It is a symptom. The cause is religions - people who think they've got to impose their interpretation of morality (to which they themselves do not conform) on wide public.
It is made clearly in the article that bad laws are lobbied by religious fundamentalists. Since religions have no value, I say clean it up.
It's socially somewhat acceptable to fantasize aloud about torturing child abusers, even for members of religions that have disavowed torture for several generations. I think this is driven by an instinctive rage rather than a cynical strategy by leaders of religions. Making child porn more inaccessible than abusable children has obvious drawbacks besides starting down the path to crimethink, though.
> It is a symptom. The cause is religions - people who think they've got to impose their interpretation of morality (to which they themselves do not conform) on wide public.
Hold on here. It's mainly the right winger Christians who are co-opting laws into their own religion based law. And the statement is also just factually false: not every religion tries to force their rules on the country.
If you were to call me a label of belief, I'd be a pagan. Old Gods, magic, divination, and all that. So I'm trying to force (or any of those I know who practice) our laws on others? We don't have religious edicts or laws! Instead, people like my girlfriend was subbing in the local high school, until a fellow teacher saw her wear a pentagram outside of school. She was gone by the week.
If you read any of the "pagan" news, its articles how only until recently, a cross was put on the burial stone for deceased military members, regardless of religious affiliation. Or, how Gideon groups still pass out those bibles to elementary schools. Or even the cases of religions classes teaching christianity only, neglecting all other beliefs.
>It is made clearly in the article that bad laws are lobbied by religious fundamentalists. Since religions have no value, I say clean it up.
I agree with a part: Fundamentalists. Fundamentalists of any organisation are a poison. Christians are fine, fundies, no. Same with Islam, and Buddhism, and Hinduism, and Taoism, and Paganism, and all the other isms. You add fundie, and "Bad Shit Happens".
And as Dawkins pointed out, in the most important point in The God Delusion, the religious "moderates" provide epistemic cover and support for the nutjobs. You are enablers of the terrorists and other extremists.
Perhaps you missed this part, but I actively work magick and do divination. That puts me on the hated list for the christian nutjobs, and most christians in general. And Jews. And Muslims. According to Wolfram Alpha, that's 49% of the world.
We pagans aren't trying to get 'pagan laws' in place, nor are we forcing our will on others. In all, we are trying to get government to honor the first amendment: get religious practices out of schools (and government in general) . We do that by demanding equal access to that of christians.
And frankly, you come across as a militant hard atheist. I do not accept any argument from Dawkins based on tautology. Please prove YOUR viewpoint as true. I'll do the same when you do.
