Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
In fact, I'd say if you took all the people who have ever lived, it would be modern Westerners who would stand out for our unusually mild and tolerant approach to religion and faith. But our new-found mildness is not the historical norm.
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I have no historical basis for this but intuitively I just think it's the enlightenment that has so completely changed the way we perceive reality. There is a ton of cognitive dissonance in trying to identify with people who have a certainty that there is an afterlife and that following certain scripture will absolutely get them there.
Imagine a world where you had a series of drones strikes tomorrow, and Obama got on television and said, "we have killed ten enemy combatants in these attacks. Moreover, three dozen innocent civilians died, including several children; and this is for the best, as they are all now with God in Heaven and better off than they were. Hallelujah!" *raucous cheering and applause*