In a message dated 11/5/01 1:15:08 PM, jr@shasta.com writes:
>From: "James Rogers" <jamesr@best.com>
>
>> Atheism is a religion?
>> This sounds like a problem with the Maoist religion as far as I can tell.
>
>Excellent point, and one that reminds us that, unlike theists, atheists don't
>wage religious wars. The millions murdered by socialist totalitarianism were
>the victims of ideology, not any pogrom against supernaturalism.
Gosh, that must have made the victims feel so much better :-P
Religion models certain non-theistic belief sets, including Communism and
certain extreme environmentalist sects, very nicely. Similarities
include rejection of factual evidence, belief in some goal which is higher
than human well-being, factionalism, and intolerance of dissent.
The misdeeds of communists and suggestions of certain environmentalists
(AIDS as a good thing, etc.) support my opinion that the problem is the
religious *style* of epistemology and ethics, not the specific beliefs.
The specific beliefs may be more or less harmful; it's the approach
that turns bad beliefs into atrocities.
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