Quote:
Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate
JohnnyB: I don't buy that. I think hatred is TAUGHT. Leave a white child, black child and Asian child in a room with a bunch of toys they will play fine together.
I think perfectly reasonable people that without the influence of the church would have grown up to treat all people with respect, but because their parents brought them up with religion, their misgivings are learned.
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It seems awfully harsh of you to blame religion for racism. I hardly think that would be a trait for the religious alone.
Religions are basically just stories people are asked to believe in. Everything that comes beyond that is a product of people. Unscientific thinking, belief in dogma, prejudice, child abuse, hate etc. are just human traits that getting rid of religion alone would not change. I also don't see any necessary inconsistency between religious belief and the opposite of all those nasty human traits.
A rational, reasonable person does not need to deny spiritual beliefs about those things that go beyond our current knowledge. Similarly, ignorant, hateful, unscientific, selfish etc. people do not depend upon religion for their traits or require religious belief to pass them on. As an atheist, I see the stories, traditions, ceremonies, power structures and all that as just the creations of people. Seems silly then to blame the story rather than the people, and I think you would see just as much of those undesirable traits without the stories anyways. Religion is just a tool and an excuse. People would not all be wonderful without religion.