Happy Atheist Forum

General => Politics => Topic started by: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:07:03 PM

Title: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:07:03 PM
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-two-faces-of-tony-blair-6255021.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-two-faces-of-tony-blair-6255021.html)
QuoteA new law, rushed through the country's parliament and announced by Mr Nazarbayev, forbids prayer rooms inside state buildings, orders all religious groups to re-register or face liquidation through the courts, bans foreigners from setting up faith groups, and severely limits where religious literature can be bought.
I never thought the day would come when I came out on the same side as Tony Blair on anything. What has happened to the Independent? Have then been bought by NI?
"This is probably the least worrying thing going on in Kazakhstan" - Ildiko
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Asmodean on October 31, 2011, 01:12:05 PM
Seriously..?  :o

Cool! They have this cosmodrome or whatever it is they call it there too, don't they..? Where Russians launch things from..? I like Kazakhstan  ;D
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Ildiko on October 31, 2011, 01:22:19 PM
Not just the cosmodrome, they also have Borat!
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 01:38:04 PM
Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:07:03 PM
bans foreigners from setting up faith groups, and severely limits where religious literature can be bought.

This part is bad...it limits individual freedom.  And I'm guessing this  is a response to the growing European fear that Islam will take over....laws/policy created out of fear tend to lead to bad things  (red scare, japanese concentration....)
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Asmodean on October 31, 2011, 01:41:54 PM
Quote from: Ildiko on October 31, 2011, 01:22:19 PM
Not just the cosmodrome, they also have Borat!
Ah! Of course! Kazakhstan's stock in Bank of Asmodean is rising still  ;D
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:56:15 PM
Quote from: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 01:38:04 PM
Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:07:03 PM
bans foreigners from setting up faith groups, and severely limits where religious literature can be bought.

This part is bad...it limits individual freedom.  And I'm guessing this  is a response to the growing European fear that Islam will take over....laws/policy created out of fear tend to lead to bad things  (red scare, japanese concentration....)
1. But Kazakhstan is almost entirely in central Aisa and only very marginally  in Europe. It is also 70% islamic.
2. In terms of taking over, how many Islamic countries are being invaded/bombed/... by Europeans/Americans (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen ...). How many European countries are being invaded/bombed/... by Islamic countries??
(uh ..... uh... uh ....)
3. Would you be in favour of a prayer room in the Texas Capital building (maybe there's one there already)
4. If you saw first-hand the unspeakable harm that foreign missionaries are doing, you would be standing up and applauding this move. Of all the evils committed by "the faithful" foreign missionary work is about the worst.
5. Why is limiting where religious literature can be bought any worse than limiting where alcohol/cigarettes can be bought. This is certainly true in Canada (the LCBO in Ontario, the SAQ in Québec)
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Sandra Craft on October 31, 2011, 02:38:20 PM
As long as it applies to every religious group (the article did mention a tendency to favor Xtians and "approved" Muslim groups), I don't see anything too wrong with it.  It sounds like a desperate attempt to keep warring factions under some control.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on October 31, 2011, 02:54:40 PM
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on October 31, 2011, 02:38:20 PM
As long as it applies to every religious group (the article did mention a tendency to favor Xtians and "approved" Muslim groups), I don't see anything too wrong with it.  It sounds like a desperate attempt to keep warring factions under some control.
The Independent is getting more and more dodgy these days so I don't know how accurate this report is. FWIW when it mentions "religious groups" it says, "all religious groups". As for the motivation for it, you could well be right.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 03:02:29 PM
Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:56:15 PM
1. But Kazakhstan is almost entirely in central Aisa and only very marginally  in Europe. It is also 70% islamic.
I don't see how this has anything to do with what I said....there are, in general, many europeans who think islam is trying to take over.
Quote2. In terms of taking over, how many Islamic countries are being invaded/bombed/... by Europeans/Americans (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen ...). How many European countries are being invaded/bombed/... by Islamic countries??
(uh ..... uh... uh ....)
You can't punish individuals just because countries predominantly of the same religion tend to attack other countries.  Or at least you can't if you want to value personal freedom.  The above argument is how my previous examples of the Red Scare and Japanese concentration were justified....everyone of one kind of group were lumped in with the enemy.  It's how In God We Trust got plastered onto US money!
Quote
3. Would you be in favour of a prayer room in the Texas Capital building (maybe there's one there already)
I didn't say there was a problem with not allowing prayer rooms.
Quote4. If you saw first-hand the unspeakable harm that foreign missionaries are doing, you would be standing up and applauding this move. Of all the evils committed by "the faithful" foreign missionary work is about the worst.
I don't know what evils you are talking about but if you just mean the general evils of fundamentalist religion then no I wouldn't sacrifice personal freedom over fear of what views some missionaries are spreading.  

Quote5. Why is limiting where religious literature can be bought any worse than limiting where alcohol/cigarettes can be bought. This is certainly true in Canada (the LCBO in Ontario, the SAQ in Québec)
I don't think any of it should be limited...but alcohol/cigs (which objectively cause scientifically verifiable harm) are in a different category from religious material (which is only subjectively harmful).  
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on October 31, 2011, 03:28:11 PM
Quote from: WhitneyI don't see how this has anything to do with what I said....there are, in general, many europeans who think islam is trying to take over.
1. Sorry I thought you meant that Europeans were afraid that Islamic is trying to take over Europe. I didn't think they were talking about taking over (which is not the case) central Asia. I guess I misunderstood what you were saying (and still do).
QuoteYou can't punish individuals just because countries predominantly of the same religion tend to attack other countries.  Or at least you can't if you want to value personal freedom.  The above argument is how my previous examples of the Red Scare and Japanese concentration were justified....everyone of one kind of group were lumped in with the enemy.  It's how In God We Trust got plastered onto US money!
2. I was not talking about punishing anybody. I was talking about the absurdity of Europeans (or anyone else) fearing a "takeover" when the aggression seems to be going in the opposite direction.
QuoteI didn't say there was a problem with not allowing prayer rooms.
3. Ok, my mistake. Sorry.
QuoteI don't know what evils you are talking about but if you just mean the general evils of fundamentalist religion then no I wouldn't sacrifice personal freedom over fear of what views some missionaries are spreading.  
I could write a book on the subject. If you're really interested I could go into more detail but it then should be put into a different thread. One quick example: the Catholic Missionaries (Javarianos, MXY to be precise) decided that the traditional indigenous habitation called a maloca or long-house was an "unchristian" way to live (the entire village under one roof) and caused the inhabitants to move into individual houses which they were forced to build. The results was there are no longer any old people (i.e. too old to cultivate) in these "christian" villages. The maloca divided the responsibilities for  providing for the old people among the entire village. This was impossible in the "christian" village style. I'm sorry to be brief but I hope it's clear enough to see what happened. Oh, and just for fun they forbade the indigenous people from carrying on with their own "pagan" cultural activities. As I said, I could go on and on.
QuoteI don't think any of it should be limited...but alcohol/cigs (which objectively cause scientifically verifiable harm) are in a different category from religious material (which is only subjectively harmful).
Ok Whitney. Replace cigarettes/alcohol with child pornography. Would that qualify as "subjectively harmful"? I was hoping to avoid this subject as it quite distressing.  
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 04:42:13 PM
i don't see what missionaries in some small tribal town are doing has to do with laws elsewhere...

And child pornography is objectively harmful...i don't think I should have to take the time to explain why.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on October 31, 2011, 05:06:53 PM
Quote from: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 04:42:13 PM
i don't see what missionaries in some small tribal town are doing has to do with laws elsewhere...

And child pornography is objectively harmful...i don't think I should have to take the time to explain why.
No need to.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Sandra Craft on November 01, 2011, 02:00:12 AM
Quote from: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 03:02:29 PM
I don't know what evils you are talking about but if you just mean the general evils of fundamentalist religion then no I wouldn't sacrifice personal freedom over fear of what views some missionaries are spreading.  

I don't know, when I think about what the natives in this country went thru with the missionaries (some of my relatives among them) I think it might be worth stepping on a few toes to prevent.  I realize it's dodgy, tho.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Whitney on November 01, 2011, 02:03:39 AM
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on November 01, 2011, 02:00:12 AM
Quote from: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 03:02:29 PM
I don't know what evils you are talking about but if you just mean the general evils of fundamentalist religion then no I wouldn't sacrifice personal freedom over fear of what views some missionaries are spreading.  

I don't know, when I think about what the natives in this country went thru with the missionaries (some of my relatives among them) I think it might be worth stepping on a few toes to prevent.  I realize it's dodgy, tho.

I think cutting off your nose to spite your face may be a fitting phrase for this topic.  Obviously religion does do some damage but the actions necessary to stop the damage in many cases just moves the damage elsewhere at best and can make it worse.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on November 01, 2011, 02:25:04 AM
I'm siding with Whitney on this one.  While you can't allow religious practices to completely dominate business and the affairs of state, curbing personal freedom is a rejection of all the progress that was made in the Enlightenment. Freedom in matters of religion/non-religion is one of the hallmarks of a liberal democracy.  If you go back on that, you move toward a totalitarian state, which is what we all (I would hope) want to avoid. 
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on November 01, 2011, 04:37:04 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 01, 2011, 02:25:04 AM
I'm siding with Whitney on this one.  While you can't allow religious practices to completely dominate business and the affairs of state, curbing personal freedom is a rejection of all the progress that was made in the Enlightenment. Freedom in matters of religion/non-religion is one of the hallmarks of a liberal democracy.  If you go back on that, you move toward a totalitarian state, which is what we all (I would hope) want to avoid. 
If missionaries had no power to constrain the living styles of the indigenous inhabitants then their presence (deprived of all authority) would be annoying but tolerable. Sadly you seem to wish to ignore the role that missionaries played in the past and continue to play in the present in "civilising" the primitive savages. In Colombia, the native population was declared "minors by law" and placed under the tender care of missionaries. You might want to read up on the role missionaries played in the "pacification of savages" in your own country.
If you find this sort of behaviour worthy of protection, there's really not much I can say.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Whitney on November 01, 2011, 01:04:20 PM
Quote from: Attila on November 01, 2011, 04:37:04 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 01, 2011, 02:25:04 AM
I'm siding with Whitney on this one.  While you can't allow religious practices to completely dominate business and the affairs of state, curbing personal freedom is a rejection of all the progress that was made in the Enlightenment. Freedom in matters of religion/non-religion is one of the hallmarks of a liberal democracy.  If you go back on that, you move toward a totalitarian state, which is what we all (I would hope) want to avoid. 
If missionaries had no power to constrain the living styles of the indigenous inhabitants then their presence (deprived of all authority) would be annoying but tolerable. Sadly you seem to wish to ignore the role that missionaries played in the past and continue to play in the present in "civilising" the primitive savages. In Colombia, the native population was declared "minors by law" and placed under the tender care of missionaries. You might want to read up on the role missionaries played in the "pacification of savages" in your own country.
If you find this sort of behaviour worthy of protection, there's really not much I can say.

Your example is a bad reason to limit religious freedom....it's just an example of a dumb government passing dumb laws that give missionaries power they shouldn't have.  It's important to fix the problem; not just what you find annoying.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on November 01, 2011, 01:12:55 PM
Quote from: Whitney on November 01, 2011, 01:04:20 PM
Quote from: Attila on November 01, 2011, 04:37:04 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 01, 2011, 02:25:04 AM
I'm siding with Whitney on this one.  While you can't allow religious practices to completely dominate business and the affairs of state, curbing personal freedom is a rejection of all the progress that was made in the Enlightenment. Freedom in matters of religion/non-religion is one of the hallmarks of a liberal democracy.  If you go back on that, you move toward a totalitarian state, which is what we all (I would hope) want to avoid. 
If missionaries had no power to constrain the living styles of the indigenous inhabitants then their presence (deprived of all authority) would be annoying but tolerable. Sadly you seem to wish to ignore the role that missionaries played in the past and continue to play in the present in "civilising" the primitive savages. In Colombia, the native population was declared "minors by law" and placed under the tender care of missionaries. You might want to read up on the role missionaries played in the "pacification of savages" in your own country.
If you find this sort of behaviour worthy of protection, there's really not much I can say.

Your example is a bad reason to limit religious freedom....it's just an example of a dumb government passing dumb laws that give missionaries power they shouldn't have.  It's important to fix the problem; not just what you find annoying.
Maybe that's what the government in Kazakhstan was trying to do. Which is why I asked the question which is the title of this thread in the first place. So we've come full circle.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Sandra Craft on November 01, 2011, 01:57:54 PM
Quote from: Whitney on November 01, 2011, 02:03:39 AM
I think cutting off your nose to spite your face may be a fitting phrase for this topic.  Obviously religion does do some damage but the actions necessary to stop the damage in many cases just moves the damage elsewhere at best and can make it worse.

If we're talking about things like registering religious groups and limiting access to religious materials, I'd agree that's on a slippery slope (but I don't know anything about what's going on in Kazakhstan, other than this article).  But in the case of limiting foreign missionaries access to and control over native populations, I think a little nose cutting might be unavoidable.  In that situation, it seems like one miscarriage of justice might be necessary to fight another miscarriage of justice, and we're stuck choosing the lesser evil.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on November 01, 2011, 03:40:10 PM
Let's hear it for [hushed tones]Religious Freedom[/hushed tones].
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/31/bet-shemesh-haredi-jews-school
Yes, I know. Religious practices are basically harmless. This is but a taste of the sort of things I was trying to explain. This is better written and more graphic. No don't ban them, but maybe a little restraint in deference to the rights of the non-holy.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Whitney on November 01, 2011, 06:42:22 PM
There is a difference between restraining religious freedom and restraining people from bothering other people.  Once they impede on the freedom of others their freedom stops.  Those who harm others or prevent them from going home should be arrested.  Those who just want to yell like idiots can be pulled back into designated protest areas...just like how westboro baptist is handled.  Yes what some groups say is horrible but in order to protect freedom of speech and religion for everyone the bad speech/views has to be taken with the good.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on November 01, 2011, 07:21:35 PM
Quote from: Whitney on November 01, 2011, 06:42:22 PM
There is a difference between restraining religious freedom and restraining people from bothering other people.  Once they impede on the freedom of others their freedom stops.  Those who harm others or prevent them from going home should be arrested.  Those who just want to yell like idiots can be pulled back into designated protest areas...just like how westboro baptist is handled.  Yes what some groups say is horrible but in order to protect freedom of speech and religion for everyone the bad speech/views has to be taken with the good.
So I guess we agree.  :)
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on November 02, 2011, 01:42:44 AM
Quote from: Whitney on November 01, 2011, 06:42:22 PM
There is a difference between restraining religious freedom and restraining people from bothering other people.  Once they impede on the freedom of others their freedom stops.  Those who harm others or prevent them from going home should be arrested.  Those who just want to yell like idiots can be pulled back into designated protest areas...just like how westboro baptist is handled.  Yes what some groups say is horrible but in order to protect freedom of speech and religion for everyone the bad speech/views has to be taken with the good.

Exactly.  You can limit one group harassing another group without limiting essential religious freedoms.  Religious freedom is in the same class as freedom of speech, press, assembly, conscience, etc.  It's absolutely fundamental.  Remember, religious freedom includes the right not to believe in any particular god, which means it includes the right to believe in no gods at all. Religious freedom protects the atheist as much as it protects the believer.  If I start infringing upon your freedoms with my religion, or you start infringing upon my rights with your atheism, that defines the limit of the freedom.

By the way, you seem to be endorsing the exercise of authority by the Kazakhstan government.  So, authority is OK when it agrees with your position, eh? 
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Whitney on November 02, 2011, 03:10:46 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 02, 2011, 01:42:44 AM
By the way, you seem to be endorsing the exercise of authority by the Kazakhstan government.  So, authority is OK when it agrees with your position, eh? 

I think I've been saying this whole time that freedom is important even if it means having to allow stuff that the majority don't agree with....so I don't get how you came to the above conclusion...
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Attila on November 02, 2011, 04:44:58 AM
Obviously not Bruce. You're simple not paying attention or the ideas are getting a bit too much for you. If the Italian government bans food additives containing high levels of heavy metals I can support the content of the action without supporting the method by which such action was arrived at. Am I getting a little too technical for you, Brucie? Bloody 'ell, people of faith are soooo thick! In the Kazakhstan situation it would have been nice if the the intended recipients of the missionaries' sick garbage were the one's who decided if they wanted this vermin around or not. Get it?
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on November 02, 2011, 02:49:26 PM
Quote from: Whitney on November 02, 2011, 03:10:46 AM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on November 02, 2011, 01:42:44 AM
By the way, you seem to be endorsing the exercise of authority by the Kazakhstan government.  So, authority is OK when it agrees with your position, eh? 

I think I've been saying this whole time that freedom is important even if it means having to allow stuff that the majority don't agree with....so I don't get how you came to the above conclusion...

Whitney, I must have been drunk.  I meant to direct this last comment at Attila.  Sorry - he's the one who is waffling on the use of authority, not you.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Ecurb Noselrub on November 02, 2011, 02:59:38 PM
Quote from: Attila on November 02, 2011, 04:44:58 AM
Obviously not Bruce. You're simple not paying attention or the ideas are getting a bit too much for you. If the Italian government bans food additives containing high levels of heavy metals I can support the content of the action without supporting the method by which such action was arrived at. Am I getting a little too technical for you, Brucie? Bloody 'ell, people of faith are soooo thick! In the Kazakhstan situation it would have been nice if the the intended recipients of the missionaries' sick garbage were the one's who decided if they wanted this vermin around or not. Get it?

Nice distinction.
Title: Re: And this is bad .....why???
Post by: Will37 on January 02, 2012, 01:31:11 PM
Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:56:15 PM
Quote from: Whitney on October 31, 2011, 01:38:04 PM
Quote from: Attila on October 31, 2011, 01:07:03 PM
bans foreigners from setting up faith groups, and severely limits where religious literature can be bought.

This part is bad...it limits individual freedom.  And I'm guessing this  is a response to the growing European fear that Islam will take over....laws/policy created out of fear tend to lead to bad things  (red scare, japanese concentration....)
1. But Kazakhstan is almost entirely in central Aisa and only very marginally  in Europe. It is also 70% islamic.
2. In terms of taking over, how many Islamic countries are being invaded/bombed/... by Europeans/Americans (Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen ...). How many European countries are being invaded/bombed/... by Islamic countries??
(uh ..... uh... uh ....)
3. Would you be in favour of a prayer room in the Texas Capital building (maybe there's one there already)
4. If you saw first-hand the unspeakable harm that foreign missionaries are doing, you would be standing up and applauding this move. Of all the evils committed by "the faithful" foreign missionary work is about the worst.
5. Why is limiting where religious literature can be bought any worse than limiting where alcohol/cigarettes can be bought. This is certainly true in Canada (the LCBO in Ontario, the SAQ in Québec)

I don't know is Nazarbayev is paying you or if you're just trying to rationalize actions whose context you have made no effert to understand.  There may be a kernal to this legislation that is intended to combat the influence of growing Islamist groups in the region but far more so this is yet another power grab by Nazarbayev (and old hanger on from the CCCP days) to grab more power.  This is the modus of the region.  Respond to western, Russian, Chinese, et cetera concerns about the proliferation of terrorist groups in the region by introduce measures to further solidify your grip on power but may have the happy by product of curbing terror. 

As for number 5.  I truely don't know where to begin.  Maybe because freedom of speech is a centeral pillar to any liberal democracy or any country that hopes to become a liberal democracy while alcohol consumption, although highly enjoyable, is not.  Therefore, regulating the proliferation of speech based on content is a much more serious thing, particularly in a country run by an old Soviet strong man, then regulating alcohol sale.