Debate: Can we be angry at religion?

 ... I would ask if you think it would be alright to start actively questioning other people's faiths, to see if I can make others see why I think I'm right. Or would that make me as bad as they are? ... 

Ceertainly, Andrew! Question away! We should all be properly sceptical. I think that Professor Dawkins has done us a favour by going to the trouble of making a list (in his book The God Delusion) of shockingly bad things religious people have done in the name of god.

I think though that this discussion (which we are already having on the other threads) should bear several things in mind.[LIST=1]
[*]People do not necessarily act in a way consistent with their declared beliefs
[*]They may profoundly misunderstand what it is they say they believe, that is, the actions properly justifiable from the belief system itself are not the same thing as actions allegedly based on the belief system
[*]Your own understanding both of the belief system in question and of the real motivator of the deplorable actions of professors of the beliefs, may be faulty.
[/LIST]

Anything that gets in the way of scientific fact, knowledge, logic and truth must be bad surely.

If I were taught that a pink panda makes the rain and grew up believing it, because after all, I'd seen it in a book or two, I might, later in life, have a fight with someone who was taught that a blue gnu makes the rain.

I'm an atheist.

Then that is your religion, Andrew.

to start actively questioning other people's faiths

God's Faith can only be demonstrated by Him working through love in people who do believe in Him

to see if I can make others see why I think I'm right. 

Your preaching will have to be a little more powerful than this. Real faith preaching is usually demonstrated by miracles, there's no argument that can stand against God's miraculous power.

We can only know your faith (anti-God) by your fruit Andrew, and this sick society sure has plenty of evidence to show for it.

Or would that make me as bad as they are?

You are bad unless you get right with God Himself

.

Yes because religion is humanistic.
can you be angry at God...i have been once or twice then i repent...
God is not religion..God is sovereign... ultimately you need to address God and ask for his help and forgive humans who use religion to hurt other people.
..you sound bitter to me.

[Moderator: repeated post removed - refers to post #1] 

Jesus got pretty angry at religion. Questioned other people's faiths too (though their actions most of all). Maybe, though, you should be carefull of focusing too much on the things people think, when behavoir is just as much a part of what people believe.

Like your humility ('to see if I can can make others see why I think I'm right'. :-)
Tim

I won't say why I think religion is bad, but I would ask if you think it would be alright to start actively questioning other people's faiths, to see if I can make others see why I think I'm right. 

Or would that make me as bad as they are?
Andrew J Cochran

________________________________________

Why destroy if one cannot substitute something better?

My suggestion would be to promote tolerance and ecumenicism, but pointing out the virtues of other religious ideologies.

I'm an atheist. I probably have been all my life, but as I grow older, I become more certain of it, and further, that religion is bad.

I won't say why I think religion is bad, but I would ask if you think it would be alright to start actively questioning other people's faiths, to see if I can make others see why I think I'm right. 
Or would that make me as bad as they are?
I look forward to reading your replies,
Sincerely,
Andrew 

Your anger is not the issue here.

Religion is not the issue.

Are you allowed is the issue.

Your answer lies in who allows you. So who has that executive?

Are you allowed to tell a class of infants that Father Christmas does not exist?

Choose a class in England then try again in Egypt and compare.

If you want more depth then consider the Father Christmas dilemma and who benefits from parents feeling compelled to lie to their children?

If you want to ask moral questions about good and bad then without God you're wasting your time.

Take out the judgemental element and you can throw God in the bin.

I'm an atheist. I probably have been all my life, but as I grow older, I become more certain of it, and further, that religion is bad.

I won't say why I think religion is bad, but I would ask if you think it would be alright to start actively questioning other people's faiths, to see if I can make others see why I think I'm right. 
Or would that make me as bad as they are?
I look forward to reading your replies,
Sincerely,
Andrew 

It is not sufficient to claim atheism as a means of denying belief in a supernatural force. To me it's very simple.
God is Life and Life is God. When people constantly refer to their God they should really acknowledge Life in all its forms. What makes my hair grow, what makes the grass grow, how do the leaves on the trees know it is time to fall. None of this is down to some mistereous figure sitting in the clouds and it is nothing we two legged anthrapoids are able to explain. In fact we are as far from understanding the meaning of life as the fish off the coast of Essex are to understanding what is going on in Southend. But because our brains are too large for our physical size we dream up the most outrageous rubbish about many things. I look at the cattle in the fields and I do not see them praying. My dog is so faithful but never appears to do anything but get on with the business of surviving and doing what dogs do best.
We witness gross acts of violence carried out in the name of god and fail to adequately condemn it for what it is, utter barbarity. The human race has a long way to go before many things change for the better. I hope those who shout "god is great" and then blow themselves and others away soon wake up to their obsurdity.
Life is great and cannot be enhanced by destroying it.

Religion exists because it serves human psychological needs.

Philosophy seeks to explain similar matters without recourse to supernatural explanations,

But is far less popular (for obvious reasons).

Any ideology uses symbols for real and imagined things.
These symbols can then be easily shuffled around and children can be indoctrinated to assume that the shuffled symbols are reality.

Those interested in these matters will want to read Ideology's Handbook.

first time here maybe you've stopped looking for replies......

I think the fact that you call yourself an atheist is a contradiction. Surely by labelling yourself is believing in not believing???Therefore you create a religion of your own with rules.....

I myself dislike the trappings of religion I prefer to try and live by my common sense in terms of whether i help people and be kind and generous and loving whilst balancing my personal needs, as my life is as important as others.

I think if you're feeling a strong emotion about religion, perhaps you need to look a little bit deeper inside...

I did......