heybraham said:
btw "people dont hate because religion told them to, they hate because they want to".
you keep saying that but what I keep saying is that it encourages the "i am right" mentality. It promotes it strongly, that they are the CORRECT God, everyone else is doomed/ignorant. It pushes people to believe such things if one is to follow a religion properly. It is not because they want to hate, you miss the point there. I agree that it is part of human nature to prejudice against differences, and I am saying that religion encourages it. Just because it is human nature does not mean anything that encourages such behaviour is "okay".
At this point, I'd like to bring up the fact that I have three wonderful friends, who, when it comes to religion, is on my back about it. One muslim, two CHristian. Both fundamentalists - feel that I need to be saved, even without my consent. They severely look down on me in the things I do, and have the balls to tell me I'm most probably going to hell and that it is their responsibility as "my friend" to help me. Their thinking is black and white, and I blame religion, considering it is the core part of their ways of thinking. Even weird case scenarios eg a family that does not ever marry, but raises kids and manages to stay intact is STILL not a family. And this is where your repeated sentence falters, considering it has nothing to do with what I'm saying here. It is narrow minded thinking. Religion encourages or pushes for the 'i am right, no exceptions' mentality. My friends want to 'save' me, not 'hate' me.
honestly, ure missing the point. i'm simply talking about what defines humanity, and that's culture. religion is just part of culture.
Just because its cultural doesnt make it right. If it is a culture, it has a significant system of values. Values are fairly subjective (except, I suppose the humanist ones eg do not kill) and are able to be challenged. It was cultural once to bind a chinese girls feet. It was a thing of beauty, art etc. But it was cultural. A set of values that defined a girl's looks. It CAN be challenged, it CAN change, morph through time, in which most cultural traditions have.
You say "culture" like it is out of the question to challenge it. I really really really beg to differ. Most of western society's current values are old values re-shaped, evolved or a replacement of the old. Eg women as possessions.
You're missing the point I feel. You keep reaffirming that "religion is a part of culture it defines humanity etc", it can, but it doesnt HAVE to. Proof here is that I am without religion, and I am still much of a human. If you're talking socially, we all know that it is a significant role to humanity, but it is not an essential one (if you put the existance of a deity aside). We ALL know it is human nature to think of a higher being and be spiritual, but you are putting forward that it cannot be questioned, as if it is a natural thing.
Even if you replaced this idea with art. "you cannot question art, because it is part of human nature". it is an absurd idea, because we are not questioning art itself, we are not trying to wipe art out of humanity,
we are discussing more so its elements. Eg we could be questioning the value of postmodern techniques. It is STILL a valid question!