Religious Robots - Comments

Insanity's Artist

Well as long as you get that than cool. We're awesome, admittedly I do not know much about Westboro but unfortunately I cannot say I am not surprised. Through history ideas on faith and community have had their fair share of extremists like such as you have described. It is a sad part of history that continues today. That's people unfortunately, which is why I don't believe in people and their words claiming it to be their deity's word. I believe in my own perspection :)

[b]Asteria[/b]
I didn't mean they were 'attacking' Christianity. What I was refuting, more, was that the article did center around Christianity, and that Westboro should not be used as an example of it, nor any of it's people's practices, beliefs, etc.
Westboro should never be used as an example for ANYTHING except an extremist cult let by a bitter, controlling madman, because that's what it is. It should never be used as a general example for Christianity or even this article.

Insanity's Artist

I believe Schizo was stating it as an example first hand in the introductory paragraph. As it would be a bit difficult to argue the point of this article without considering Christianity, which has a long, deep and still quite recent history, as an example. Thus not a statement of any kind implying a direct attack on the religion.

Btw BlindSilver I totally agree with you. No need to sugar coat anything, just as long as it is not inappropriate or offensive :)

First of all, thank you for acknowleging the fact that I commented on your article. However, please refrain from commenting on my profile about what I said on here. It's not like you said anything offensive or anything. I just prefer things to be kept where they belong.
You say on my profile: [i]"I wasn't clumping in Westboro Baptist Church in with Christianity. If you read through the article you'd see that I was just using it as an example for a certain topic. Not Christianity"[/i]
However in the actual article, in the first paragraph, last line or so, you say: [i]"This article will be more so about Christianity."[/i]

Explain to me how you're not talking about Christianity if you say something like that specific in your article.

There's such a huge bias in the article on the part of the writer, it's hard to do anything but roll my eyes. If you're going to go this route where you're only going to focus on one point of view, provide statistics to back it up... otherwise, it comes off as preachy, if not whiny - either way, it's standing on a soapbox.

Even though these are common traits amongst religious groups in cultures, the negative view presented is still... off. What I got out of this are the themes of conditioning in young children - which is, amusingly enough, human nature. Even if parents could do better by introducing their children to many different belief systems, it's natural for a child to develop a belief-system based on the one they grew up with.

You put sucfh a heavy point on all of this, it seems it would be better fit to, say, write an article based on your experiences... not one intended to teach. What the article seems to be asking for is sympathy, and empathy... that is the route you're taken.

Furthermore, this article is not about religion itself - rather the sociological impacts they have on groups (and, honestly, only a few). You have to understand, by criticizing religion as an institution, you do one of two things - come off as a bitter person with a personal grudge - leading some to either get offended, or dismiss the article on personal tone... er, really, that's an or/and. You should have probably taken a step back and thought about what this article is [i]really[/i] about - [i]your[/i] problems with the group-dynamics and trends a "named" belief system can have on people.

In general, you could write this article without even using the word "religion" - rather, you could have replaced it with "beliefs", or "faith", and attacked it from a broader standpoint. By focusing (blaming) one element of those, it's much easier to offend. Had you at least added some form of statistics, or even an anecdote, the article would be much more effective. Or, Hell, looked at it from a more objective standpoint.

Understand - I am not saying any of this because I am offended by anything you said - I'm not, at all. Just thoughts on where the real "problem is", and why this article doesn't even begin to touch them.

schizo

You don’t need to sugar coat the article, just offer a balance. You only wrote about one side and your attempt to write about the good brought by religion was tacked on the end as an after thought which feels unfinished. You also targeted a small group (the extremists) and generalised it to the whole, taking no account of pacifist groups or any others. I personally have yet to meet anyone of any religion who is that close-minded.

As to fact, to my knowledge also there have been no studies carried out into the subject due to the sensitivity and difficulty of creating an actual study. That and most rational people would be afraid to.

For the record, I find it infuriating when anyone speaks out against the religion of another.

I forgot to include that in my first comment.

Using Christians and Atheists as an example here. Both sides need to back off! Christians need to stop attacking Atheists. They need to respect their beliefs. Likewise, the Atheists need to stop attacking Christians. The perfect example is the Christmas billboards the Atheists put up every year. They want to be respected in every way but they disrespect Christians every year with those billboards. They can believe what ever they wish to but I wish they would keep it out of the public light, and the same goes for Christians when they do it to push what they believe about a holiday.

I'm also tired of hearing how Christians are all brainwashed and if they are raised a certain way they'll never change. I was raised a Christian and I can think for myself. I actually went through a phase not that long ago when I walked away from religion and God, I still believed but I wanted no part of it. Then something happened and it made me return to God. Even now though I still don't agree with the views of the church I sometimes attend on many things, let alone every member of my family.

I don't dislike Atheists for who they are or what they believe. I don't blame every one of them for what a select few do. But I do hold a strong dislike for those who disrespect other religions, and that applies to every religion.

By the way, all the hate comments are proving the point I was trying to put out through the article. :D Thanks, you guys!!!
Really. Thank you.

There's a difference between stating your opinion and attacking someone else's opinion.

You cover a broad field, but when you compare Westbro to all churches it makes me wonder if you have any background in a church or any religion at all, because you just say we are all alike religious robots.

I wasn't brought up in a church, but I choose Christianity for myself. Some do choose their religion for themselves while others don't.

I'm a proud Christian, but you don't see me protesting at a funeral for anyone like that cult does, nor do you see me bashing someone because of their sex preference. There are other Christians like that, so I don't see how we're all religious robots.

I do realize that the article didn't have [i]much[/i] "fact", and I tried to include as much as I possibly could, but I highly doubt anyone is bold enough to conduct a study or survey or even speak out against religion affecting children. It's not really my problem if this offended anyone (some more than others - which was amusing. [b]no offense[/b]).
And I know that I wasn't very "sensitive" in the way I write. How could I sugar coat it?
And lastly, as for the person who said they'd never met a happy, nice Atheist (or whatever the exact words were): I'm an Atheist, and I'm just [i]full of sunshine.[/i]

I liked your article, your opinion was very straightforward. I agree though, my parents are making me go to some church classes so I can have my Confirmation, which is some thing Catholics have to do, when I've told them more than once that I don't believe in a God. I don't think homosexuality or anything of the sort is going to send anyone to hell, and I think it's not only very sad but kinda scary when I hear people say that it's better to be a murderer than homosexual.
My best friend's parents are super Christian and they don't like me because my family is Catholic. They hated me before they met me. Why the hell do people judge on religion? Either way, in the end, everyone ends up believing in a God. Maybe their creator doesn't go by the same name or their rules & book are different, but all in all, THEY ARE ALL A GOD.
It's just the way they're all being hypocrites that really pisses me off. I have met a lot of religious people that are truly nice and giving and respectful, what their religion says to be. But sadly, I've met a lot of religious people that do the opposite. They're cold-hearted but claim to love their god? What the hell is that?! There's supposed to be a seperation of church and state but the states hide behind this law and, like godless said, avoid same-sex marriage and other things that are obviously influenced by religion.

Ha ha, sorry for writing a NOVEL here(:

xoxo

I'm reading some of the comments, and some say you stated the article harshly. Good for you! The whole world likes to sugar coat things, when in reality they shouldn't. People don't like slaps to their faces- they're jus babies. Kudos to you for slapping some people! Time for the people to wake up and smell the roses.

Oh, and everyone who's bashing...do me a favor and go look at [b]Kurtni Klause's[/b] comment.
Seriously, people. It's one thing to air your opinion,; it's another thing to attack someone else for their opinion.

Mmmm. This was an interesting article overall, though I was never quite sure exactly where you were going; it definitely spanned a broad range of religion related topics. And something about your transitions (Moreover, therefore, etc) seemed off to me; I'm not sure if you were using them in quite the right context
Other than that, this was fairly well written. You expressed your beliefs very well, with an acceptable amount of fact backing most of them up.
I can agree, that having religion when you're young shapes your outlook and perspective of the world, and like you, I don't necessarily think that's a good thing. I was brought up in a decidly non religious way, and it let me figure things out for myself based on my personal experiences and feelings. On the other hand, it crippled my ability to just [i]believe[/i]. , which more than occasionally would have been a nice comfort.

[b]godless.[/b]
I think you have it backwards. The majority of churches aren't actively pushing for those kinds of things. Most churches will preach those things inside their church but most don't actively go and protest it. I think you're underestimating the vast amount of churches in America. Christians may vote based on their beliefs, but you can't get mad at them for that, because when you vote, you're doing the same thing. You vote for what you think is right, and thats all we do, too.
I'm not a Catholic and I don't know anything about the Pope, because I don't agree with much of their doctrine because its not supported in the Bible and I don't believe in one, ordinary man heading the masses in such an idolatrous[sp?] fashion. No offense to Catholics. Just stating my opinion.
And that makes sense but you have to understand that its people that make religion what it is and you can't insult it without insulting the people. I personally don't believe in being religious. I believe in beng Christian, and yes, there is a difference.

[b]ierotic killjoy[/b]
I'm pretty sure I am warm, optimistic, and at peace. I don't see how believing in god has anything to do with that...

[b]Insanity's Artist:[/b] Sure, there's the odd church that leaves people alone, but the fact that so many religion-based opinions are in laws (America banning same-sex marriage) or in education (teaching creationism in science classes), or in medicine (anti-stem cell research) is enough for me to decide that it's a bad thing. When it effects everyday life of everybody, then there's a problem. And it's organizations that keep these things in place.

And the Pope is probably the most evil living person on Earth right now. And he's head of a big religious organization.

So, no, it's not [i]everybody[/i] in a religious organization. The whole idea of religion itself, more like. Not necessarily the people.

i see where youre coming from but to be honest i think youre sending the wrong message. there ARE alot of priests and ministers who alter gods word into what their opinions are and what their beliefs are but there are also many who will be straight forward with you and tell you what the bible says word for word.... and i agree that alot of the time parents do try to make their children believe what they believe. thats wrong... my parents are very christian and they have always believed. theyve always wanted me to but i havent. i used to be obsessed with demons and satan and witchcraft. all through that time period they reminded me of my religious roots and gave encouraging advice and verses from the bible. thank god!!! if they hadnt i would be damned to hell.... there is many way you can look at religion i just think you needed to add more fact, stactistics, other ppls opinions and so forth. but other than that good job:) god bless:)... and to be honest i think youre looking more at the negative here than the positive.

Though I see the point trying to come across in this article; the author (schizo) hasn’t been all too sensitive in how it was written, too much opinion and not enough fact, hence it is slightly offensive.

However, I do agree there are people in the world who are “conditioned” by their parents, key point being parents who are human, who probably took the word of their religious text as literal rather than being metaphorical. (I am of the opinion that all the religious texts are meant to be interpreted and taken as guidance.) The keyword word being human, meaning the blame does not lie with religion itself but the people.

In the words of Rufus from Dogma (film 1999) “humanity took a good idea and, like always, built a belief structure on it.” I am going somewhere with this quote so don’t bash me yet. These extremists don’t allow for other ideas hence why there are attacks on other faiths, they don’t allow for other ideas except their own thus they’ve become stagnant but it is the other practitioners of the faith who suffer, the ones who do allow for the differences.

Anyway I’ll shut up, I was trying to make sure I didn’t offend anyone (probably failed at that) though I do recommend Dogma for anyone with an interest in said subject since it covers a lot of religious arguments if you ignore the comedy.

As to my beliefs, I’m a theist who doesn’t believe in organised religion, beyond that it’s between me, my pillow and whatever happens when I’m dead.