The Hazards of Belief

jcf

Muslims around the world today are starving their kids and not letting them eat until sundown .... How noble ...of course if an atheist were to do this for say diet reasons there would be uproar and all sorts of cruelty to children complaints would ensue.


But no , this is a religious festival and must be " respected " ....


Vile and disgusting

Sonics2k

It's hardly starving them really.

It's pretty stupid, but it's not the worst thing they do honestly.

jcf

Sonics2k wrote: »

It's hardly starving them really.

It's pretty stupid, but it's not the worst thing they do honestly.

Course not , but the point is anyone else did this for non religious reasons there be war , then again were talking about a religion that butchers baby girls genitals and sanctions 9 yr old girls to marry fat 60 yr old men....


Yes indeed , such a noble religion.

Nodin

jcf wrote: »

Muslims around (.........)must be " respected " ....

Vile and disgusting

A sense of proportion is a great thing.

jcf wrote: »

again were talking about a religion that butchers baby girls genitals

We are?
http://www.medindia.net/news/Egyptian-Clerics-Say-Female-Circumcision-UnIslamic-23055-1.htm

coffee_cake

Nodin wrote: »

A sense of proportion is a great thing.



We are?
http://www.medindia.net/news/Egyptian-Clerics-Say-Female-Circumcision-UnIslamic-23055-1.htm

http://www.rt.com/news/egypt-revive-mutilation-alarm-372/

Kivaro

bluewolf wrote: »

http://www.rt.com/news/egypt-revive-mutilation-alarm-372/

Good god almighty. So it was banned by the dictator in 2007, and now the zealots want it back.

Religion: it's really beginning to annoy me.

Nodin

bluewolf wrote: »

http://www.rt.com/news/egypt-revive-mutilation-alarm-372/

The FJP, however, has denied the reports. And Hussein Ibrahim, head of the party’s parliamentary bloc, told the People’s Assembly that the party did not sponsor any such campaigns

There was a story about wanting to bring in legislation whereby a man could have sex with his dead wife upto 6 hours after her passing as well. This turned out to be a false report from former regime members stirring the shit.

recedite

the party did not sponsor any such campaigns

Politician-speak, useful for when you want to disassociate from something in front of an audience where it would be unpopular, while not actually saying you don't want it to happen, just in case the other (wacky) crowd are listening.

Nodin

recedite wrote: »

Politician-speak, useful for when you want to disassociate from something in front of an audience where it would be unpopular, while not actually saying you don't want it to happen, just in case the other (wacky) crowd are listening.

You'll find that fundamentalists tend to wear their fundamentalism as a badge of honour. Our eyes tend to pick out such things as the proverbial 'dunce cap'. These stories often originate when people are trying to demonise an opponent. The late Khomeini was supposed to have written a book whereby he excused sex with 8 year olds, provided it was not penetrative. He didn't, the book never existed, yet this story still comes up, despite having its origins in the early 1980's.

Is there a problem with FGM? Yes. However its primarily a cultural practice, not a religous one. Theres no point in rejecting one set of false beliefs for another.

recedite

I'd agree that its primarily cultural, and even Christians in Egypt practice it. For Jews it is both religious and cultural.
Religious people tend to be conservative in their attitudes, so culture is given an exaggerated intrinsic value, regardless of the actual pros and cons of the situation.

robindch

Philippines birth control: Filipinos want it, priests don’t and the Vatican moves to block legislation providing free contraception to all Filipino citizens:

http://churchandstate.org.uk/2012/07/philippines-birth-control/

10 Scariest US States to Be An Atheist


http://churchandstate.org.uk/2011/06/10-scariest-states-to-be-an-atheist/

Delirium

Scottish Catholics: Homosexuality cuts lifespan by up to 20 years

Peter Kearney, director of the Scottish Catholic Media Office, said medical research showed there was a link between homosexuality and early death, arguing it was both “hazardous” and “harmful”.

He said there was a “conspiracy of silence” around the issue that prevented society facing up to it in the same manner as health problems such as smoking, drug abuse and obesity.

Quatermain

koth wrote: »

Scottish Catholics: Homosexuality cuts lifespan by up to 20 years

Surely they would be delighted about this, as it would mean they'd be rid of us quicker? They're really flip-flopping on this issue. O_o

Hotblack Desiato

FFS, maybe if the likes of him weren't giving tacit encouragement to persecution of homosexuals then fewer of them would end up dead due to murder or suicide.

Kivaro

robindch wrote: »

10 Scariest US States to Be An Atheist


http://churchandstate.org.uk/2011/06/10-scariest-states-to-be-an-atheist/

Woohoo, I am a scary Atheist in one of the Scariest US States to be an Atheist.

Galvasean

I liked the bit at the end:
"So if you’re ever tempted to ask why atheists are so angry, or why they have to kick up such a fuss all the time, or why they want to organize and form groups based on what they don’t believe in… remember that."

Nodin

Kivaro wrote: »

Woohoo, I am a scary Atheist in one of the Scariest US States to be an Atheist.

Dressin up as Darwin this halloween?

Kivaro

Nodin wrote: »

Dressin up as Darwin this halloween?

Are you kidding? They'd lynch me down here.

But seriously, there are some very progressive areas in the American South.
My local library hosts a freethinkers club once a month (on a Sunday), which is great fun.

And their manners are impeccable. Goin' round callin' me 'Sir' and all.

The Mad Hatter

Kivaro wrote: »

Are you kidding? They'd lynch me down here.

But seriously, there are some very progressive areas in the American South.
My local library hosts a freethinkers club once a month (on a Sunday), which is great fun.

And their manners are impeccable. Goin' round callin' me 'Sir' and all.

"It's the first time someone's ever called me 'Sir' without adding 'you're making a scene.'" -Homer Simpson

Kivaro

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

"It's the first time someone's ever called me 'Sir' without adding 'you're making a scene.'" -Homer Simpson

For me though, it's usually followed by:

"- could you please pull up your pants."

joseph brand

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

"It's the first time someone's ever called me 'Sir' without adding 'you're making a scene.'" -Homer Simpson

joseph brand

Seems fair enough. :rolleyes:

robindch

Summary: A Russian girl-band faces up to seven years in prison for singing an anti-Putin song in a Moscow church. Once a case reaches a Russian court, the likelihood of conviction is roughly 99%.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19040414

BBC News wrote:

Pussy Riot members go on trial in Moscow

Three members of Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot have gone on trial, in a case that has divided Russia and inflamed the religious establishment. They were taken into custody in February after singing a song protesting against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main cathedral. The song outraged the Russian Orthodox Church. It accused them of blasphemy.

Supporters say the case reflects the state's growing intolerance of government opponents. At the start of the trial, the three women, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were led into court in handcuffs, and locked into a cage of bullet-proof glass.

In court, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said they would not plead guilty, but that did not mean they were not prepared to apologise for the pain their performance in the cathedral caused. They each stood up and answered a series of questions from the judge in turn, which included their educational level, citizenship and the birthdates of their children.

The women are facing the charge of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred or hostility and could face up to seven years in prison. They caused outrage when they stormed onto the altar of Christ the Saviour Cathedral, and sang an obscenity-laced song that implored the Virgin Mary to "throw Putin out".

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has said the act amounted to blasphemy. The case has divided Russia, with many feeling the women have been too harshly treated, and are being made an example of as part of attempts to clamp down on the opposition, the BBC's Daniel Sandford reports from the court.

Two of the women have young children, and all three have repeatedly been denied requests to be given bail while awaiting trial. Pussy Riot made headlines around the world late last year when footage of their controversial public performances at Moscow landmarks such as Red Square attracted millions of viewers on the internet.

More than 100 prominent Russian actors, directors and musicians have urged the authorities to release the three. Western musicians such as Sting and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have also criticised the women's arrest.

Activists have said the case indicates that President Putin, now serving a third term in office, is not heeding calls for him to be more tolerant of political opponents.

robindch

^^^ Pussy Riot in action:

PopePalpatine

^ The Rubberbandits' tea cosy-wearing Russian cousins? :rolleyes:

Nodin

"A couple who had sex outside marriage has been stoned to death at the weekend by Islamists in the town of Aguelhok in northern Mali, officials say.

The man and woman were buried up to their necks, then pelted with stones until they died.

The northern half of Mali has been overrun by rebels - Tuareg and Islamist - following a coup in Mali's capital. "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19053442
Grim stuff. The Tuareg cut a rod for their own backs when they got involved with that bunch.

dmw07

Nodin wrote: »

"A couple who had sex outside marriage has been stoned to death at the weekend by Islamists in the town of Aguelhok in northern Mali, officials say.

The man and woman were buried up to their necks, then pelted with stones until they died.

The northern half of Mali has been overrun by rebels - Tuareg and Islamist - following a coup in Mali's capital. "
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19053442
Grim stuff. The Tuareg cut a rod for their own backs when they got involved with that bunch.

I literally got sick in my mouth when I read this. It beggars belief.

robindch

Villagers spend centuries praying for the glacier to retreat. As soon as it does, the Vatican took a year to grant them permission to start praying for it to come back.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/swiss-bishop-calls-on-power-of-prayer-to-bring-back-ice-20120730-239z7.html

Guardian wrote:

YOU'VE got to hand it to the Catholic Church - sometimes its methods work. In 1678, the inhabitants of Fiesch, in the Swiss canton of Valais, exasperated with the glaciers that loomed ever larger over their village and swallowed up their pasturage, inaugurated an annual pilgrimage. The hope was to banish the ice forms with chants, prayers and holy water. Several centuries later, their prayers appear to have been answered.

But the glaciers have carried on retreating, and not just the Fiesch and Aletsch, which happen to be the two largest in the Alps. Swiss glaciers are shrinking, on average, by 10 metres a year, and the consequences are proving dire for some.

The Giesen glacier in the Jungfrau massif has developed a large crack, and is at risk of collapse, potentially unleashing floodwaters on the village of Lauterbrunnen. A melting glacier in the region of Zermatt has forced the Swiss and Italian authorities to renegotiate their frontier. The new one, expected to shift about 100 metres in Switzerland's favour, will be announced later this year.

A few years ago, on behalf of Fiesch and other villages now deprived of the glaciers' shadow, as well as the Valaisan tourist board, the Bishop of Sion petitioned the Vatican to authorise a change in the processional liturgy (which still takes place each year) so that the villagers could ask God to stop the ice shrinking instead. The Holy See cogitated for a year before agreeing and the modified prayers will get their first airing at today's procession.
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If they are not effective, residents might cheer themselves with the news that some groups have found positive uses for the disappearing glaciers.

Environmentalists have proposed turbines powered by the meltwater to replace nuclear energy and archaeologists are having a field day as the receding ice reveals treasures, including the wreck of a US B17 bomber, which crashed in 1944 and came to light last year in a valley above Klosters.

Bannasidhe

robindch wrote: »

Villagers spend centuries praying for the glacier to retreat. As soon as it does, the Vatican took a year to grant them permission to start praying for it to come back.

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/swiss-bishop-calls-on-power-of-prayer-to-bring-back-ice-20120730-239z7.html

My brother lives in Valais. They are super Ultra Catholic - possibly due to having Calvinist Geneva slap bang on their doorstep.

When I go visit him I do enjoy watching the seminarians playing football while wearing cassocks. Hours of drunken fun has been had by Irish Atheists sipping cocktails by big brov's pool watching them dispute penalty calls on the grounds that the injured party had actually tripped over his frock and was not illegally tackled. The dispute can take all day if the Jesuits are involved.

robindch

Academic study on the continuity of anti-jewish persecution in the 600 years leading up to the 1930's:

http://qje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/07/26/qje.qjs019.full.pdf

(haven't read it yet, but it looks like an antidote to the usual "Hitler was an atheist/used evolution/whatever to legitimize his extermination of the jews")