tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660901311853360160.post4224790187714052231..comments2023-05-08T05:02:15.918-07:00Comments on Free Lemming: Religion is Destroying AmericaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660901311853360160.post-7889429410398610692010-02-01T05:20:53.770-08:002010-02-01T05:20:53.770-08:00I was just reading Bukharin and Preobrazhensky'...I was just reading Bukharin and Preobrazhensky's "The ABCs of Communism" and was struck by the dedication:<br /><br />"We dedicate it to the Party which commands an army of a million men, dwells in the trenches, administers a vast realm, carts wood on Communist Saturdays, makes ready for the resurrection day of mankind."<br /><br />The cross-pollination of Christianity and Marxism is kind of blatant, huh?<br /><br />And on a more conspiratorial note, isn't it freaky how "Communist Saturdays" follow "Thank God It's Fridays"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660901311853360160.post-45771827301759045302010-02-01T05:15:34.702-08:002010-02-01T05:15:34.702-08:00A very interesting question, James: "How long...A very interesting question, James: "How long will it be before the Christian Right accepts what it really stands for and becomes the Christian Left?"<br /><br />That would be great if old school social liberals and fiscal conservatives united under the banner of libertarianism, while philosophically sound libertarians (?) like ReaganX enlightened them with the fundamental tenets of the ideology.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660901311853360160.post-33141800602488747582010-01-30T16:35:04.624-08:002010-01-30T16:35:04.624-08:00The "you're all going to hell" Bapti...The "you're all going to hell" Baptist church in town has had this on its sign for a while:<br /><br />"Pride is the deification of self."<br /><br />I couldn't agree more, in a sense, but on the other hand the message that it sends to the god-fearing men and women who subscribe to that church's teachings is that if you work hard and reap the reward, you're wrong. You should work hard and give away the reward, which will bring you closer to god.<br /><br />Aside from emphasizing one of the base arguments of all Christian sects (that you are guilty of original sin and must accept that you are a grotesque and corrupt creature, therefore you must do as we say to overcome this) it's clearly altruism and likewise a gateway to socialism.<br /><br />How long will it be before the Christian Right accepts what it really stands for and becomes the Christian Left?<br /><br />The "tea party" movement is disconnected with the teachings Christian churches in a number of ways.<br /><br />I'd love to see the conservatives in America split into the fundie Christian folks and the tea party folks.<br /><br />Likewise, I'd love to see the libtards split into the folks that want a handout, and the folks that want personal liberties.<br /><br />Maybe a libertarian vs Christian communist political landscape awaits? I can dream, can't I?Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09208603805247940818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660901311853360160.post-87173853708314775302010-01-30T10:23:00.184-08:002010-01-30T10:23:00.184-08:00Anonymous, correlation as such, of course, does no...Anonymous, correlation as such, of course, does not prove causation - cum hoc non est propter hoc. To understand historical events, one needs to understand the fundamental facts of human nature and – more generally – of reality. One of them is that libertarianism (in the proper sense) is an extremely complex and profound set of ideas based on facts of reality 1) reason is man’s basic means of survival 2) in so far as coercion is initiated against a human being, the functioning of reason is impeded or even stopped 3) therefore in so far as coercion is used, man’s survival is thwarted. <br />Religion is based on faith, which is the opposite of reason. Therefore 1) a profoundly religious person is not interested in cognizing reality by using his reason and his basic assumptions are the opposite of those on which libertarianism is founded 2) a profoundly religious person is not interested in terminating restrictions on rational thinking. Therefore we find that the correlation between religious fanaticism and tyranny is not a coincedence. The correlation itself does not prove anything, the nature of religion does. <br />Socialism, on the other hand, claims to be an ideology of reason on the face of it, but upon closer scrutiny, it turns out to be an irrational faith claiming to be rational.Reaganxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11767392975509574516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660901311853360160.post-69701734527783140362010-01-30T06:12:14.141-08:002010-01-30T06:12:14.141-08:00Or we can use the ice cream as an explanation for ...Or we can use the ice cream as an explanation for drowning analogy (or murder, alternatively), since both happen more often in the summer months. But ReaganX here points out one of the "Great Awakenings"; all of these spiritual revivals did have an immense effect on mass culture and politics in the U.S..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660901311853360160.post-90780836032779083942010-01-30T03:57:20.560-08:002010-01-30T03:57:20.560-08:00I agree with you that religion is a problem in the...I agree with you that religion is a problem in the usa. But since religion has been around for > 3000 yrs, how is it an explanation in and of itself for the usa switching from what you describe relatively accurately as a libertarian like society to a society which has a greater socialistic nature? it is a known fact in the world of data mining that focusing on the exact correlations usually do not give much insight into what answers you are actually seeking; if I am trying to understand why hamburgers are the most popular drive through item, focusing on whether one drives a minivan or not will not be a very credible explanation, although the correlation might be close to 1!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com