their bikes to come knocking on your doors? What does the church get out of having more people in it? Not money.. right?

help me out here...
First you have to accept that not everyone is as brilliantly enlightened as you are. I know this fact is deeply depressing to you.

Second, you have to accept that religious faith brings order and or meaning to people's lives, which they apparently want or need for their own reasons. Why you feel the need to probe those reasons and decide if they meet with your approval is quite an excercise in arrogance.

They're no different from you. They cling to whatever ideology or meme brings meaning to their lives. Just as you seek "justice" and, most likely, a way to piss off the establishment because it's like totally fun to do so, they seek meaning in something incomprehensible to you.

The real key to happiness is to accept this fact: different people will come to different conclusions about what is best for them. Once you accept that fact, life gets a whole lot less stressful.

[R_P_A_S]

Originally posted by t_wolves_fan+January 15, 2007 09:27 pm--> (t_wolves_fan @ January 15, 2007 09:27 pm)
[email protected] 13, 2007 08:09 pm
I'm talking about NOW... present day. 2007! 300 or so years after "the age of enlightenment" there are large groups of people with a deep "religious faith" and they are millions strong and probably out number the leftist in the world.

so I ask.. what's the catch? feudal times are over, religion might still be a form of oppression. But is not as bad, and people aren't as naive. most of us are not...

What do those people get in return? for wanting us to be Catholic, Christian, Muslim or whatever???
why would get people on their bikes to come knocking on your doors? What does the church get out of having more people in it? Not money.. right?

help me out here...
First you have to accept that not everyone is as brilliantly enlightened as you are. I know this fact is deeply depressing to you.

Second, you have to accept that religious faith brings order and or meaning to people's lives, which they apparently want or need for their own reasons. Why you feel the need to probe those reasons and decide if they meet with your approval is quite an excercise in arrogance.

They're no different from you. They cling to whatever ideology or meme brings meaning to their lives. Just as you seek "justice" and, most likely, a way to piss off the establishment because it's like totally fun to do so, they seek meaning in something incomprehensible to you.

The real key to happiness is to accept this fact: different people will come to different conclusions about what is best for them. Once you accept that fact, life gets a whole lot less stressful. [/b]
you got me all wrong. You think im some young punk who wants to just piss people off by telling them their religion is wrong and that I'm smarted and better? whatever. I'm an adult. and I'm not going to apologize for questioning something that has been shoved in my head since i was 3 years old.

In catholic religion, specially if you are Mexican the virgin of guadalupe is consider to be "the mother of mexico" december 12th is her national holiday. so from November 12th to december 12th people, specially women gather to pray to the virgin of guadalupe for a month, 3 days a week for an hour or 2. I've seen this and its quite a scene.. it brings all these people together 50 to 200 and they all get on their knees, bow their heads and pray. Pray for health, pray for well being, pray for good things to happen and for others.

so I asked my mother.. wouldn't it make mores sense if you guys did this but instead of praying sit down and talk about your social and economic problems??? you all got kids running the streets, in jail, out of work, under daughters pregnant, husbands out drinking, out work, being persecuted by immigration, can't speak english, and face discrimination daily.. praying is not going to make all the stuff go away..... :rolleyes:

[Jazzratt]

RPAS, as well thought out and thoughtful as your post was I wouldn't bother. t_wolves_fan is a troll that appears to have avoided being banned thus far because of his ability to string a sentence together and occaissonaly break out into pollysyllables. He never listens to reasoned argument and I think he should be ingored until he fucks off.