I was raised Christian (hence my given name) but only attended church sometimes. Mainly on special occasions like Easter.
Now Im a Humanist ( /wiki/Humanism ) with the stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings.
We are all human ? /s I'd like to believe that we can all get along...
Im for 'freedom of religion' but to me that means freedom from religion... in my experience devout religious peoples tend to be the nastiest. Especially if you're not a practising member of their denomination of whatever. The entirety of human history is littered with 'holy wars'.
My opinion is that humanity wont progress to Star Trek levels of utopia unless we put our differences aside and work together to build a better tomorrow. Fun Fact: the basis of Star Trek;s ideals lay with Humanism. I like reading aboot religion and most of them agree on one thing; The Golden Rule. "Treat others the same way you want to be treated".
Buddhism has some neat quotes, and 'I am going to go on a rant here' (said in voice intimating comedian Dennis Miller).
Religion causes problems when one religious group demonizes another. For example <Nation of Islam> believes that 'whiteman is the devil'. If I believed a certain people were an incarnation of evil. Literally satan. I would do my best to not reside near them. If some africans believe whiteman is literally The Devil then why migrate to a land [europe for example] where the majority are caucasians(white) [so called 'demonizing the enemy' because if you dont acknowledge another as a fellow human being than it easier to hate them] ?
"the greatest trick The Devil ever pulled was convincing the world She didn't exist". quothe by some smart philosopher?
Fun fact: Abrahamic religions (christianity, judasim, and islam) encompass the most amount of people that "believe" in Satan(the devil).
My opinion is that Satan is like Santa.
Santa is 'real' in the sense that people (mainly gullible children) "believe" in the caricature\character. I dont "believe" in the eternal struggle between good vs evil. Evil as in the incarnate supernatural force. There are 'good' people. People with a kind nature, tend to follow societal rules, somewhat sheepish. Is following the rules "good". If the rules are not just then following them is bad ?
There are 'bad' people.
The so called wolves. Shithead assholes that are bullshit disturbers. Always causing troubles for others. Often being an asshat (or Schrödinger's douche) pushing the limits of civility for shits and giggles. For instance sometimes Im harassed while grocery shopping. Who the actual fuck thinks it a good ideal to start shit with others who are minding their own business buying groceries (one time a yoot tried hip checking me as I walked by them during COVID). Pure ghetto trash !
Im often harassed as I walk by those religions peoples that loiter at Speaker Corner DTK.
Sorry but fear-mongering doesnt work on me. Hell doesnt scare me. And I dont "believe" in the afterlife. But if it is real I wouldnt want to spend eternity with self-righteous arrogant prudes. That is psychological coercion and a very tough sell. People have the right to walk by without being persecuted.
Does The Devil(Satan) exist? I don't know. Do people do bad things in the name of satan\devil ? I dont know, to the best of my knowledge I havent encountered any Satanist (not to be confused with The Church of Satan a counterculture movement). But religious peoples certainly do bad things in the name of god. Some even yell GOD IS GREAT or 'allah akar', when doing atrocious violent acts against others.
Maybe "god" is the collective unconscious good.
"Good" in the sense of doing what is best for your community, society, and humanity. Do corporation have "good" intentions ?
My opinion of Corpo's was formed by that famous movie 'The Corporation'
which states that they only exist to make money. Seems like the 'new religion' is Capitalism. We figuratively worship money. The almighty US dollar? In dogma we trust... all others pay cash?
Maybe basing a system on short term goals in myopic. Perhaps decimating old growth ancient forests is a bad ideal.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/toilet-paper-boreal-sustainability-recycled-1.7328130
Is chopping down a forest to make toilet paper wise ?
Is polluting our fresh water supply to get oil while fracking for it wise ?
We dont have to worry too much now but maybe future generations wont have it as good ?
Is humanity on the brink of causing irreversible Climate Change to our home world ?
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-amazon-in-crisis-forest-loss-threatens-the-region-and-the-planet
https://earth.org/plastic-pollution-in-the-ocean-facts/
Dont worry 'the universe' is filled with planets for us (humans?) to colonize...
(if we cant get things right here, we wont be able to get along anywhere?)
... Id like to "believe" the future will be like Star Trek but it likely be more like Warhammer 40k !!!
The Devil wears Prada !
The problem with 'The Golden Rule' is if people mistreat you, then that gives you the right to mistreat them in return (revenge). Which only creates a 'vicious cycle' (or cycle of retaliatory violence). Better to be in a 'virtuous cycle' ! According to Christianity or the doctrine of Jesus.
In Matthew 5:38–39, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” The concept of “turning the other cheek” is a difficult one for us to grasp. Allowing a second slap after being slapped once does not come naturally.
https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/2025-statement/
