continued

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=10725 points to my article on the burning at the stake of Servetus in Protestant Basel.

There are other words of Jesus which are appropriate to the consideration of Christianity.

Matthew 7:20 “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Some of the fruits of Christianity have been intolerance of other faiths, enslavement of native and other peoples, the Inquisition, the Wars of the Reformation, forced conversions, martyrdom of those who wish to keep their faith and the Crusades.

This sort of thing exists currently where Christianity has not been tamed by the secular state. In Uganda Christian missionaries have pushed for the death penalty for homosexuals.

In regard to forced conversions Mohammed’s injunction that there should be no compulsion in religion is pertinent. To the best of my knowledge no comparable injunction exists in any other religion. Unfortunately Muslims can ignore the wise words of Mohammed as Christians ignore the wise words of Jesus. Jesus was wise enough never to become a Christian.

Dear David F.,

Much evil has been done in the name of religion that
should not have been done - and bad things still continue
to this day. It is people who
do the bad things - interpreting to suit their
own agendas. I quoted from Dr Collins' book because
I thought it appropriate to this discussion.

Victim?
Some victim.
Die for three days then get to sit beside god forever and help rule the universe.
Wish I got persecuted like that.

Dear Foxy,

American theoretical physicist Steven Weinberg won the Nobel laureate in physics for his contributions with Abdus Salam and Sheldon Glashow to the unification of the weak force and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles. He once said, “Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.”

Dear David F.,

Thank You for the quote about religion.
However, -
I prefer this one:

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire,
men cannot live without a spiritual life."
(Buddha).

Dear Foxy,

I am 91. The only health problem I have is occasional hay fever. I am not aware that I have a spiritual life. If I do it is hiding somewhere. Belief can lead us astray. If there is evidence we no longer need belief. I don't think we need belief anyway. If I worship anything it is the sanctity of doubt.

"If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." The ninth-century sage Lin Chi gave this advice to one of his monks, admonishing him that this Buddha would only be a reflection of his unexamined beliefs and desires.

Most people who have a religion have the religion of their parents. They feel a community with their parents by maintaining their parent's beliefs. Religious believers are usually unwilling to acknowledge that there are people without a religious faith. That is all the Buddha quote means. Because Buddha felt he had a spiritual life therefore he assumed everyone else must have one.

Sellick's article, Are we really secular or pagan?, is an example of that kind of religious arrogance. To Sellick we can't really be neutral and treat all superstition alike. If we don't share his superstition we must have some kind of pagan faith.