8 years ago
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Sen. Sylvia Allen: Would 'mandatory church' lead to 'moral rebirth'?
Sylvia Allen, an Arizona state senator, opined that church attendance should be mandatory. Constitutional questions aside, there is a centuries-long debate that goes back to the European Enlightenment: Can you be moral if you’re not religious?
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Church Shootings - Watchman Security Consulting Ministries
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Security!? In a church?
Deadly Force Incidents (DFI's) at Faith-Based Organizations in the United States (includes abductions [& attempts], attacks, suspicious deaths, suicides & deadly force intervention / protection)
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This is the sour horseshit we've come to expect from Arizona. Religious people aren't moral. They are obeying their 'father', trying to get into heaven and stay out of hell. Their 'goodness' is all self serving and hypocritical. Only a secular person who behaves decently because that is the way one should act can be called moral. Religious people are childish suck-ups.
Of course there are moral people that would identify as religious. ‘Moral’ on your terms above, and ‘religious’ on their own terms. Maybe you ought to’ve used, instead of ‘religious,’ another word. ‘Pious’ is one of the gentler that comes to mind.
My point is that for 'religious' people, being 'moral' is always profit making, payments toward the afterlife. If you look at history you may decide, as I have, that morality, decency is actually rare in religions. I was raised by a Bible-thumper in a religious household and my rift with, (in my case Christianity) came directly from observing how Christians actually act on the street. Since I went to Buddhist Asia during the Vietnam and became involved with them through marrying a Buddhist, I must say that they are much nicer people, in my experience, than Christians. I claim no religion but simply try to do more good than bad.
Amituofo. Right there with you, noting that Buddhism is not apart from religion. Not every religion is theistic, nor chiefly about what would supposedly happen after your life is over, nor entirely concerned with what is politely called the ‘gospel of prosperity.’ Some are quite the opposite. Now, I’m as enthusiastic and energetic an antitheist as you’re likely to meet today, but even I know when my grudge is more or less specifically about over-pious Christians, as it so often is.
My antitheist stance is heavily aimed at Christianity and is very biased, but I've seen nothing to change my mind, but only to convince me I'm right. I try to be reasonable, but I often fail.