By: KathrynT
I had no idea about the Deuteronomy thing either. This is one thing that deeply frustrates me about Christian legal activism; unlike homosexuality or abortion or being able to buy whisky on Sundays,...
View ArticleBy: zarq
kyrademon: "Deuteronomy 15:1 -- "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts."" Holy cow. I had no idea. (Was also unaware of that passage.) Thanks for the explanation.
View ArticleBy: kyrademon
Deuteronomy 15:1 -- "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a remission of debts." There are religious origins behind a number of modern laws relating to credit and debt, as [citation needed]...
View ArticleBy: zarq
[citation needed]: " Why was 7 years from the date of first delinquency chosen as the limit for derogatory tradelines on a credit report?" I had no idea that had a basis in Christian superstition! What...
View ArticleBy: [citation needed]
Kyrademon, that's a good list, but it's missing any mention of laws relating to credit and lending. Why was 7 years from the date of first delinquency chosen as the limit for derogatory tradelines on a...
View ArticleBy: zarq
vorfeed: " Stem cell laws come to mind -- a fine example of how the conservative-Christian lobby is literally holding us back." Coincidentally, I was just reading this article: "A federal appeals court...
View ArticleBy: vorfeed
That's off the top of my head. There are more. Stem cell laws come to mind -- a fine example of how the conservative-Christian lobby is literally holding us back.
View ArticleBy: zarq
kyrademon: "A while back, someone asked about actual laws (or, I assume, proposed laws that are taken reasonably seriously) that have mostly religious reasoning behind them. Here are a few I can think...
View ArticleBy: kyrademon
A while back, someone asked about actual laws (or, I assume, proposed laws that are taken reasonably seriously) that have mostly religious reasoning behind them. Here are a few I can think of: 1) Laws...
View ArticleBy: odinsdream
I thought the end was a great, concise way of putting in words the "why atheism?" question... because we now have the ability to make the planet uninhabitable, so realizing that there is no savior may...
View ArticleBy: nanojath
Why do so many non-believers act as if they are owed an explanation from religious people? posted by Crabby Appleton at 12:50 AM on January 23 Because we fucking well are. Go on. Explain yourselves....
View ArticleBy: dibblda
Except, that's wrong. It doesn't take into account any number of religions that do not include an afterlife at all and dismisses any nonliteral interpretations of religious thought as wholly...
View ArticleBy: vorfeed
There's a better explanation of the relationship between Judeo-Christian thought and Zoroastrianism at Jewishencyclopedia.com: Most scholars, Jewish as well as non-Jewish, are of the opinion that...
View ArticleBy: not_that_epiphanius
And yeah, law was specified in the original comment. My mistake.
View ArticleBy: not_that_epiphanius
Having read the links, I will add that I wasn't thinking of law at all, though I learned a couple of things from those articles, so thanks for them. I was thinking more generally of metaphors and...
View ArticleBy: vorfeed
I was trying to put some, or perhaps a particular, perspective, out of many possibilities, on other comments in this thread. Yes, I understand that. The problem is that the people behind those comments...
View ArticleBy: not_that_epiphanius
Vorfeed, I have no argument with your response, except to say that I was trying to put some, or perhaps a particular, perspective, out of many possibilities, on other comments in this thread.
View ArticleBy: vorfeed
The laws and teachings we experience and hand down, say in North America and Western Europe, are a product of, and deeply embedded in Judeo-Christian tradition, from Martin Luther down to Martin Luther...
View ArticleBy: not_that_epiphanius
Apologies to our Antipodean friends, who should be included in the phrase beginning "say..."
View ArticleBy: not_that_epiphanius
The vast majority of people subscribe to the Bible or the Quran, both of which are full of laws and teachings thousands of years less advanced than our own that are barbaric by today's standards. Where...
View ArticleBy: callmejay
Yeah, but for the analogy to stand, the vast majority of TV watchers would have to believe Mad Men and Bugs Bunny are documentaries. (Okay, maybe Elmer Fudd is allegorical, but the cross-dressing...
View ArticleBy: philip-random
But then again I'm not surrounded by people who demand that I should have a TV and that we should all live according to the tenets of Three And A Half Men. But to carry that analogy through, there's...
View ArticleBy: philip-random
To clarify: Matthew 6:33-34 (New International Version, ©2010) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about...
View ArticleBy: fleetmouse
It's like being stuck around people who want to talk about not owning a TV. I don't have a TV, mostly because I'm too lazy to get a new one. I don't talk about it unless someone asks me. But then again...
View ArticleBy: jtron
Belief in unicorns was a mainstream idea for ages and their nonexistence only became commonly accepted in the last couple hundred years. Yeah, my privilege. What privilege is that, exactly? I mean, I'm...
View ArticleBy: quakerjono
"So the question becomes: do you really want to change things, or do you want to keep back-slapping? If you want to change things, what is the way to change things?" I think this is a vital question...
View ArticleBy: klangklangston
"Poor ol' klang, there's his privelege being challenged again, and here he is, predictable as always, making Rush Limbaugh-on-feminism look well-balanced." Yeah, my privilege. What privilege is that,...
View ArticleBy: acrasis
I'm sorry this thread is going so poorly. I still click on any atheist link because I'm so damned thrilled to see the concept getting time and attention. When Obama's inaugural speech mentioned...
View ArticleBy: KathrynT
I'm usually one of the people in these threads going "Oh, come on! The religious aren't all bad!" But just a couple of weeks ago I got involved in a protracted argument (on Facebook, yeegh) with a...
View ArticleBy: jet_manifesto
Consider: God is dead. Literally. He (yes, he was male) once lived, but is now dead. The devil reigns. Do you see it? It's not hard to see... It's a great tale. A tale.
View ArticleBy: Pope Guilty
Religious people love to pretend that they'd be fine with atheists if atheists were just the right kind of atheists, which invariably turns out to mean either "not really an atheist" or "very quiet...
View ArticleBy: 23skidoo
"I like your Christ atheism video by Qualiasoup, I do not like your Christians atheists who comment in the thread that's supposed to be about the atheism video by Qualiasoup. Your Christians atheists...
View ArticleBy: callmejay
The arguments are all out there, taking up hundreds of linear feet in libraries if you care to look for them. What is anyone getting out of these debates? Belief in the value of talking things over, in...
View ArticleBy: TwoToneRow
How much does religious doctrine actually influence the law? According to the (former, thank God*) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, religious doctrine should be the law. (*sorry, couldn't...
View ArticleBy: philip-random
Lots of people believe in Santa. Substitute Santa and see how you go. What? This is now a situation limited to those nine and under. When I was nine, I believed Adam West was about as cool as a man...
View ArticleBy: adipocere
If liquor laws are a social good, Wednesday ought to work as well as Sunday. Go ahead and try moving it, though. Suddenly, all kinds of justifications will arise as to why Sunday must be the day.
View ArticleBy: rodgerd
Poor ol' klang, there's his privelege being challenged again, and here he is, predictable as always, making Rush Limbaugh-on-feminism look well-balanced. And a kiddy-fiddling reference, too. Classy....
View ArticleBy: philip-random
If a church engages in partisan political activity they should lose their tax-exempt status. If a pastor, rabbi or priest tells their congregants how to vote and whom to vote for during Sunday...
View ArticleBy: zarq
dubitable: " So the question becomes: do you really want to change things, or do you want to keep back-slapping? If you want to change things, what is the way to change things?" A few ideas: We need to...
View ArticleBy: maxwelton
Atheism is a belief system? I must have missed something, or the word "belief" needs to be replaced for it to make sense.
View ArticleBy: Pope Guilty
Right, it points out the fact that people demand different standards of proof for things they want to believe and things they don't.
View ArticleBy: Marty Marx
If no one believes in a concept, can you really compare it with a concept people believe in and expect the argument to hold water with the people you are trying to convince? Yes. You can do it like...
View ArticleBy: AsYouKnow Bob
Part of this is not about converting each other. Some of it is about showing younger non-believers that they don't have to pretend. That non-belief is a viable choice, and that even if you're coming of...
View ArticleBy: xenophile
I'm sorry but someone claiming that unicorns exist and that you have to have faith in their existence is exactly equivalent to a belief in life after death as far as I can tell. Both have equal amounts...
View ArticleBy: dubitable
As seems to be the case for some other commenters on this post, the thing that bugs me about any of this stuff is that the audience just seems to be people who are already convinced. I mean, maybe...
View ArticleBy: Marty Marx
But please, be specific. Structure your arguments reasonably and respectfully. Do not presume that world religion is nonsense without offering an argument for why, and do not be surprised when no one...
View ArticleBy: Arandia
girih knot: "I have a question, and it is a genuine inquiry. How much does religious doctrine actually influence the law? The only things I know about are bans on gay marriage (ridiculous) and a few...
View Article
