Measured Against Reality

Sunday, October 01, 2006

The Power of Faith



This is probably the best YouTube video I’ve ever seen. The use of “Mad World” in the background is perfect. We live in the maddest of all possible worlds. Or so it sometimes seems.

This made me think about how much I agree with Bertrand Russell when he said, “I am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as I am that they are untrue.” An honest look at historical and contemporary events shows that religion has had far more negative consequences than positive ones. All of the hope and charity and love that would have been there without religion is far outweighed by the blood of innumerable innocents that wouldn’t have spilt without religion.

Diderot had it right when he said, "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." Here’s to that day.

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posted at 10/01/2006 11:22:00 AM

5 Comments:

  • I don't get it. Elaborate. How do you deny God and replace Him with science ? And then the movie exhorts me to "have an open mind" as if being open-minded means denying what I know to be true.

    This is just materialism rephrased. Don't delude yourself into thinking this is anything deeper than worship of man and his abilities. I'd rather be a little more humble and admit that I feel God is responsible for endowing us with those abilities.

    Islam is fucking terrifying though. They are acting contrary to God.

    By Blogger Nicholas E Coutis, at 5:10 PM, October 01, 2006  

  • I'm sorry that you've had such a negative experience with religion that it has caused you to rejoice in the day that the last priest (or remnant) is destroyed.

    The religion I experience feeds the poor, clothes the naked, demonstrates love and kindness to the broken... gives hope in better things to come.

    It is a condition of the heart for a man to see a shortcoming within religion and therefore point a finger, mock, and blindly dismiss. It is the epitome of narrow-mindedness, IMO.

    Having said that, I appreciate your straightforwardness and the respectful way in which you dialogue. There is nothing I hate more than flame wars.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:44 AM, October 02, 2006  

  • Also, your thesis that religion is the cause of all evils in the world has a number of glaring flaws, particularly towards the end of the nineteenth and into the 20th centuries. The eugenics programs in America and Europe (read 'War Against the Weak' for a difficult-to-read history of American Eugenics) were a direct result of Darwinian theory taking hold.

    The central concept was that humans would 'help along' the natural process of survival of the fittest by wiping out the 'weaker varieties' of mankind. This was absolutely not a religious struggle, and in fact American Christians who value life above all else were appalled by this.

    Next, Naziism. Hitler was an atheist who also believed in Darwin's natural selection concept. He too believed that he would purify mankind by wiping out those who were not sufficiently pure. Further acts of genecide in Kosovo, etc were not motivated by religious hate but by inhuman acts of amoral atheism.

    Communism too was atheistic and religion was banned, particularly under Stalin and Mao. As you may be aware, between these two atheist regimes alone, untold millions of human beings were slaughtered.

    I repeat, they were ATHEISTS. Not like good old fashioned Christian me, but like postmodern human-worshipping you.

    The greatest crimes of the 20th century were committed by Godless atheists.

    By Blogger Nicholas E Coutis, at 9:46 AM, October 02, 2006  

  • I've got the "best video in the world" for a rebuttal toward the general atheist population.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3TnQ16leUE

    I suppose my qualm with atheists is that they actively engage in telling those who are of a faith that here's why you shouldn't be. It's like they have a chip on their shoulders about Christains.

    I don't see Catholics standing on the street saying to atheists that they should turn to God or risk fire and damnation. Last I checked...every Easter we pray for those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not believe in God.

    Why is it then, that atheists seem to feel no need to reciprocate those respects and let those who do beleive follow their own feelings? Perhaps it is a feeling of inadequacy in their lives and a need to feel fufilled in some pursuit? Perhaps they should spend more time doing other, more meaningful activities in their lives.

    By Blogger Agent_Smith, at 12:30 PM, October 02, 2006  

  • All this is bad/associated with religion is BECAUSE OF religion. All that is good/associated with religion would be there anyway if religion didn't exist. Highly dishonest, don't you think?
    If we consider religion as purely a human construct without the existence of a deity or deities, then both the good and bad of religion are inherent to humanity and exist independently of religion itself. Why else would humans create/interpret religion as they have? The negative/positive impulses would have to PRECEDE the creation of the system by which they are explained, interpreted and applied.
    Basic logic.

    By Blogger Melinda, at 12:43 PM, October 03, 2006  

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