Religion. Discuss ( or should that be argue )

Anyone else feel bothered that representatives of organised religion seem to involve themselves in the Ukraine protests?
Western Ukraine is largely Catholic and eastern Ukraine largely Orthodox. What we really need now is another sectarian conflict.

It is inevitable: The orthodox church is a symbol of Mother Russia in Ukraine. People use religion to affirm their definitions of themselves. It's just a symbol. I dont think the removing of religion from the equation would make the situation any less inflamed. It is a primarily question of national identity, and religion is only one part of that.

I support, on principle, the desire of many Ukranians to secede from Russia, an opressive and deeply unpleasant right wing regime. The Catholic church may help bring unity to this movement, but a secular movement may have been just as fervent. Very hard to know.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/23/church-of-england-wonga-sale-stake-archbishop

showing their true colours
profit trumps morals yet again

“You don’t need to go to church to be a Christian. If you go to Taco Bell, that doesn’t make you a taco.” - justin bieber, 2015

That's deep.

Probably makes you a bell though.

I actually think that's quite a funny remark. Makes Bieber slightly less of an irrelevance in my eyes. Meanwhile, our Corbyn has voiced his views on religion:

I'm not anti-religious at all. Not at all. And I probably go to more religious services than most people who are very strong believers. I go to churches, I go to mosques, I go to temples, I go to synagogues. I find religion very interesting. I find the power of faith very interesting. I have friends who are very strongly atheist and wouldn't have anything to do with any faith; but I take a much more relaxed view of it. I think the faith community offers and does a great deal for people. There doesn't have to be wars about relig­ion, there has to be honesty about religion. We have much more in common than separates us.

Respect to him. A far more intelligent view than many I have heard from the hard left.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/church-vows-to-continue-3am-services-after-neighbours-complaints-because-thats-when-demons-are-a3212056.html

Not being funny but if anyone else said that, people would be straight on those comments with a load of trite analogies and pitch forks.

https://youtu.be/TQdIiEUFtqk

Seems like a good time for a dredge...

I’m not a great fan of any form of religion - they’re nothing more than sanctioned cults. Historically they’re all as bad as each other and they’ve ALL done some seriously nasty stuff down the centuries: Persecution seems to be a popular one - of other religions, of sexuality or of skin colour. If you ask me, religion breeds hatred and war. Look at pretty much any war/conflict, and on at least one side is a madman spewing out self-righteous bile with a side serving of being backed by a religion. Without religion the world would probably be a more peaceful place.

Criticise me if you like, but if you have a faith that you follow then that’s your look out and I respect that, but when it comes down to it the similarities between all the religions are so slight that it really looks like their differences are down to translation and interpretation. The same figures crop up in each, but under different names, so they’re pretty much one in the same. They all bleat on about “one true god” because they’re all following the same concept of what god is - they’ve just tooled god to fit their needs.

The only exception to this rule are scientologists - they’re just arseholes

#rantover

They don't all bleat on about "one" true god, there's plenty of dickheads out there believing in many gods, which is much more fun.

Cunts

Without religion the world would probably be a more peaceful place.

Venezuela?

Chinese Uyghurs*?

Criticise me if you like... They all bleat on about “one true god”

Bit ignorant to assume all religion follows the Judeo-Christian tradition.

*although I guess if they weren't Muslim in the first place there wouldn't have been an issue, so you're probably right, it's their fault.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/18/documentary-follows-pastafarians-strain-for-recognition

I have to say I find this pretty boring--a thin joke ground down.

Surely the underlying point is to make us reassess the position in which 'legit' religions and their adherents/ways are held?

"In an open letter, Henderson argued that if intelligent design was to be taught alongside evolution, so should the belief that, with the aid of His Noodly Appendages, an invisible and undetectable Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe, probably after drinking heavily (thus explaining its many flaws)."

To be fair, this seems like a more plausible superbeing than the traditional Abrahamic God, with His supposed powers of omniscience, omnipotence and benevolence.

It seems apt that your comment was no. 666 in this thread!

GyaaaaAAAHH!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVExlaxaweo