Why I've started to believe that religion is actively dangerous

[Jacob]

So you *do* have wealthy relations. 

CC is the "wealthy relations", I'm pretty sure.

[lustindarkness]

some gringo

Ouch.

You'll be strong.

[Syt]

The year 2012 was the ninth warmest in a NASA analysis of global temperatures that stretches back to 1880. In itself, that sounds fairly unremarkable. But, as climate scientists note, what's important is the long-term trend. The 10 hottest years in the 132-year record have all occurred since 1998, and nine of the 10 have occurred since 2002.

"What matters is, this decade is warmer than the last decade, and that decade was warmer than the decade before," said Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. "The planet is warming."

http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/10/

That the Republicans try to defund MASA's earth science programs is probably just a coincidence in this context.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/10/republicans-outraged-over-nasa-earth-science-programs-that-reagan-began/

[LaCroix]

To argue that they did what they did for reasons other than religion is simply baffling. It is a mental contortion that is just...well, bizarre.

you're focusing way too much on "lying to themselves." that was poor explanation on my part. i thought i explained myself in my other posts. a person who suicide bombs says to himself: i'm doing this for god. this is obvious. what i'm talking about is what led that person to say "i'm doing this for god." you could replace god with almost anything in a thousand other examples. that's my point - nothing is unique about religion. that's why i disagree with your original argument that religion is dangerous (implying that it's special)

[The Brain]

To argue that they did what they did for reasons other than religion is simply baffling. It is a mental contortion that is just...well, bizarre.

you're focusing way too much on "lying to themselves." that was poor explanation on my part. i thought i explained myself in my other posts. a person who suicide bombs says to himself: i'm doing this for god. this is obvious. what i'm talking about is what led that person to say "i'm doing this for god." you could replace god with almost anything in a thousand other examples. that's my point - nothing is unique about religion. that's why i disagree with your original argument that religion is dangerous (implying that it's special)

My impression is that many suicide bombers believe in an afterlife. Non-religious concepts generally have a hard time in this area.

[LaCroix]

My impression is that many suicide bombers believe in an afterlife. Non-religious concepts generally have a hard time in this area.

how do you know belief in afterlife actually has much of an impact?

[The Brain]

My impression is that many suicide bombers believe in an afterlife. Non-religious concepts generally have a hard time in this area.

how do you know belief in afterlife actually has much of an impact?

Know? I can see how it might influence the decision to become a suicide bomber. Do you think it doesn't?

[LaCroix]

Know? I can see how it might influence the decision to become a suicide bomber. Do you think it doesn't?

i didn't say i thought it has no impact. immaterial impact v. material impact are different, though.

[The Brain]

Know? I can see how it might influence the decision to become a suicide bomber. Do you think it doesn't?

i didn't say i thought it has no impact. immaterial impact v. material impact are different, though.

I think we can safely leave immaterial impact out of the discussion without losing anything.

[grumbler]

My impression is that many suicide bombers believe in an afterlife. Non-religious concepts generally have a hard time in this area.

how do you know belief in afterlife actually has much of an impact?

Given that virtually every suicide bomber had such a belief, it's not much of a stretch.

[grumbler]

Know? I can see how it might influence the decision to become a suicide bomber. Do you think it doesn't?

i didn't say i thought it has no impact. immaterial impact v. material impact are different, though.

I think we can safely leave immaterial impact out of the discussion without losing anything.

Damn!  I wish I'd said that!

[Berkut]

My impression is that many suicide bombers believe in an afterlife. Non-religious concepts generally have a hard time in this area.

how do you know belief in afterlife actually has much of an impact?

Because people who have been suicide bombers, or say they want to be suicide bombers, or recruit suicide bombers all say that is has an impact.

[Valmy]

It also made many a man throughout history feel very bad about masturbating. 

[LaCroix]

Given that virtually every suicide bomber had such a belief, it's not much of a stretch.

that's not proof, though. is suicide bombing by muslim radicals a fairly recent tactic? (seems like it is). if afterlife were a big reason, why wouldn't muslims have always committed suicide attacks on a frequent basis? what about those who commit suicide attacks without afterlife being a factor? etc. that's why i'm asking how much of an impact does religion/afterlife really have, to an extent that it creates something unique that should be condemned.

[LaCroix]

Because people who have been suicide bombers, or say they want to be suicide bombers, or recruit suicide bombers all say that is has an impact.

and i'm saying if you removed religion and replaced it with something else, they'd be doing something similar. there's a mentality that celebrates killing yourself for a cause, and through propaganda they've convinced people to do sign on. i see that as having had a far larger impact on convincing people to kill themselves. religion doesn't appear to be a necessary ingredient for any of it.