Hi sealybobo:
1. RE:
M said:
I'm not assuming your brother, or anyone else, can't be good without religion. What I'm saying is that there's no evidence he or most anyone else would be better without religion, which is a pretty good paraphrase of your argument.
1. For those who think "religions" do more harm than good,
I think this might change if people understood the process of "spiritual healing" which is natural and can be studied scientifically.
For one, the Christian prayers for deliverance from "demonic" voices and severely damaging and dangerous criminal addiction and mental and physical sickness
have saved lives that could not be helped with "just medicine alone" but required
a change in the person's ability to heal and to receive or comply with treatment.
If you count the people whose lives are saved, whose relationships and the good they can do for the world when they not only regain function but prosper in serving others,
I believe that would exceed the damages injustice and abuses caused by LACK of conscience.
For the negative consequences of abuse, these have an end because people cannot tolerate suffering and injustice, and will work and fight for change to correct the problems.
For the positive repercussions, these continue to multiply; whatever good is derived is then invested in the next person, relationship, generation or stage of growth, so that humanity improves and advances.
So I have more faith in the good that comes from things, while the bad is finite and has an end.
What do you mean? I think our corrupt and religious politicians is a great example of how maybe we'd be better off if we weren't run by a bunch of greedy ignorant stupid fools. Look at every greedy ignorant politician and what do they all have in common? Democrat or Republican. What is the ONE thing they all have in common. They all believe in Jesus and 99% of them are christians. Do you think they are good people who should be leading our nation? I didn't think so.
I'm not going to argue it anymore with you. You're an atheist who defends how christians have run the world the last 2000 years?
2. Hey don't forget me. I am Christian by faith, and I work with a lot of good people who are trying to combine efforts to overcome the problems of abuses and waste going on now. Many of my Christian friends are the ones with faith to forgive and keep working on corrections. I know a LOT of people who would make great public officials and leaders, but first we have to organize the teamwork and groundwork, so by the time they serve on higher levels of govt, they don't fall into cracks or traps over divisive issues that should be resolved first before building public policy, reforms and programs.
As for the Christians who may be bad examples of corrupt politicians,
as long as they commit to follow the laws, then when it comes time for rebuke and correction IN PERSON, these followers will respond and there can be justice.
I have no problem working things out with people who commit with faith to the laws.
But most of the successful work to correct problems is done in person, not in public in front of others. (for example, when Herman Cain was addressed IN PERSON about statements he made about Muslims that were unfair, he accepted the correction and apologized; so did Ted Nugent when his peers sought to correct him, he accepted their advice and apologized in public, explaining how these were better people helping him. But when these same people are 'attacked by opponents in the public media' then they don't respond. So of course they look like hypocrites.)
Most of the problems come from bullying over conflicts "in public" to make a show.
So if you remove all that pecking order "alpha male/head of the pack" mentality,
and start treating people as equal peers with equal responsibility to fix problems
together, as partners or in teams, then you get different response and output.
if we rewarded, hired, and elected people to mediate, coordinate, and SOLVE problems then maybe
the Christian leaders with faith that issues and relations can be reconciled would get to demonstrate those skills.
People without unifying faith would not even believe in the process or positive outcome, much less leading it.