Herr Goebbels,
My choice is that you stop maligning decent Australian soldiers and that you get over your personal bitterness.

Hi Issy,

Nothing to do with "personal bitterness" but more to do with justice for the innocent. In wars there are the innocent murdered by the militarists, do you deny that such atrocities take place. Russians have murdered children and babies in Ukraine recently, that's undeniable. Australians murdered innocent non combatants in all wars our country has taken part in, that is also undeniable. You seem to be in denial about such atrocities committed by your comrades in arms, as if they never took place. Is it a lesser crime if you murder a Korean, or a Vietnamese, or an Afghan in war than an Australian in a time of peace?

What is your take on the mad dogs of war killing the innocent?

I find it really curious that those callow individuals who've never served in a theatre of conflict 'trumpet' loudest at every opportunity they get. Secure in the knowledge that no harm will come to them because of the blood spilt by Aussie troop to ensure that freedom of expression remains.

Herr Goebbels,
Were it not for the fighting men you denigrate you would be using a typewriter with a couple of thousand Japanese characters.
You seem to know so much about attrocities, how about some references?

A religion is a belief in a god.

Religious people have decided there is a supernatural entity in control of life and matter.
For them it is fact.
They introduce this idea in to their lives deliberately.
There is no reason to think that any other life form has the same concept.
No other life form bows down to a fictitious entity, or attends a 'church'.

So a religious view is not part of the natural world.
It is an aberrant view.
Atheists are in tune with the natural world.
Theirs is a truthful view.
And nothing competes with truth.

But this is taking us away from the original question.
I still say it is not natural to take life unless it is absolutely necessary for survival.
We have intelligence.
We can devise a better way of dealing with those who try to harm others?
And while we think about it, being able to keep them under some form of control is necessary.

Dear Ipso Fatso,

You wrote, "A religion is a belief in a god."

That is a definition of only one kind of religion. There are religions with a belief in many gods such as the Roman, Greek and Norse pantheons and Hinduism. There are religions with a belief in no gods such as Buddhism, humanistic Judaism and Universalism-Unitarianism. There are religions with belief in supernatural beings who are not gods but spirits with limited powers such as animism.

One form of monotheistic religion may not recognise another monotheistic religion as monotheistic. The Christian tripartite god (father, son and Holy Ghost) is not a theistic religion to Jews and Muslim who believe in one, unitary God.

It is difficult to find a description that encompasses all forms of belief. Try again