Mister Matt said: "Eradicating religion is about as feasible as sending the Care Bears to launch a rainbow attack from their bellies and if you've been paying attention, attempts to do so will lead to more extremism and violence.
First of all, you're attempting to police thought to conform to your ideology, which is not only immensely hypocritical, it's impossible. The existence of so many religions, each one claiming to be the correct and true religion, is proof of that. "
Actually, Qolbinau's post was about the opposite. About not playing thought police, but teach children beyond that. How to think, not what to think. And yes, hopefully that will eradicate religion by itself eventually. The fact that religious people mistakenly think it's their identity and display violence when it is questioned and that you feel threatened about that is not the point here.
Read the points again:
* Acknowledging the reality of the role of religious beliefs on negative behaviours, attitudes and public policy (the victims are often people in minority groups, such as gay people and women).
* Discouraging the indoctrination of Children to hold religious beliefs and identifies (as Dave pointed out this is a major, major issue). Why do we assume that it is ok for there to be such thing as a "Muslim child" or a "Christian child" - have you ever heard of a Marxist child? Or a Socialist child? It's just bizarre.
* Removing public funding to religious organisations, schools etc. and removing tax breaks for religious organisations
* Acknowledging that not all religions are equal and 'sacred'. Different religious beliefs have more intellectual or moral merit than others - different religious beliefs cause different outcomes. To put all religions in the same basket to be equal and protected as we so often do is absurd
* Introduce compulsory critical thinking classes in schools - teach people the structure of an argument the characteristics of good and bad argumentation. The main goal is teaching people how to think not what to think.
* Introduce compulsory wide religious education in schools - all children should learn about all different kinds of religions and religious beliefs without bias or spin. In an objective historical way
* Ensure Science classes are taught accurately and are compulsory in all schools, particularly biology
* Make sure all ideas, including religious ideas, can be challenged openly and discussed openly without accusing people of being racist, bigoted, 'stupid' (this is the most hilarious idea) or subject to violence
Given we aren't still praying to the greek gods, I'm pretty confident that there will be a time where religious beliefs will become a fringe of society. We will never, ever get there though if people don't speak openly and critically about religion.
Updated On: 5/24/17 at 02:09 PM
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