I recently read a article about for the world to tackle truly important problems, people have to stop looking to religion to guide their moral compasses.
It stated that the world should be talking about real problems, like nuclear proliferation and genocide and poverty and the crisis in education,
And that these are issues which tremendous swings in human well-being depend on. And it's not at the center of our moral concern.
The argument that religion causes people to fixate on issues of less moral importance,
And that religion has convinced us that there's something else entirely other than concerns about suffering.
That we should not be concerned about what God wants, and are concerns about what's going to happen in the afterlife, And how we talk about less significant things like gay marriage as if it's the greatest problem of the 21st century instead of more important problems.
That having a liberal president who ostensibly is against gay marriage because his faith tells him it's an abomination."It's completely insane."
And that people shouldn't be afraid to declare that certain acts are right and others are wrong. Such as a person who would spill battery acid on a girl for trying to learn to read, and if it is objectively wrong by scientific standards.
The person argument was that it should be our job to judge and say what is wrong and right instead of saying. Well, to each his own and that everyone has to work out their own strategy for human fulfillment.
And people who place faith in the idea that Christians and people of other religions can be able to put their differences aside and cooperate on global issues is unlikely.
And that there is no way to reconcile Christianity with people of other religions, Because in the end the difference of opinion leaves no compromise.
My opinion is the history of religion in the United States, and the reasons for it's people's' faith, is far more subtle and complicated than any of the one-liner explanations most critics give. This country was indeed that started by Puritans escaping from religious persecution. Part of it is the fact that the country started out with a plurality of religion, and when the constitution was drawn up, everybody wanted to make sure they wouldn't be excluded, including the atheists, Because they and anybody and everybody was welcome here, and that brought in a lot of good people to this country. And that the government uses capitalism and the amount of money that can be fleeced from believers as a excuse not to persecute believers. But as the financial crises in the US increases I expect that the country will not have any option than to give into the beliefs to the one percent of the population that pays almost all the taxes. If you would of ask the people from fifty years ago if the country could diminish to this point what do you think they would say back then. What do you think the status of religion will be in this country in twenty years?
Okay, I'm from a whole other country, but some things are true for us as well.
I think a big part in the bad image of religion is due to some people using religion as a reason for hate agenda in politics, and I am not speaking about Islam here, I speak about Christians.
In Germany we Christians get into defence in arguments because the atheists put us together with all kind of hate guided people, mostly from the USA (I am sorry to say that, but there are some very extreme groups, in Germany those groups are too small yet to gain wide recognition) that claim to be Christian and back up each point of their hate agenda with scripture, taken out of context.
This way faith has become a bad reputation here, leave alone that we have since 1990 one third of the country that was under Nazi and then commnist control, so Christianity is almost nonexistant there, and they do not see a reason to go back to church.
All they see is those hate groups, because they gain attention, and thus they say: Let's talk about different issues. They don't wanna talk about the hate agenda of those they know as the only christians. Because those do support pro life, it is really hard for loving pro life supporters to be heard, because they are seen as hateful bunch as well...
We must understand those who are far from church in order to witness to them. They will not agree with us lest they understand us, but they can only understand us, when we explain to them, and we can only explain, when we know their fears and hopes.
Though everybody is a sinner, everybody is hoping for justice and love among all people. Let's not throw doctrines at them. Let's explain them why we care for unborn life, for morals and all that.
And let's listen to their arguments, let's try to understand them truely and not consider all to be carnal mislead thoughts. Some might be, but such an approach shows not much of love but of a I am wiser than you attitude. Nobody wants to be treated like little children, not even little children!
Let's listen to their main issues. Nature, Healthcare, equal rights for all sexual orientations etc...
Some of those points, though maybe not all, are things that God demands in the bible as well. We are to care for the creation and to care for our next. That is part of the justice of God. That are things we want as well, maybe in another way, but basically those are not to far, it might be the details.
Okay, now I got more into that than I wanted. This is just an outsider's perspective. I live in a country that is very secular on the outside. You won't hear too many people talk about God very often (except for in church), because it sounds like showing off in our culture: "Look at me, I care about what God wants, I'm such a good guy". That is how many Americans come across here. It's a cultural thing. And I guess it is true for vast parts of Europe that Americans have this reputation, well at least a bit.
And I wonder if this reputation might be the reputation of believers among US atheists...
