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Community => Life As An Atheist => Topic started by: Shy on September 17, 2011, 05:32:09 AM

Title: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Shy on September 17, 2011, 05:32:09 AM
...but I see faith synonymous with terrorism. Don't know much about either, so may have the wrong wording, but the thought makes sense.

People are scared to go to hell, so they do what they are told to do by the church or bible. They are terrified of hell. Bringing fear to the masses aids in control and the need for leadership to control.

Just to think, to get a bachelors degree here in the bible belt I have to take an old testament class and a new testament class. I may prefer the calculus class. (I suck at math! lol)

Guess I'm venting some things that have been on my mind.   
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: The Magic Pudding on September 17, 2011, 05:51:57 AM
I don't think the words faith and terrorism share a similar meaning.

Asymmetric warfare" can describe a conflict in which the resources of two belligerents differ in essence and in the struggle, interact and attempt to exploit each other's characteristic weaknesses. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymmetric_warfare)

If one side lacks military power or even the power to convince it may use terror tactics.

Suicide bombing may have an association with faith, but if someone dropped a bomb on my family I might give it a go.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Shy on September 17, 2011, 06:10:51 AM
Maybe it was the first terror tactic. But it sure is strikes terror in people to do what is expected from actions to money.

I know about asymmetrical warfare oddly enough from watching some show about if aliens attacked earth...that would be our only hope. 
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: xSilverPhinx on September 17, 2011, 07:47:42 AM
I think faith has more to do with coercive manipulation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coercive_persuasion). Terror tactics are a bit different, IMO.

Edited to clarify: I don't faith faith in itself to be mind control, but the phobic-inducing part of it is.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Asmodean on September 17, 2011, 08:27:03 AM
Me, I just find faith annoying (http://www.britannica.com/bps/dictionary?query=annoying) and blind faith stupid (http://www.britannica.com/bps/dictionary?query=stupid).
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Sweetdeath on September 19, 2011, 02:01:39 PM
Well, I wouldn't mind it too terribly if christians blew themselves up (without hurting anyone. XP)

Anyway, some of them are kinda terrorists, but mostly cowards, hiding behind death threats and picket signs.  Either way, it's wrong, and I wish the lot of them would comit massive suicide. >___>
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Asmodean on September 19, 2011, 02:10:36 PM
Quote from: Sweetdeath on September 19, 2011, 02:01:39 PM
I wish the lot of them would comit massive suicide. >___>
HEY!!! MY line!  >:(


:P
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Sweetdeath on September 19, 2011, 02:42:05 PM
I saw it on your desk, so I stole it.  XP
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Stevil on September 19, 2011, 07:44:18 PM
Quote from: Sweetdeath on September 19, 2011, 02:01:39 PM
Well, I wouldn't mind it too terribly if christians blew themselves up (without hurting anyone. XP)

Anyway, some of them are kinda terrorists, but mostly cowards, hiding behind death threats and picket signs.  Either way, it's wrong, and I wish the lot of them would comit massive suicide. >___>

Let's say there was a virus that struck the earth. It killed everyone except 10 people. You were one of them. Everyone was atheists, well, almost everyone. There was a man and a woman that were devout Christians. You know that this group of 10 would be a new beginning for humanity. But with it is the disease of religion. What would you do? Would you try and eradicate this disease, or would you let humanity poison itself all over again?
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Asmodean on September 19, 2011, 11:29:34 PM
Quote from: Stevil on September 19, 2011, 07:44:18 PM
What would you do? Would you try and eradicate this disease, or would you let humanity poison itself all over again?
I'd probably turn murderous on the spot, but that's hardly surprising...

That said, is ten enough to repopulate..? Won't we need the gene pool of at least several hundred for that?
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Stevil on September 20, 2011, 07:08:03 AM
Quote from: Asmodean on September 19, 2011, 11:29:34 PM
That said, is ten enough to repopulate..? Won't we need the gene pool of at least several hundred for that?
We all come from Adm and Eve right?

Although, as I understand it, incest is a sin. So without original sin. It would have all ended there. Adam and Eve's kids would have eventually died and heaven would be Adam, Eve, the kids and god. Of course there would have been no Jesus, because there would have been no Mary. So really the Christians should be very thankful of sin.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Tank on September 20, 2011, 08:08:59 AM
I think I kill all 10, including myself, and let evolution have another go.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Asmodean on September 20, 2011, 08:17:44 AM
Quote from: Tank on September 20, 2011, 08:08:59 AM
I think I kill all 10, including myself, and let evolution have another go.
So if you were one and I was another of the ten, we could kill everyone else and then shoot each other, old war movie style  :D
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: The Magic Pudding on September 20, 2011, 08:29:28 AM
You don't have to kill the last ten people to give evolution another go.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gearfuse.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2007%2F08%2Fdiy-vasectomy-magnet-set.jpg&hash=afefa34288b9e838f96d7013a857c3fe83543e09)

Seems to be a very straight forward procedure.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Asmodean on September 20, 2011, 08:33:47 AM
Quote from: The Magic Pudding on September 20, 2011, 08:29:28 AM
Seems to be a very straight forward procedure.
...Which in the world of medicine has been known to reverse itself, or so I've heard
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: The Magic Pudding on September 20, 2011, 08:41:20 AM
Quote from: Asmodean on September 20, 2011, 08:33:47 AM
Quote from: The Magic Pudding on September 20, 2011, 08:29:28 AM
Seems to be a very straight forward procedure.
...Which in the world of medicine has been known to reverse itself, or so I've heard

I've checked all that.
All the failed cases were due to small gauge staples or weak pegs.
When the time comes I'll lend you my stuff and don't you worry, you won't be doing any reproducing.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Tank on September 20, 2011, 08:56:27 AM
Quote from: Asmodean on September 20, 2011, 08:17:44 AM
Quote from: Tank on September 20, 2011, 08:08:59 AM
I think I kill all 10, including myself, and let evolution have another go.
So if you were one and I was another of the ten, we could kill everyone else and then shoot each other, old war movie style  :D
Dang! I wouldn't kill you, we could kill the others and then moan about 'The old days.' till we died.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Asmodean on September 20, 2011, 09:18:51 AM
Quote from: Tank on September 20, 2011, 08:56:27 AM
Dang! I wouldn't kill you, we could kill the others and then moan about 'The old days.' till we died.
A perfect world, that would be.  8)
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Too Few Lions on September 20, 2011, 02:22:00 PM
Quote from: Shy on September 17, 2011, 05:32:09 AM
...but I see faith synonymous with terrorism. Don't know much about either, so may have the wrong wording, but the thought makes sense.

People are scared to go to hell, so they do what they are told to do by the church or bible. They are terrified of hell. Bringing fear to the masses aids in control and the need for leadership to control.
Guess I'm venting some things that have been on my mind.   

I think you're right as regards Christianity and Islam, both use the nasty carrot of heaven and stick of hell routine, which is definitely eschatological terrorism! But not all religions have or do taught such nasty rubbish. A lot of teach reincarnation, and some (like ancient Greek religion) teach that all the dead go to the same place (in this case Hades), be they good or bad.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Norfolk And Chance on October 17, 2011, 02:33:23 PM
There is obviously a link between terrorism and faith.

Nobody would blow themselves up without believing they're going to paradise. The default human position (and that of every other organism) is to try and avoid dying.
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Siz on October 17, 2011, 03:18:03 PM
Quote from: Stevil on September 19, 2011, 07:44:18 PM
Quote from: Sweetdeath on September 19, 2011, 02:01:39 PM
Well, I wouldn't mind it too terribly if christians blew themselves up (without hurting anyone. XP)

Anyway, some of them are kinda terrorists, but mostly cowards, hiding behind death threats and picket signs.  Either way, it's wrong, and I wish the lot of them would comit massive suicide. >___>

Let's say there was a virus that struck the earth. It killed everyone except 10 people. You were one of them. Everyone was atheists, well, almost everyone. There was a man and a woman that were devout Christians. You know that this group of 10 would be a new beginning for humanity. But with it is the disease of religion. What would you do? Would you try and eradicate this disease, or would you let humanity poison itself all over again?

It has been conjectured that there is an inate human propensity to develop religion independently of external influence. Well, it already happened didn't it?

So I've got no reason to think it wouldn't reignite again in any case.

But I might just sacrifice them anyway for their pelts...
Title: Re: This may sound wrong...
Post by: Sandra Craft on October 17, 2011, 03:42:26 PM
Quote from: Shy on September 17, 2011, 05:32:09 AM
People are scared to go to hell, so they do what they are told to do by the church or bible. They are terrified of hell. Bringing fear to the masses aids in control and the need for leadership to control.

I don't think that's quite the big stick it's represented as.  I remember going thru a Xtian childhood, just like most Americans, and never giving hell a second thought tho I got all the usual fire and brimstone sermons.  In fact, of everyone I grew up with, my brother was the only one I knew who was bothered by it and he was overly imaginative anyway.

Religion isn't a terrorist tool, it's just part of the cultural glue and some people prize it more highly than others and it makes them a little squirrelly.  It's your misfortune to live in an area where squirrelly is the norm.