Those peace loving White Supremacists are at it again

[d000hg]

Exactly. Moreover, religion is based on fear that if a person displeases their god, they will go to hell when they die hence why they will commit atrocities out of fear of going to hell or reward of going to heaven.

That's a load of rubbish, and objectively untrue (certainly as far as Christianity is concerned). I can't say that individuals doing these things don't share your views but it ain't what the religion actually teaches.

[Paddy]

That's a load of rubbish, and objectively untrue (certainly as far as Christianity is concerned). I can't say that individuals doing these things don't share your views but it ain't what the religion actually teaches.

Do babies go to hell? - Catholic Answers Forums

If the parents of a baby are non-practicing Catholics, and the baby passes on, where does the baby pass on to?
Because of original sin, does it go to hell?
Because of original sin and the fact that the parents are not practicing Catholics, does the baby go to hell?

[d000hg]

What's that got to do with what I said?

[unixman]

If my Muslim colleagues are anything to go by, Islam is more about fasting and praying 5 times a day

[NotAllThere]

What's that got to do with what I said?

Nothing at all. Paddy's understanding of Christianity or even Catholic Christianity seems to be based more on irrational ill-informed prejudice than anything substantive. It's a shame really, because if he put the effort in there's plenty of well-thought out material for bashing us Christians with.

[Platypus]

I understand the oldest murder victim was 87. An 87 year old woman, saying her prayers.

So what?

[Unix]

It's distasteful to attack religion in this case because the victims where all in a Church expressing their religious beliefs which they are free to do in the US, the perp killed for racial reasons nothing to do with religion.

My own position on religion is I am an Atheist in regards to the main religions but Agnostic on some kind of higher being. This doesn't mean I disregard all the wisdom in the bible such as Jesus sermons etc who I view as a revolutionary philosopher, or the benefits to society Churches bring.

[xoggoth]

My own position on religion is I am an Atheist in regards to the main religions but Agnostic on some kind of higher being. This doesn't mean I disregard all the wisdom in the bible such as Jesus sermons etc who I view as a revolutionary philosopher, or the benefits to society Churches bring.

Tend to agree, a creator is as probably as good a theory as any, and there may well be some purpose behind everything, it is just the details of the established religions that make no sense whatever. Nothing wrong with many general religious moral principles either, you don't have to be religious to agree that the last 7 commandments make sense or even that the Islamic prohibition of alcohol is quite sensible.

The problem is when religious dogma imposes irrational specifics as to exactly how society should be governed or attempts to override individual rights. In society the greater good and individuals freedoms have to be balanced sensibly. There is no place for following irrational bollux from supposedly religious texts.

Mind you, religion is not unique in irrationality, many political beliefs are just as barmy. Why do intelligent educated people go on believing in communism when every communist society has been a disaster? The problem is not religion but human nature.

[WordIsBond]

Easy solution ban religion, and send any religious reprobates off to another plantet where they can be left to kill each other in peace (or pieces)

If Jesus wanted him to kill these people they should surely accept it and be happy with it?

For those wanting to play "blame the victim" here, it's not hard to find out just how terrible these religious people were.

NBC News:

Roof told police that he "almost didn't go through with it because everyone was so nice to him,"

Listen to the victims' family statements:

"I forgive you, and have mercy on your soul."

"I forgive you and my family forgive you, but we would like you to take this opportunity to repent."

"We welcomed you with open arms.... Every fibre in my body hurts.... May God have mercy on you."

"For me, I'm a work in progress, and I acknowledge that I'm very angry.... We have no room for hate, and so we have to forgive."

Yeah, a religion that influences people in that way is terrible and should be banned.

But of course, those who want to blame religion because people in a church were shot up by a lunatic probably don't have the integrity to click through, listen to what these "religious reprobates" say, and reconsider their own hatred.

[BrilloPad]

Ferguson police willing to offer Dylann Roof a front-line role