"Religion was created to control people."

[Wozza]

Pattylt:

I read the article but the video is too long for me to watch right now. If there is something that particularly raised your fear factor, give me the time stamp and I’ll listen.

Yes, the relentless and unending Muslim expansion.

'22.3% of Muslims live in New York City, the home of more mosques (285 total) than any other American city. Though just shy of 9% of the NYC population, Muslims make up over 12% of the city’s pharmacists, lab technicians, and over 9% of all doctors. They make up 11.3% of all engineers, and are engaged at every level of civic life in the city, from senior adviser to the city government to directing outreach at the city council level. Nearly 10,000 NYC teachers are Muslim. Looking at NYC, it is evident that Muslim Americans are engaged and active in important sectors of American life. ’ Religion in the United States - Wikipedia

First there’s settlement, then they gain a foothold. And then…well, they seem to integrate themselves into society in a most positive manner.

I think that those who fear that their own personal view of what constitutes a good society is dissapearing need a bogey man. Islam is an easy target.

That you could be fearfull of people that represent about 1% of the population (who as we have seen above are playing a significant part in civics, education, engineering, medicine etc) says more about you than it does them.

 

[buffalo]

says more about you than it does them.

That is the formula. Several states have already taken the action to ban sharia law. I wonder why…

1.5 billion Muslims times 10% radicalized = 156 million or half the pop of USA. The other 90% work by more peaceful means until critical mass, then boom.

 

[niceatheist]

Yes yes yes. And a few decades ago it was immigrants from India, then before that it was the Chinese, and before that it was the Eastern Europeans, and before that the Irish, and generally any Catholics with their first loyalty to the Pope and their big families and Mary and the Saints and everything vile and alien to god-fearing Anglo-Saxon Protestants.

I guess the Muslims should feel happy that Latin Americans are the up and coming bogeyman.

 

[Wozza]

Wozza:

says more about you than it does them.

That is the formula. Several states have already taken the action to ban sharia law. I wonder why…

1.5 billion Muslims times 10% radicalized = 156 million or half the pop of USA. The other 90% work by more peaceful means until critical mass, then boom.

Why do you need to transpose figures and arguments from world wide to the US? And yeah, some bible belt states have ‘banned’ sharia law. A totally uneccesary act as existing checks and balances (including the establishment clause which emphasises that no religious tradition, including Christian, shall be allowed to form the basis of any law applicable to all) means it cannot be implemented anyway.

You say you wonder why it was banned. I really think you don’t know.

 

[buffalo]

Yes yes yes. And a few decades ago it was immigrants from India, then before that it was the Chinese, and before that it was the Eastern Europeans, and before that the Irish, and generally any Catholics with their first loyalty to the Pope and their big families and Mary and the Saints and everything vile and alien to god-fearing Anglo-Saxon Protestants.

You do not understand the threat political Islam poses. It is much different than what you quoted above.

 

[niceatheist]

No, it’s not that I don’t understand the alleged threat. It’s just that I think it is pure unadulterated you know what, and this xenophobia is just a rehash of the same tired know nothing nonsense

 

[BearingCross]

OK, I realise that this forum was not specifically designed to discuss East Asian history.
However, if there is one country outside of the West that has benefitted the most from importing foreign ideas, then why not look at Indonesia?!?!

Their government offically recognizes five major world religions, and they practice a version of Islam that is very successful at coexisting with other religions.

 

[BarbTh]

Hi Guest1
I do not think that religion was created, it is an evolution almost from the earliest times in our human recorded history and in some very crude form or other to us today Definition of Crude

Nor do I think people can be controlled by anything at all, except by that they choose to be controlled. Even if something threatens one’s existence if one does not permit control. It remains a choice: (1) be controlled or (2) die. In life, there is always choice.

Rather, I think religion evolved (not was created) to express something integral and deep, basic, to the existence of the human heart - something unspoken until religion evolved out of the human heart with answers.

By the time humanity could be termed as civilised Definition, the crude forms had evolved to a quite sophisticated expression and unlike today to me, religion back then was integrated fully into daily life.

There seems to be in the human heart an urge to understand the why of existence. Why am I here, do I have purpose? I think too that death for many can be a scary thought best avoided. Religion in its more sophisticated form had answers to the why and wherefore of existence and death and spoke of a life beyond death. Religion was fulfilling an integral quest of the human heart. Religion was offering answers.

We as humanity began to wonder and want to know if religion had validity. What is the truth behind religion, God and an after life. For some religion is dismissed as not the truth in and of itself and of existence. Others found that it was. Whom is correct? And so our quest for understanding and truth about our existence continues in some form or other.

Something like that to me. Have a good day wherever you are in your day and God bless your journey through the days.

 

[historyfan81]

lets see

the athiest argument : the kings and priest created relgion to control the masses

the first religions predate agriculture and therefore tribal hierchy of lands and kings , and organized priesthoods

so yeah , was religion ever used to control the masses? absolutly was it its main purpouse and that why it was created
no

 

[Matthew25]

Religion wasn’t created to control people, but it certainly has been used to do so. Not by everyone. Still, there are more than enough examples for people to believe that statement if they don’t look deeper.