> Drakir wrote:
>
> >On the other hand, religions often restrict people in their actions,
> >thus
> >curtailing their enjoyment of life. I am an athiest because I beleive
> >in
> >maximum freedom for everyone - religion goes against this belief, and
> >so
> >I must oppose it!
>
> I doubt you'd find much agreement from anyone religious that their
> religion curtails their enjoyment of life. This is your simple
> prejudice, and an inaccurate one.
I don't think that you can brand someone's personal opinion as "prejudice". I
am not prejudiced against religions in the normal sense of the word (ie, "I
hate all religious people, and they all must die" attitude!). What you said
basically means that anyone holding a belief contrary to anothers is prejudiced.
I think you've used a word that is too strong for the situation. I would like
to mention at this point that 80% of all my friends are either C of E or
Catholic, or Baptist, and I get on perfectly well with all of them.
The point I was making though is one that I'm sure has come up in the "Does
God Exist" thread a while ago. That is, I PERSONALLY believe that things
such as stoning homosexuals to death etc, are not very sensible, or liberal
beleifs (and that is in the bible, I'll attempt to find the reference). As such
I don't see why I should endorse this religion. It's kind of like politics
in a way, if Christianity is one party, then I am part of another (I'm only
citing Christianity as an example, because most of my knowledge base is here).
It is simply my aim that such a party should be voted out of office, and to
do so, information must be supplied to the masses to reallise that it is
not fit to lead them. To do this, it requires competition from another
source, supplying the masses with this information, to allow them to make
a judged descision. Therefore, it is not prejudiced, but healthy competition,
and without this competition, society would stagnate. Also, any one
party with total control can become very dangerous (re: Hitler's Nazi party,
etc).
I feel that it is necessary for me to oppose something which I view as
dangerous, and attempt to change it for the better. This is not prejudice, it
is common sense.
Drakir
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Richard Jones
jonesr@gatwick.geco-prakla.slb.com
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"We are the New Breed,
We are the Future."
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