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Post by JonathanE on Oct 25, 2009 7:21:13 GMT -5
Never assume that all bible thumpers are uneducated in-breeds. They most definitely are not, or at least the vast majority. I think that religions appeal to human's instinct toward tribalism, the need to be part of a larger group, to the exclusion of others. That is where it is most dangerous, both externally, in the form of terrorist acts, and internally, because by allowing our tribal instincts, stonger in some than others, to overtake rational thought, we slow humanity's growth and potential, as a best case scenario, and endanger humanity's survival, at worst.
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Post by Oriet on Oct 25, 2009 11:31:11 GMT -5
Um, not quite sure if that was directed at me or not, but I shall reply so as to at least make sure my earlier points are clarified. When I was referencing a largely uneducated audience I was not referring to their level of formal education, but rather to their level of knowledge about specific issues. After all, a person can easily be highly educated in one field yet completely lack knowledge in another. This is actually to be expected when it comes to more obscure or occluded elements of society, as they are not taught about in general education (or they would be more well known, understood, and accepted in the first place), and as such the general population remains ignorant about them. And yes, the social aspect of humanity, the yearn for group acceptance, is exactly what is used to distance people from another group or specific action (or thought process) by placing a stigma, and thus non-acceptance, upon it. The stronger the stigma, the stronger the opposition to that which is stigmatised, and the less likely people are to actually question why the stigma is there in the first place. This is also exactly how people such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh maintain their following and create strong opposition without having to provide a shred of reason. They appeal to people by being part of the "us" through the common aspects of their espoused religious views, obtain status as an authority figure who is to be obeyed through little more than self proclamation and the means to reach their audience (which is something that most people cannot do), and then demonise whatever it is that strikes their fancy by portraying it as completely unacceptable. People, yearning for acceptance within a group and disliking being shunned will then attempt to be part of the "acceptable" group, even if it means having to deny aspects of themselves. (I won't get into how religion uses this as a form of control, as that's a side tangent at the moment.) Psychological studies such as the Milgram experiment and the Asch experiment clearly demonstrate this. Taking it a step further we can look at the Stanford prison experiment to realise that people will also conform to presented social roles, including taking said roles further than were presented; not only when no opposition is raised, but especially when said roles are encouraged by those seen as in authority (even when no legitimate authority exists). Furthermore, people will not see the problems until an outside entity brings in enough opposition to counter the authority and stigma that they have been abiding by.
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Post by JonathanE on Oct 25, 2009 19:31:13 GMT -5
We agree, then, Oriet, so, no, it was aimed at those who actually think that "true believers" are all slobbering morons. That is not the case at all. As the evidence shows, our inherent desire to "belong" to a group to the exlusion of others who are unalike, is what religion thrives on. It is that part of our human nature that must be overcome if we are to advance or decline as a species.
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Post by ostravan on Oct 26, 2009 5:51:32 GMT -5
"I want my country back!" (Geronimo / Sitting Bull) "We should cast out all illegal immigrants - all 300 million of them" (Geronimo / Sitting Bull)
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Post by Lady Renae on Oct 26, 2009 22:59:37 GMT -5
Explain to me exactly what that has to do with the topic and why it isn't a complete spam post, because I really can't see it.
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