07 Jun '15 20:24>
In another thread josephw says:
To what extent do people think religions are in fact responsible for peoples behaviour and to what extent are they just an excuse?
Can we say that some religions are at war with each other? Or is it just the people at war?
What about political views? Is communism at war with other political systems, or is it only people using it as an excuse?
I realise that the relationship between ideas and people is a complex one, and that many supporters of a given idea support it for selfish motives and not because they believe in the idea itself. However I would argue that ideas themselves do spread and do result in people doing certain things and that we can in fact say that one idea is at war with another idea. This is especially true of groups of ideas that are gathered into religions, cultures or political ideologies.
"Religions" aren't at war. People are!
Religion is just an excuse used by some to justify their hatred. Hatred, jealousy, envy, greed and bigotry are just a few of the reasons why some wage war. Some religions are by design intended to cause those negative virtues to be amplified in those who lack the courage to face their own evil hearts.
To what extent do people think religions are in fact responsible for peoples behaviour and to what extent are they just an excuse?
Can we say that some religions are at war with each other? Or is it just the people at war?
What about political views? Is communism at war with other political systems, or is it only people using it as an excuse?
I realise that the relationship between ideas and people is a complex one, and that many supporters of a given idea support it for selfish motives and not because they believe in the idea itself. However I would argue that ideas themselves do spread and do result in people doing certain things and that we can in fact say that one idea is at war with another idea. This is especially true of groups of ideas that are gathered into religions, cultures or political ideologies.