On Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:51:18 -0500, Kris Krieger
wrote:

John Larkin wrote in
:

On Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:24:00 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:


Peace will come when it’s gone

Recently some billboards went up in and near downtown Phoenix
proclaiming “Imagine No Religion.” For most folks, that’s hard to do.
But imagine the peace of no Protestant versus Catholic, no Moslem
versus Jew, no Hindu versus Moslem, no Sunni versus Shiite, no
inquisition and no suicide bombers. Think of the billions of dollars
(mostly solicited from the poor) to support cathedrals, elaborate
church campuses, missionaries and televangelist ministries.

Where would one go to feel guilty? Who would be around to oppose
science and reason? Who would manipulate our elections or pressure
elected officials to promote their religious agenda? Hey, I can
imagine no religion and it sounds pretty good to me.

HAROLD L. SAFERESTEIN

SCOTTSDALE


Overall, religion has done more good than harm. And since it's
probably wired into most humans, it's probably impossible to
eliminate.

Without religion, groups of people will find other criteria for
forming teams and fighting. Color, language, history, favorite soccer
team, political party, whatever. Atheist Nazis fought atheist Soviets
with unparalleled enthusuasm.

In my personal experience, believers are usually nicer people than
atheists.

John




Do you just mean believers in Biblically-based religions, or does that apply
to any spiritual belief system?

Just curious.

I was thinking of followers of formal religions, conventional
Christians and Mormons and a Muslim or two. It's a trend I've
observed, but by no means an absolute. But at the extreme end of the
curve, I can't recall knowing any really evil Xtians, but have known a
few really rotten atheists. I can't say what the causalities are here.

Weren't Stalin and Mao and Pol Pot atheists? They did a lot of harm.

John