What will happen to the Religious Right in the 2010s?
A question from a reader: Think about it, most of the old guard are old men, such as Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, and Jimmy Swaggart. Jerry Falwell and Oral Roberts are already dead. I would include Phelps, but he’s the religious far right. Who will fill in the gap of religious right figures when they die?
How did the Catholic Church use religious power to maintain political power in Medieval Europe?
A question from a reader: How did the Catholic Church use religious power to maintain political power in Medieval Europe?
Why do we have to explain everything to the religious instead of furthering knowledge?
A question from a reader: Why don’t religious people go to the library and learn about reality? Ideas?
Do we really have to spend our time teaching them what we learned on our own initiative? Instead we could be spending time furthering knowledge instead of helping people who are too lazy to learn on their own?
Why do Greeting cards have to be ruined by religious references?
A question from a reader: So looking at valentine cards the other day, and noticed how many had religious references. Why do people feel the need to have to mention God in everything in their life?
Can’t they just express their love to their partners without needed God?
Atheists: do you think making religious organizations apply for a license is too authoritarian?
A question from a reader: I mean a license to practice their religion. This would be in the interest of curbing religious fanaticism and curbing instances of child molestation going unreported. Religious organizations would be forced by law to abide by certain restrictions and ethics. There would be harsh penalties including seizure of property and assets for religions that fail to comply. What do you think of this?
Should children be protected from the influence of religious cults?
A question from a reader: Religious faith seems to be like a virus spreading from parents to child. View are aware of how many children suffer from religious indoctrination around the world. Should we take action to save children born into religious cults?
When patriotism is introduced in religious observances, is there idolatry?
A question from a reader: When the symbols of patriotism is introduced into religious worship, is not that congregation indulging in idolatry? Viewing patriotism from a religious perspective and religion from a patriotic prespective.
Rabbi, You should know better than most that when patriotism enters, the church, temple, mosque or catheral, no one is safe anymore. The nexus generated by the confluence of these two factor brings into one place unquenchable passions. The result of which we are too familar with today.
Jack, The question is not wherein lies patriotism, but wherein lies patriotism in the faith. If the two are not kept separate, then you have the holy war which knows no bounds.
CLR, remember the vision of Patton lecturing before the flag? I have seen the same image replicated by ministers as they preached from the pulpit. To me the idoltry is obvious.
With the 4th in the offering, I just wanted people to think about their faith and patriotism and how they might keep them apart. We must not let the viltolic religious neo-cons usurp of patriotism nor should we let our patriotism blind us to what good there is in faith.
Are religious moderates any less culpable than the extremists?
A question from a reader: “While religious moderates don’t fly planes into buildings, or organize their lives around apocalyptic prophecy, they refuse to deeply question the preposterous ideas of those who do. Moderates neither submit to the real demands of scripture nor draw fully honest inferences from the growing testimony of science. In attempting to find a middle ground between religious dogmatism and intellectual honesty, it seems to me that religious moderates betray faith and reason equally.”~Sam Harris
Why is this better? Aren’t the moderates just, as he says, supporting the paradigm that allows for the extremists?
Who are some good modern visual artists who have religious undertones in their work?
A question from a reader: Modern visual artists who have religious (preferably christian) undertones. Not so blunt as a crucifix but its still there you know?
Does it annoy anyone else, that when a religious person commits an atrocity in the name of God?
A question from a reader: The religious folks claim it is ’secular’ or ‘government’ or they are ‘not true christians’?
Even when the church condones the act?
I have seen True Believers call the Inquisition a secular act, child torture and murder (exorcism) in evangelical churches all over the world, even the UK and USA, to do with ‘african culture’.
It disgusts me.