Respectful Politics Thread (Let's Just See)

CensoredAlso

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So a couple of Democrats just had a heart attack because I dared to say I disliked both Trump and Hillary. Nothing will ever be good enough for those types...

EDIT: And what did they accuse me of making? All together now: FALSE EQUIVALENCES! :insatiable:
 
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jvcarroll

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I mean, I’m a Satanist and I even have a respect for religion.
I have respect for some/most people of faith, how that faith improves their lives, and their right to that faith, but I have absolutely no respect for religion itself. I agree with Edie Brickell - Religion is the smile on a dog. It's a construct created to control a world of cave people who were bashing each other over the head with rocks. It didn't eliminate the rock bashing. Just lent a structure of "better reasons" for it and, metaphorically, still does today.
 

Old Thunder

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At its core, religion has done a lot of good and has made many beautiful works of art - paintings, hymns, etc. The Bible is a fascinating book. I have a deep respect for what religion is supposed to be - benefiting a human in his daily life.

What I have no respect for is what some turn it into - little more than an excuse to do some of the worst acts in human history, all in the name of God or whoever you're following. That's something I despise with a passion.
 

jvcarroll

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In other news, Trump is a crook. Crooked Trump, who knew?
 

jvcarroll

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At its core, religion has done a lot of good and has made many beautiful works of art - paintings, hymns, etc. The Bible is a fascinating book. I have a deep respect for what religion is supposed to be - benefiting a human in his daily life.

What I have no respect for is what some turn it into - little more than an excuse to do some of the worst acts in human history, all in the name of God or whoever you're following. That's something I despise with a passion.
I get what you mean, I don't see it that way. The church, particularly the Catholic Church, was its own monarchy and behaved like the mafia. It depended on artists to give them a facelift. Da Vinci and Michelangelo were both gay men making their living working for their richest client. Their being gay was overlooked by the church because of their talents, while "less useful" gays were ostracized. This hypocritically judgmental client also encouraged young people to be castrated in order that their choir voice not change. You know, for god. Religion itself is a tool. It's word on a page. The interpretation of it defines the person. That said, it was invented to civilize difficult people and it still does.
 
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CensoredAlso

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People have a tendency to talk about the Catholic Church as though every other institution in those time periods were pure of corruption and what a stain the Church was on that purity. Not quite. And the Church also has a history of championing education for instance. It’s impossible to separate how important faith was to so many historical figures, from peasant to king. Not to mention literature. And even if the use of art was cynical at times, I prefer that to other churches and religions that see such amazing creations as some type of horrible heresy to be punished for.
 
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CensoredAlso

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And for the record, just because a historical figure was gay doesn’t mean his or her faith wasn’t an important part of their lives as well. And that remains true of the community today.
 

Old Thunder

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As I said, the horrible things religion has done I hate with every part of my being. I continue to respect religion, however, merely for the good it’s done in this world. Even if it’s not much.
 
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