Massive Mosque?

[formant]

It's always good to make judgements about people based on some aggregated fact such as colour, religion, football team they support, it makes it much easier to hate a group when you don't allow them to become people.

Religion (much like favourite football club and very much unlike colour) is a choice. Just as much as you'll be able to draw a few (very trivial) conclusions from someone's favourite football team, you can generalise about people's choice and desire to believe something without evidence and to seek a community framework in which to practice this. These things simply have nothing to do with the rest of a person's character - that can still be ever so great or ever so rubbish or something in between.

And what is it with this inflammatory misquoting? 'Hate' is a pretty strong word that I did not and would not use here.

Doubtful, unless your understanding of 'religious person' means someone who ticks 'Christian' on forms and goes to church for the carols.

Ah, of course, those who aren't doing it 'properly' cannot be counted as part of your group.
Not a whole lot of 'real Christians' around in that case. Or 'real *insertotherreligionhere*s' for that matter.

[d000hg]

I meant that drawing sweeping generalisations about people based on a single fact about them allows groups to objectify each other... "beat him up, he's a Catholic"... "who cares he's a City supporter", etc.

That's a prime cause of violence and hatred between groups.

And as for 'doing it properly' well then yes it seems we do disagree on the term 'religious'. I view someone as religious if they made a choice (which as you say is what it is) to actively follow a religion, not if they were born to religious parents or would claim to be an <insert religion>-ian.

[formant]

I meant that drawing sweeping generalisations about people based on a single fact about them allows groups to objectify each other... "beat him up, he's a Catholic"... "who cares he's a City supporter", etc..

As explained in my previous comment there are a limited number of 'sweeping generalisations' one can legitimately make about most groups that people join by choice. In the case of religious faith that's the 'believing without evidence' thing for example. That alone sets a dangerous precedent to me, because once someone believes without evidence in one context they're likely to also do that in another. That's the bit I then dislike about religious people. They may otherwise be decent, likeable people, but I find that point difficult to disregard entirely. That doesn't mean I actively dislike every single religious person, as there is indeed a lot more to people than just their faith or lack of such.

I'm impressed that you agree with me on the matter of 'choice', as the more common response I get to that is vehement denial of this - many seeing (their) religion more as 'the only thing that's right', or their 'calling'.

[minestrone]

As explained in my previous comment there are a limited number of 'sweeping generalisations' one can legitimately make about most groups that people join by choice. In the case of religious faith that's the 'believing without evidence' thing for example. That alone sets a dangerous precedent to me, because once someone believes without evidence in one context they're likely to also do that in another. That's the bit I then dislike about religious people. They may otherwise be decent, likeable people, but I find that point difficult to disregard entirely. That doesn't mean I actively dislike every single religious person, as there is indeed a lot more to people than just their faith or lack of such.

I'm impressed that you agree with me on the matter of 'choice', as the more common response I get to that is vehement denial of this - many seeing (their) religion more as 'the only thing that's right', or their 'calling'.

I see that post as a whoosh but I will divy up my thoughts on this on the paralax view of religion my religion has given me on religion.

Christianity to me is about living your life like Jesus, that is what Christianity means really, it has never been about nativity inventions or bible epics with big screen actors in big boats.

Now if some arsehole wants to blow himelf up in the name of whatever God he follows please do not think that I subscride to total absolution for his God.

Do me the service to understand all religions before commenting on a religion and following that up with an opinion on all religions.

[d000hg]

As explained in my previous comment there are a limited number of 'sweeping generalisations' one can legitimately make about most groups that people join by choice. In the case of religious faith that's the 'believing without evidence' thing for example.

We're at cross-purposes. I'm talking about how labeling people in some group, WHATEVER group, is bad. N.I. Protestants hate a family "because they're Catholic" but don't know why being Catholic is bad. Celtic fans hate Rangers fans and view them as scum/

I'm impressed that you agree with me on the matter of 'choice', as the more common response I get to that is vehement denial of this - many seeing (their) religion more as 'the only thing that's right', or their 'calling'.

I think there is only one truth. But it's a choice to follow it.

[SueEllen]

To be honest you have always sounded like a slapper with loose morals.

Just because I don't think people should park to:
1. Cause a nuisance so people have to squeeze around vehicles, and
2. Cause danger to others including blocking access to emergency vehicles,
while they worship their God doesn't mean I have loose morals.

[minestrone]

Cause danger to others including blocking access to emergency vehicles,

can you give me specific examples of this?

Maybe you would care to offer me some situation where by religious observence has caused some kind of emergency in your street to be exarcebated, please do tell us all.

[vetran]

Where do lawyers fit in?

well without Politicians & priests there would be no one to tell us stringing up lawyers is a bad thing. Lawyers & Radio DJs could all swing, think of it as 'the big society'.

[Scoobos]

" Quite a bit of tosh.

I've lived in some of those "state sponsored terroism" countries you list, such as Indonesia and Malaysia and saw and heard of nothing of the sort.

But thanks for at least showing what racism really is.

[formant]

Christianity to me is about living your life like Jesus, that is what Christianity means really, it has never been about nativity inventions or bible epics with big screen actors in big boats.

Now if some arsehole wants to blow himelf up in the name of whatever God he follows please do not think that I subscride to total absolution for his God.

Do me the service to understand all religions before commenting on a religion and following that up with an opinion on all religions.

Ah, so you get to pass your judgement on Islam as a whole based on the actions of some deranged nutters. That's like people judging Christianity by the actions of Anders Breivik. What Christianity is to you and who is and isn't doing it right is pretty irrelevant unless you approach Islam with the same differentiating attitude. That doesn't seem to be the case.