Why do you believe, what you believe?

[Milkster]

I just was curious and wanted to ask all you BGers out there, if your religious beliefs tie into your political beliefs and/or vice versa.

Just asking this because of a argument I just got out of with a Right-Wing Christian about the current state of the world. Want to see how your religious views affect your political views on the world and it's social problems, if your political views have any influence over your religious views.

[thetruepandagod]

I have a firm belief in the fact that common sense has been made irrelevant due to society placating butthurt minorities and we are being led down the path to ruin. I have no religious views and i do not vote because politicians are led by the will of the people and thereby have no initial beliefs that matter and decide to be PRO *whatever is popular or deemed necessary* regardless of what party you vote for.

I also am a firm believer that homosexuality is not something you are born with and that sexuality is a fluid thing. However i do not think any sexual preference should be discriminated against no have bearing on anything in your life other than who and what you fuck.

I also think that the constant hand holding "your special" attitude that people have been thrusting upon the newer generations have ruined us far worse than anything else we could possible do, constantly creating princess attitudes among men and women who have a higher sense of self than they should have for refusing to put forth and effort or work into anything.

This kinda what u asking for?

[Viq]

http://www.pointsincase.com/files/u2...er-redneck.jpg

[BaneTheBrawler]

I had a whole summary of my beliefs typed up, but then I realized that's not what you're asking for, so I scrapped it and just kept this summary:

I guess you could say my faith does influence my political views, but not quite the way I think you're suggesting. I believe in my religion because I think it makes sense. I pick my political views because they also make sense to me. I don't pick them because God told me to, at least not directly.

[pahnphoenix]

i'm an atheist anarchist. they make sense together, but neither is the reason for the other.

political "beliefs" come in different types, by the way. i have beliefs about capitalism and democracy that are apart from the fact that i "believe in" working for social justice. those beliefs support/justify *how* i would suggest people work for justice, but i would still believe them even if i decided it was time to say fuck it and exploit everyone. '

i strongly suspect that powerful, conservative people believe pretty much the same things i do about politics, government, economics, etc. the only people that believe in stuff like totalitarian power actually helping common people or the invisible hand of the market solving various problems are suckers. at the top of all chains of such beliefs is a con artist or group of con artists. the world is actually not so complicated, and it shouldn't be hard to have beliefs that accord pretty closely to reality. rashomon's a great movie and all, but its central message is not very profound or truthful.

edit: last sentence is a bit bolder than it should be... the conventional interpretation of rashomon is not so profound; if 3 people see an event, they will pretty much see the same thing. truth isn't up for grabs. people's prejudices influence their perception to some degree, but prejudices are only embedded insofar as you don't work to really investigate the world, and if you want to manipulate the world, you have to investigate it. if you need to know how to do something to survive, you generally learn how to do it. i wonder if the force of what i'm emphasizing here is clear. probably not.

anyway, i threw in this edit because rashomon actually is kind of profound. every time i see it i have a different idea of what kurosawa's intentions actually were (ie i rarely agree that he's actually trying to say that events are ambiguous and their truth relative to the prejudices of their observers). and of course it's a great movie above and beyond "its message" or "what it means" or whatever.

[BerenTebogo]

I believe in little girls.

[Flarega]

I just hate jews.

[Kerberoz]

My god is an awesome god.

http://www.manafont.org/rnd/gif/datass8.gif

[Achitophel]

I fucking hate social justice. Howard Zinn: nice guy, but I'm not going to miss him coming out with shitty books.

[Obev]

I believe in nothing.* I attempt to assess everything on an ad hoc basis, without the doctrinal doublespeak of political or religious dogmas.

At least, that's what I try to do in theory. In practice it turns out that my ad hoc assessment of most things ends up with me on the liberal left side, but towards the practical end of the spectrum rather than on the far banks of the Volga with the hardcore socialists.


*EDIT: EXCEPT THOR.

[Byrthnoth]

This is a particularly good article on this subject, though it seems he kinda cops out at the end:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com...s-without-god/

Morality is the only remaining bastion of God, in a sense. People have tried coming up with a logically necessary moral order and failed many many times.

[Kuya]

If no necessary moral order can be proposed without God, then there is no necessary moral order.

[SephYuyX]

I believe this thread is going to end up like every other religious/political thread.

[Cadsuane]

I believe this thread is going to end up like every other religious/political thread.

It will come and go and you will remain a creepy stalker and hentai addict?

[aduidarnenye]

When I was about 11 or 12 I was walking to Sunday school at the Anglican church I had been attending for the previous few years. On my way there I was thinking "Why are there even Muslims and Buddhists in the world when Christianity is obviously right?". Then I stopped dead and said to myself "But why is it right and the others wrong?". I've been an atheist ever since.

I try to act morally and ethically without religion. I don't think religion is necessary to be moral. I think that any religion that has any history of supporting hatred or slavery should be simply discounted; a moral god would not want these things for humanity.

I wonder if it is sad or pathetic that I tend to live more by the morals of authors like Terry Pratchett and Harry Harrison than I do our supposedly ethical and moral books such as the Bible and the Quran?

In Disworld Lord Vetinari once pointed out that there was so much pain and suffering and evil in the world that he couldn't understand how a creator could make such a world and that obviously it is up to humanity to become the moral superior of the supreme god. I think I like that idea.

[kuronosan]

I try to act morally and ethically without religion. I don't think religion is necessary to be moral. I think that any religion that has any history of supporting hatred or slavery should be simply discounted; a moral god would not want these things for humanity.

I wonder if it is sad or pathetic that I tend to live more by the morals of authors like Terry Pratchett and Harry Harrison than I do our supposedly ethical and moral books such as the Bible and the Quran?

In Disworld Lord Vetinari once pointed out that there was so much pain and suffering and evil in the world that he couldn't understand how a creator could make such a world and that obviously it is up to humanity to become the moral superior of the supreme god. I think I like that idea.

This. How anyone can believe God is a person who watches over us and judges us when we die, created people with the capacity for evil but loves us, and is seemingly nothing more than an irresponsible parent with a sadistic sense of humor, is beyond me.

[Milkster]

I have a firm belief in the fact that common sense has been made irrelevant due to society placating butthurt minorities and we are being led down the path to ruin. I have no religious views and i do not vote because politicians are led by the will of the people and thereby have no initial beliefs that matter and decide to be PRO *whatever is popular or deemed necessary* regardless of what party you vote for.

I also am a firm believer that homosexuality is not something you are born with and that sexuality is a fluid thing. However i do not think any sexual preference should be discriminated against no have bearing on anything in your life other than who and what you fuck.

I also think that the constant hand holding "your special" attitude that people have been thrusting upon the newer generations have ruined us far worse than anything else we could possible do, constantly creating princess attitudes among men and women who have a higher sense of self than they should have for refusing to put forth and effort or work into anything.

This kinda what u asking for?

Pretty much.

[Yabby]

I believe this thread is going to end up like every other religious/political thread.

Just need a few key people.

[Skeeterxi]

Just no proof for me to believe in God, simple as that.

[Kuya]

I have a firm belief in the fact that common sense has been made irrelevant due to society placating butthurt minorities

I also think that the constant hand holding "your special" attitude that people have been thrusting upon the newer generations have ruined us far worse than anything else we could possible do

What do these two things mean, and what do you suggest we do instead? That is, how has placating minorities led to a path of ruin and how has it made common sense irrelevant. And as an alternative to "placating" minorities, what do you suggest? Similarly, how has "hand holding attitude" ruined people and can you prove it? What would you suggest as an alternative?

I also am a firm believer that homosexuality is not something you are born with and that sexuality is a fluid thing.

You're confusing concepts. Sexual fluidity merely refers to the flexibility and complexity of human sexuality, it does not mean that human sexuality can be reprogrammed/programmed to whatever. For example, a man can consider himself homosexual or heterosexual but still present a fluid sexuality.