The Threat of Theology: Religion Influencing Politics in America

https://www.yahoo.com/news/39-old-pastor-died-trying-045331107.html

So stupid to try when you know starvation and dehydration kills people in much less than 40 days. I don't know how this guy got his ideas. If he lives, Jesus did superhuman feat and the religion loses power, and if he dies, then people think he is an idiot and only proves a man dies trying to starve himself.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/after-school-satan-club-holds-first-meeting-at-virginia-primary-school/ar-AA17CLSA?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ded9b4cdab18470c9177f33b78708576

Cool
Not much diff between Satan and god in my eyes
If I'm gonna worship anybody, might as well be Jerry Garcia

Quote: terapined

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/after-school-satan-club-holds-first-meeting-at-virginia-primary-school/ar-AA17CLSA?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ded9b4cdab18470c9177f33b78708576

Cool
Not much diff between Satan and god in my eyes
If I'm gonna worship anybody, might as well be Jerry Garcia

]

I prefer:

Quote: terapined

As you get older, you get wiser
Used to lean right
Now lean left

One statement or the other is not automatically true in all cases.

I am older and more to the right than I was before, at least, on economic issues.

On social issues, I'm pretty much where I always was---pretty far left.

Quote: Mission146

One statement or the other is not automatically true in all cases.

I am older and more to the right than I was before, at least, on economic issues.

On social issues, I'm pretty much where I always was---pretty far left.

Honestly, you can blame religion for the last sentence. If (certain) Christians, particularly of the Evangelical variety, could find it in themselves to leave non-Christians the %^%^ alone, then I probably would be a bit more socially Conservative.

Of course, the Far Left is now a cult that lacks a God, unless groupthink is a God, then I guess they have one. I suppose people mostly seem to break out of that a bit as they get into their 30's, but not all of them. Of course, there has been a retracing back to a little bit of nuance, it would seem. Maybe they decided they had taken it too far when they were eating their own all the time.***

The Church: Social pressure to force conformity.

The Far Left: Social pressure to force conformity.

Hmmm...

Maybe people just suck, in general.

***Added, actually, we're not really in a POTUS election cycle...so maybe politics just isn't the hot thing right now.

Quote: Mission146

Honestly, you can blame religion for the last sentence. If (certain) Christians, particularly of the Evangelical variety, could find it in themselves to leave non-Christians the %^%^ alone, then I probably would be a bit more socially Conservative.

Of course, the Far Left is now a cult that lacks a God, unless groupthink is a God, then I guess they have one. I suppose people mostly seem to break out of that a bit as they get into their 30's, but not all of them. Of course, there has been a retracing back to a little bit of nuance, it would seem. Maybe they decided they had taken it too far when they were eating their own all the time.***

The Church: Social pressure to force conformity.

The Far Left: Social pressure to force conformity.

Hmmm...

Maybe people just suck, in general.

***Added, actually, we're not really in a POTUS election cycle...so maybe politics just isn't the hot thing right now.

I object to your characterization generally. Religion too often requests restrictions on people that make zero difference to them personally, like if some woman they don’t know has an abortion. I request restrictions on gun purchases because I feel it’s makes a difference to me as I might get shot by a looney who has a right to a gun just because he is a citizen. And same with restriction on whether climate change is going to be detrimental to me if you freely drill drilll drill to get our energy. I’m not against prostitution as a sin, if it is actually a choice, but I am against prostitution when it is a non- choice. I’m not against someone committing suicide if it’s a choice, or just make it illegal because it’s a sin against god. I think it’s a rash choice in many cases, but I won’t impose the restriction even though I think I’m more right than they are being,

And so on. I believe in traffic safety because I see a direct danger to me. I don’t otherwise care if you drive recklessly in the middle of nowhere though.

..of course I can’t speak for everyone, just me.

Quote: rxwine

I object to your characterization generally. Religion too often requests restrictions on people that make zero difference to them personally, like if some woman they don’t know has an abortion. I request restrictions on gun purchases because I feel it’s makes a difference to me as I might get shot by a looney who has a right to a gun just because he is a citizen. And same with restriction on whether climate change is going to be detrimental to me if you freely drill drilll drill to get our energy. I’m not against prostitution as a sin, if it is actually a choice, but I am against prostitution when it is a non- choice. I’m not against someone committing suicide if it’s a choice, or just make it illegal because it’s a sin against god. I think it’s a rash choice in many cases, but I won’t impose the restriction even though I think I’m more right than they are being,

And so on. I believe in traffic safety because I see a direct danger to me. I don’t otherwise care if you drive recklessly in the middle of nowhere though.

You actually bring up the crux of the problem in your post RXW. You only care about something if you believe that not taking action will effect you personally. You, however, ignore the fact that the action you are promoting might be having a negative effect on someone else. Having a functional society means that all members of that society must conform to some standard of behavior. The problem of course is who gets to decide the standard. Our society is currently very aggressively expanding the need to accommodate those it feels are disadvantaged or discriminated against. At the same time society is pursuing this path, it is actively restricting the rights of those who don't meet their criteria of those that need protection.

Quote: kenarman

You actually bring up the crux of the problem in your post RXW. You only care about something if you believe that not taking action will effect you personally. You, however, ignore the fact that the action you are promoting might be having a negative effect on someone else. Having a functional society means that all members of that society must conform to some standard of behavior. The problem of course is who gets to decide the standard. Our society is currently very aggressively expanding the need to accommodate those it feels are disadvantaged or discriminated against. At the same time society is pursuing this path, it is actively restricting the rights of those who don't meet their criteria of those that need protection.

Well, what I’m saying is I don’t restrict behavior just because I think it’s offensive or even dangerous to the person doing it. Or if it is a sin.

So, anyone who makes the claim we just like banning stuff to snuff freedom, is incorrect.

But once again, I can’t speak for the entire left.

Quote: rxwine

I object to your characterization generally. Religion too often requests restrictions on people that make zero difference to them personally, like if some woman they don’t know has an abortion. I request restrictions on gun purchases because I feel it’s makes a difference to me as I might get shot by a looney who has a right to a gun just because he is a citizen. And same with restriction on whether climate change is going to be detrimental to me if you freely drill drilll drill to get our energy. I’m not against prostitution as a sin, if it is actually a choice, but I am against prostitution when it is a non- choice. I’m not against someone committing suicide if it’s a choice, or just make it illegal because it’s a sin against god. I think it’s a rash choice in many cases, but I won’t impose the restriction even though I think I’m more right than they are being,

And so on. I believe in traffic safety because I see a direct danger to me. I don’t otherwise care if you drive recklessly in the middle of nowhere though.

..of course I can’t speak for everyone, just me.

That's true about the abortions, but again, some of the Evangelical denominations believe that if there is sinning taking place, and they do nothing, then they are complicit in the sin. It's for that reason they feel the need to oppose abortion in every way they can possibly think of, including at the ballot box.

That's also one of the reasons that they are so vocally opposed to other people doing things that, in the perception of people who are actually sane, would have no impact on them individually. Another example is that those churches are still largely opposed to gay marriage. You could tell a guy, "Just because two dudes can get married doesn't mean you have to marry a dude," but it's going to fall on deaf ears because one of the tenets of Evangelicalism is to gaf about what other people are doing if they are engaged in sin.

I'm not talking about the Far Left in terms of gun restrictions. I'm talking about the informal policing on what other people are allowed to think, or how they are allowed to speak, particularly on social issues. In that sense, they really are no different from some of the more extreme churches. As with the churches, they see other ways of thinking as a problem to be corrected.

Interesting case the Supreme Court is hearing
Should a religious person have the right not to work Sunday.
If the business is open on Sunday, hell no
Justice Barrett made a good argument
Wouldn't it effect the morale of other workers if they had to work every Sunday to accommodate a religious worker having off every Sunday.
https://www.newsweek.com/amy-coney-barrett-surprising-remarks-supreme-court-religion-case-1795507