Which is the most irrational religion?

MattShizzle
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Which is the most irrational religion?

Just wanted to know what everyone thinks is the most irrational religion. Not counting cults, only the major religions of the world. I'd have to say Christianity.

Hey, no more polls! Sad

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BarkAtTheMoon
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All of them. Pretty much all

All of them. Pretty much all religions are cults that just got real big.

I actually have no real problem with some of the eastern religions. Non-deity Buddhism, Taoism, Confucionism. Some of the ones like that that are more philosophy than religion are ok. I enjoyed reading Greek mythology stories when I was in school, they're actually fairly decent fictional stories. Most religions would be sort of ok if they were just taken as a pseudo guide to live a decent life, rather than a true story about magical deities, though you might as well use the Harry Potter books instead. Better morality and a much more entertaining read.

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How amazingly unlikely is your birth;
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'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth!
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todangst
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I guess the only way to

I guess the only way to really answer this is to say which religion makes the most irrational claims. I agree with bark's post about non deity buddhism - it's more of a philosophy on life, a brand of psychology, then a religion.

"Hitler burned people like Anne Frank, for that we call him evil.
"God" burns Anne Frank eternally. For that, theists call him 'good.'


MarthaSplatterhead (not verified)
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Is astrology a religion? I

Is astrology a religion? I would say that (second to xtianity) if it was. Nothing is more annoying than when my friends say I am stubborn because I am a Taurus. No. Everybody is stubborn at times. Whatever. It really annoys me.


MattShizzle
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Astrology isn't really a

Astrology isn't really a religion , but it is very irrational!


Kelreth
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i consider everything except

i consider everything except for the eastern philospophys as irrational

some zen meditations are nice


darth_josh
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Hands down scientology My

Hands down
scientology

My question concerning how much a 'thetan' weighs still goes unanswered.

Second place: Raelians

Both scientology and Raelism have bastardized science for their own questionable motivations.
Both are creationist faiths as well.

I'd rather pray five times a day and have ten wives in different towns.

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MattShizzle
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I'd consider both of them

I'd consider both of them cults.


darth_josh
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Well damn. Ok. christianity

Well damn.

Ok. christianity then.

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ClubHollis
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Hinduism, i like reading

Hinduism, i like reading their stories, their crazy. So is the bible but Hinduism takes the cake for me.

I rather like the eastern "religions"

Just use your head.


Pallas
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Scientology. I see you

Scientology. I see you consider that a cult, but aren't they all?


Rigor_OMortis
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Good question.... I'd rather

Good question....

I'd rather there was a way to bash absolutely all religions at once...


Christen
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Mormons....oh, wait...you

Mormons....oh, wait...you said no cults. Actually, I think all of them are irrational. Smiling

I think Hinduism is the most interesting religion. I'm currently designing a small tattoo of Ganesha, the Hindu lord of intellect, widsom, and logic. He represents someone who has discovered the god within themself. Actually, most eastern religions are all pretty interesting. Christianity is really boring.


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I don't know how to

I don't know how to categorize religions in terms of more or less irrationality.

Buddhism, for example, is not the ideological pure Buddhism that is presented to Americans. All religions annex beliefs from other religions. In the real world, practicing Buddhists believe in all sorts of nonsense, including spirits, gods, heavens, hells, curses, and incantations. There have been plenty of warrior monks, wars, and a history of slavery. Today the Sinhalese (a sect of Buddhism) continue to kill and slaughter their enemies. What may seem benign for a religion one day may later turn out disastrous. I don't know how to calculate which religion is worse than another.


Brian37
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Asking which is the most

Asking which is the most irrational religion is like asking who is more nuts Jeffory Dahmer or Ted Bundy.

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Buddha314
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There are sects of every

There are sects of every religion. I am an Essential Buddhist which means I believe what Buddha [supposedly] said and that's it...no demon craziness. He claimed to be concerned only with suffering, and his teachings reflect that. Unfortunately, the prosetilyzers (sp?) had to add crazy stuff from Hinduism and other religions to make it more appealing so it could grow. Christianity was cursed with irrationality from the start since I'm pretty sure Jesus said he was the son of god.


Godslayer
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do you believe it out of

do you believe it out of faith?


AntiFaith
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QueefsR4Quitters wrote:I

QueefsR4Quitters wrote:
I don't know how to categorize religions in terms of more or less irrationality.

Buddhism, for example, is not the ideological pure Buddhism that is presented to Americans. All religions annex beliefs from other religions. In the real world, practicing Buddhists believe in all sorts of nonsense, including spirits, gods, heavens, hells, curses, and incantations. There have been plenty of warrior monks, wars, and a history of slavery. Today the Sinhalese (a sect of Buddhism) continue to kill and slaughter their enemies. What may seem benign for a religion one day may later turn out disastrous. I don't know how to calculate which religion is worse than another.


This is what I told some one.

"Persuading eachother to have rational beliefs is preventive medicine, where as dealing with actions is like a surgery after the damage has already been done.
Like it or not harm comes from ignorance or irrationalism most of the time. Methods count. Fantasy should take a back seat to Reason. Especially when groups are involved."

It makes sense to me, but I can't think of how to help some one else understand it.

That is interesting that buddhism started out non-superstitious and became more violent later as its followers add superstition to it.

I think superstition should be addressed by Free Thinkers for as long as there are Free Thinkers.

Free Thought is hard. How do you sell it? People enjoy ignorance in bliss, but pay the piper later for it sometimes. Everyone pays sometimes for ignorance and or irrationality.


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God slayer wrote:do you

God slayer wrote:
do you believe it out of faith?

Buddha314 does buddhism requre faith?


Buddha314
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I'm glad someone clarifty to

I'm glad someone clarified to whom he was directing that post. What I believe is true does not require faith. Buddha (I will refrain from pointing out his uncertain existence from now on) instructed people to test his teachings themselves. I have tested his way of looking at the world and the way of life he presents in the eight fold path. I am happier than I have ever been, and because of that I think it is worthwhile. Besides not being attached to things, being nice to people, and being aware of each moment of life he doesn't say much more, so faith really can't be involved.

Now to the more recent post, I think some versions of Buddhism require faith; however, everything I believe is falsifiable. If letting go of my last girlfriend when she broke up with me didn't stop me from being sad about that, then I wouldn't believe that Buddha had some really good ideas. If being aware of what is around me all the time didn't augment my happiness I wouldn't believe. The teachings I accept have all been supported through "experiments" on me. I must admit I try to "convert" a little, but that's only when someone comes to me asking for advice about sadness or stress. Then I merely tell them something that worked for me, and I refrain from labelling it Buddhism unless he or she wants to talk about it more.


Brian37
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All religion is an

All religion is an artificial construct that amounts to a pat on the back club to boost egos.

All the "good" things religious people claim to do can be done without the fairy tales or superstitions. It surves as a devisive tool that ignores the alpha male mentality that pits one group against another. More often than not it draws lines in the sand staking claims to morality allowing one human to subjegate others to second class status.

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neon
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I would say Mormonism is

I would say Mormonism is deeply irrational.

Oh, yeah, Jesus Christ came to America to preach to the Indians, but the Indians don't fucking remember this.

wtf


MattShizzle
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Yeah, that's pretty

Yeah, that's pretty irrational. And God said it's OK to have more than 1 wife, but he changed his mind when the US Government decided that would prevent statehood for Utah.

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Insidium Profundis
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The idea of any religion is

The idea of any religion is roughly equally idiotic given modern scientific and philosophical achievement.

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LeftofLarry
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todangst wrote:I guess the

todangst wrote:
I guess the only way to really answer this is to say which religion makes the most irrational claims. I agree with bark's post about non deity buddhism - it's more of a philosophy on life, a brand of psychology, then a religion.

I agree here one hundred percent.

All, say, western religions have irrational beliefs...no one is more irrational than the other. They are all irrational. Perhaps a better way to ask the question is wich religion is more detrimental to humanity. And again, I would say they all are because all three major theistic religions rely on war, hate, murder etc.... They are conflicting international ideoligies all which are hell bound on global domination of ideology, through whatever means necessary.

The idea of liberal pluralism is a great one, EXCEPT when it comes to irrational beliefs. When ignorance runs a democracy, that democracy is doomed to fail.

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