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@tynan
I don't agree that religion is based on empathy, I think it is much more nuanced/complex than that, but I am sure empathy has some part somewhere, I agree with the rest though !
Yep, like I have said I think the foundations of religion (epistemological foundations not social or cultural foundations) are so blatantly nonsensical, so easy to see through that religion's only real defence over the centuries has been to to silence criticism, to establish a culture of reverence and deference.
If a politician tells us that we should kick all the homosexuals out of the country, I am free to tell him I find his ideas contemptuous, I find his views abhorrent. I could probably call him a cunt to his face and not be overly criticized for doing so (even if you may not agree with that kind of language yourself).
If a senior Church of England bishop tells us that the floods that devastated great swathes of the Midlands last year were caused by our increasing tolerance towards gays (Rt Rev Graham Dow, Bishop of Carlisle July 07) - and I walked up to him and I took the same line I took with our politician (going as far as to call him a cunt to his face) - there would be embarrassment all around and calls for me to 'calm down'.
This cultural deference, protection from challenge is what these superstitions rely on, it allows them the freedom to espouse the most arrogant and comic claims to knowledge without challenge.
Brilliant news, do I get anything, a badge or something like that ? :)
I would love to see this extended to it's logical conclusion, a pub called '***the Jesus Christ'
***.