Banning religion

[Drummer Guy]

I'm glad I live in a country where people are free to believe what they want to believe.  I think that's a human right that people should have.

However, when I see what radical Islamists are doing, in particular how they are pushing to have Sharia law forced onto everyone in the UK, I can see the potential for government to start considering a ban on religion.  Other countries do it.  I admit to being very ignorant on how this affects these countries, but it certainly seems like a good idea when I have to start worrying about an Islamist beheading me and my family for not sharing his beliefs.

At the end of the day the only thing that gives me comfort is that there's more of us than them.  And that highlights the problem, they've made it into an "us vs them" issue.

I can't imagine being a cop when these Islamic protests are taking place.  Dealing with a post soccer game riot is bad enough, but a group of religious zealots shouting how there will be violence in the streets, and knowing that these men want to die for their cause and think they are justified to kill infidels must be scary as fuck to be a police officer in the front line trying to contain the situation.  Banning the religion all together would seem to help...but I'm no expert on these things.

[PickelledEggs]

Banning religion won't do anything but make the religious irate. If you want to work to get rid of religion/get rid of laws that give privilage to religion, do your part to help the seeds of doubt be spread and raise the level of ridicule for toxic and poorly thought out ideas.

[Solitary]

Good post, and I agree. The secular agenda has to be taught to children as young as it can. religion is causing this world to implode. But really, it is ignorance by people that think they have the truth with magical and irrational thinking. I think a start would be to get rid of fairy tails that are only used to scare children to behave and give them false hope that is not good for anyone. We also need to get rid of the idea of freewill and punishment instead of understanding and compassion, based on sparing the rod and spoil the child instead of discipline. Also, adults should not be punished, but prevented from harming society knowing they can't help it for various reasons, from brain damage, genetic defaults, barbaric teachings, and lack of empathy on their part. Two wrongs don't make a right! If people are truly happy, they don't want to hurt or control others. poverty causes so much stress and hatred, and wanting others to feel the same way that flaunt their riches. It's been like this for recorded history, and if we don't learn as a species to play and be happy without the idea of winning competitions we are doomed. Solitary

[Berati]

If you want to work to get rid of religion/get rid of laws that give privilage to religion, do your part to help the seeds of doubt be spread and raise the level of ridicule for toxic and poorly thought out ideas.

Exactly!
This is why it is so wrong to shut down criticism of islam with the "Billion peaceful Muslims" false argument. (false because it conflates an ideologies with the humans who hold them) It's well meaning, but ultimately a betrayal of secular liberal morals that do not allow a free pass to any ideology.

[aitm]

To make anything more attractive and desirable, one should ban it- Human nature 101

[stromboli]

My children all abandoned religion before I did. They did so because I gave them the choice to make their own decisions, and they did. There is nothing wrong with exposing kids to religion as long as they also are given the opportunity to see the other side. I don't personally know anyone who, given the free choice, chose religion over secularism.

[Cocoa Beware]

People should be allowed to believe whatever they want, so I would prefer that religions (especially Abrahamic) be exposed for what they really are;

A misguided and somewhat barbaric attempt to understand the Universe, whose claims are overwhelmingly illusory, and which has time and again yielded to rational (eg. scientific) claims;

And then allow the people to make up their minds about whether they are worth following.

[Mermaid]

Your first two statements directly contradict each other:

I am glad we can believe what we want to, but I think it's a good idea to ban religion.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

And just who do we get to enforce the ban? In the US we now have a republican congress and IF there was a ban they would completely defund the agencies charged with enforcement. Not to say a ban on religion is a pipe dream, but.....

[The Skeletal Atheist]

How can you ban a thought or idea? All you can do is ban the expression of it, and when you do that you create a festering wound. You have to violently repress people to even deal with that, but even then you're just setting up a powder keg, especially in regards to memetic ideas like religion.

It's better to ridicule them and call them out on their shit. Unfortunately the religious know this and are moving to try to ban criticism of their ideas. If we want to effectively combat religion we must work hard to ensure that nothing is free from criticism.

[Mister Agenda]

The UKs problem isn't so much having a lot of Muslims who want sharia, it's lack of any structure to prevent it. All American laws have to be compatible with the Constitution. The UK needs to become officially secular. They can't work the Church of England into their governance and then appeal to secularism as a reason to reject any law that mixes government and religion.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

The UKs problem isn't so much having a lot of Muslims who want sharia, it's lack of any structure to prevent it. All American laws have to be compatible with the Constitution. The UK needs to become officially secular. They can't work the Church of England into their governance and then appeal to secularism as a reason to reject any law that mixes government and religion.

Good luck because officially the kings and queens derived their powers directly from GAWD himself if I'm not mistaken..

[Drummer Guy]

Your first two statements directly contradict each other:

I am glad we can believe what we want to, but I think it's a good idea to ban religion.

That's the point, I'm torn between the two contradictory ideas.  I see cause for both sides.

[Drummer Guy]

It's better to ridicule them and call them out on their shit.

Which is what I wished I could do, but drawing a picture ridiculing some prophets could get you murdered.

[Drummer Guy]

Good luck because officially the kings and queens derived their powers directly from GAWD himself if I'm not mistaken..

You're a couple hundred years out of date, if I'm not mistaken.  It certainly started that way, but public perception isn't that royalty get any special powers from god.  They may be Christians, but it's similar to the head of a state being a Christian.