Religion does not control people, people control people. People have done horrible things, not religion.
If you really want an example of oppression look to one name:
Pol Pot.
Who killed more in his own small country in the name of preserving atheism than died in either of those 2 secularly driven conflicts.
But let’s just look at the easy stuff: Human rights are more widely practiced in every country where religion (Christianity, Islam, etc) has spread. Almost every instance of slavery being brought to an end was done by religious activists.
Also, religion has given us culture, tradition, forms of art and music. Also, countless numbers of charities give money to less fortunate and organize institutions (St. Jude’s Hospital for example). People who affiliate themselves with some religions volunteer their time, some even leaving their home countries to help others. Is it 100% a good thing? No. has it caused issues like war or bigotry? Yes, but so have politics and government.
Many people will use whatever vehicle they can to serve their purpose. Religion is often used as this vehicle.
Guns don’t kill people, people kill people, remember this folks.
Categorized | Featured Articles
Atheists Blame Religion Too Much, Agreed?
Posted on January 22, 2011.
you blame the devil for everything wrong in the world, hypocrite
I’m an atheist and I agree.
religion is like guns or cars – very powerful and beneficial most of the time, and you don’t stop everyone using them because a tiny minority of idiots used them irresponsibly or to their own selfish ends.
I’ll embrace the positive aspects of religion, while absolutely detesting the negative aspects of religion.
Certainly the liberal theists have done more good than harm in recent years.
People will blame anyone and anything for, while, anything. It’s unfair to target atheists as the only ones. Christians blames Jews(which makes no sense because Jesus was a Jew). Jews blame Germany….blah blah blah.
“in the name of preserving atheism”
You actually don’t know much about Pol Pot, do you?
I’m an atheist and I agree mostly. Except the Pol Pot example. He doesn’t speak for all of us.
Bullshit. Denial is NOT a river in Egypt.
Fact is, some ideologies, religion in particular, offers people an EXCUSE to be murderous beasts without worrying about their conscience. To go against their moral instincts.
Remember this saying?
“Good people do good things, and bad people do bad things – that is normal – and even a bad person will do a good thing sometimes. But for good people to do bad things, you need religion.”
Yes, people should be held accountable for thier actions. As an atheist, I disagree about the “blaming religion”. I don’t ever call religion into anything…it is christains who often call on it.
Lawl. Religion, especially Christianity and Islam, have a LONG history of violence. Read some history. Thanks.
“Religion does not control people, people control people. People have done horrible things, not religion.”
“Who killed more in his own small country in the name of preserving atheism than died in either of those 2 secularly driven conflicts.”
Both those statements are contradictory.
You state it is that people do horrible things, yet you claim that Pol Pot killed in the name of a lack of belief in god.
Do you know how stupid that makes you look?
My fine young thinking man..you are correct
Intelligent atheist will agree with your facts, but sadly..ignorance is common in atheist circles
No,just the stuff they’re responsible for doing.Jihad,Crusades,Inquisitions,etc.
Pol Pot wasn’t killing in the name of atheism.He was a political dictator.
Islam and human rights?That’s just pathetically ignorant.Christianity was used in the past more to subjugate humanity than free it.Ask the Aztecs and Incas,the ones Christians didn’t outright slaughter or kill with their diseases.
For every Christian that supported abolition another opposed it.Remember that Civil War we had?I don’t see any atheists killing children in Africa for being witches,that’s a Christian pastime.
Religion is bathed in blood.Christianity and Islam both.
You know, I was willing to agree with you that we exaggerate a bit. I was with you right up until the point where you said that pol pot was motivated by atheism. That was dishonest.
Human rights are also significantly restricted in other religious countries (mostly Islamic countries). More specifically, human rights today are common among countries that share enlightenment philosophy. I don’t think you can claim equal rights for African Americans, and especially women as triumphs of religion. I mean, it specifically mentions women as subordinate to men in the letters to the Corinthians. People used Christianity to justify slavery as well. Therefore, even though many prominent civil rights activists were Christians, it wasn’t a result of their Christianity. It happened because they were able to reconcile their religious beliefs with reason.
I’m perfectly fine with religion if religion is willing to adapt itself to the times. Deists and moderate Christians are perfectly fine in my book. We can all agree that the philosophy Jesus preached was good. If you admit you can’t prove God exists to anyone but yourself, then we can get along great.
Atheists who frequent this site like to religiously attack Christianity
and blame Christians for most of their woes – but it’s just their way
to hide from the truth that so much trouble and strife in this world is
caused by some downright mongrel Atheists.