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death by government or religion; which is the greatest killer of humanity? [KEWK]

Posted on: September 18, 2010 - 4:10pm
BookofJob
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death by government or religion; which is the greatest killer of humanity? [KEWK]

http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/NOTE1.HTM

Truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long
----Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

 

absolute political power in the hands of human beings kills....it kills without mercy. Though concepts of God or gods have without doubt been used to propagate evil in the world...even by a strictly humanist version of evil they have nothing on governments of man to perpetuate evil. Especially governments who claim that human beings are in possession of 'absolute truth' as devined by other human beings. Not to mention the New Testament is literally full of warnings against false versions of Christianity that will do evil.

But then if the universe doesn't really care about us....maybe it's all irrelavent? Millions of deaths at the hands of political power just don't matter? But while we are at it let's get rid of 'religion' since it's the great evil world? Hum..........that's not rational at all when you look at the evidence.

 

"Just to give perspective on this incredible murder by government, if all these bodies were laid head to toe, with the average height being 5', then they would circle the earth ten times. Also, this democide murdered 6 times more people than died in combat in all the foreign and internal wars of the century. Finally, given popular estimates of the dead in a major nuclear war, this total democide is as though such a war did occur, but with its dead spread over a century."

The nuclear war......that everyone missed.

 

We owe respect to the living; to the dead we owe only truth
----Voltaire. Oeuvres Vol. I, p. 15n

 

Tribute to Caesar

      19The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, and they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them. 20So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor. 21They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. 22“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23But He detected their trickery and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

Gospel of Luke 20: 19-26 NASV

 

Is it rational to believe someone so going against the current of human thinking and history could have been 'made up'?

 

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/teachings.html

 

"The radical teachings of Jesus Christ

Atheists often claim that Jesus Christ taught nothing unique that cannot be found in the other religions of the world. However, the truth is that Jesus' message is radically different from that of every other religion. This page examines some of the unique teachings of the founder of Christianity."

 

 

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Posted on: September 18, 2010 - 5:29pm #1
Beyond Saving
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BookofJob

BookofJob wrote:

http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/NOTE1.HTM

Truth will come to light; murder cannot be hid long
----Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

 

absolute political power in the hands of human beings kills....it kills without mercy. Though concepts of God or gods have without doubt been used to propagate evil in the world...even by a strictly humanist version of evil they have nothing on governments of man to perpetuate evil. Especially governments who claim that human beings are in possession of 'absolute truth' as devined by other human beings. Not to mention the New Testament is literally full of warnings against false versions of Christianity that will do evil.

Ok so humans kill humans for a whole bunch of reasons, hardly newsworthy. And when you have control of a government you have the ability to kill on a more massive scale. 

 

BookofJob wrote:

But then if the universe doesn't really care about us....maybe it's all irrelavent? Millions of deaths at the hands of political power just don't matter? But while we are at it let's get rid of 'religion' since it's the great evil world? Hum..........that's not rational at all when you look at the evidence.

It doesn't matter to the universe. The universe will survive just fine without us. It matter very much to humans and we have a tendency to think of ourselves as the center of the universe when really, we are rather small and insignificant. So are you arguing that since political power kills a lot of people it is ok for religion? Doesn't sound rational to me. I am against absolute political power AND religion. I am really against absolute political power combined with religion. I don't think anyone has claimed that religion is the only evil in the world and we can argue about whether religion is worse than absolute government but I don't think your argument of "Oh, yeah? They are more evil!" is a very strong argument. I would go so far as to say that many religions are harmless and not really a threat to anyone. For example, I don't think anyone could claim that Jainists or Amish are evil. Crazy yes, but they aren't taking over the world anytime soon. However, the ones that are not harmless can be extremely dangerous.

 

BookofJob wrote:
 

"Just to give perspective on this incredible murder by government, if all these bodies were laid head to toe, with the average height being 5', then they would circle the earth ten times. Also, this democide murdered 6 times more people than died in combat in all the foreign and internal wars of the century. Finally, given popular estimates of the dead in a major nuclear war, this total democide is as though such a war did occur, but with its dead spread over a century."

The nuclear war......that everyone missed.

And currently the most likely scenario for nuclear war would be at the hands of islamic fundamentalists. (religion)

 

BookofJob wrote:
 

Is it rational to believe someone so going against the current of human thinking and history could have been 'made up'?

 

Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, sorcerers and flying pink elephants all go against human thinking and I believe they have been made up. Does that make me irrational? We make up things all the time why is it so hard to believe that people a couple thousand years ago made up stuff too?

 

BookofJob wrote:

"The radical teachings of Jesus Christ

Atheists often claim that Jesus Christ taught nothing unique that cannot be found in the other religions of the world. However, the truth is that Jesus' message is radically different from that of every other religion. This page examines some of the unique teachings of the founder of Christianity."

We do? You sure make a lot of statements about what we claim. I would say that claiming to be the son of god and being believed is rather unique. Just because your unique does not mean you are sane. 

 

So is that your evidence that there is a god? Religion isn't as bad as absolute political power and the bible is unique? Homer's Illiad was unique until it was copied a million different ways. I wonder why we can't find the island of the cyclops? I always wanted a pet cyclops. And those sirens sound like a nice way to die. 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X