Note that avram thinks his barbaric practices need to be respected but others do not.

SOB

mozzaok wrote on Jul 2^nd, 2012 at 9:56am:

It doesn't take long, really, you can do it today if you want.

freediver wrote on Jul 2^nd, 2012 at 12:25pm:



I am assuming you are being serious, and not just chucking that in as a motherhood statement.

The obvious analogy being that unmentionable horrors are, have been, and will be, done in the name/cause/belief, in/of, those concepts, perhaps more often than religion.
This illustrates that religion may be a positive ethic, accepted and assimilated as a core belief, by very many, in the same way that we personally enshrine concepts like freedom, justice, and democracy, and the negative outcomes are a manifestation of our perverse human nature alone.

I would contend that belief in deities has no ethical value at all, and any ethical good which may flow from such belief, is based purely upon the individuals attaching their motivation to behaving ethically, to their belief in a deity.
On the other hand, I do think that believing in supporting freedom, and justice, are ethically sound primary choices, whilst democracy is certainly a political belief of some value, it is not a straight forward ethical choice like freedom and justice.

Morality was not 'invented' in the last 2-300 years. The supremacy of freedom and democracy were. So was justice based on freedom and democracy. And they were invented or introduced on the basis of being god-given.
Morality has been formed over centuries, by thorough idealists, by religious people. You could not have your morality, whatever it is, without that idealist, religious pre-history.
What you maintain as your morality exists as the inheritance from all the religious people who have gone before you, and a few (comparatively speaking negligible number) of non-religious ones. None of your morality about freedom and justice and democracy could be formulated or maintained without a religious outlook. You don't know it but you are religious insofar as you are ethical.

Go figure, Mozz.

Another weird, repellent and creepy facet of religion is not really surprising. But I am astonished that I've never heard of this one before.

Grey wrote on Jul 2^nd, 2012 at 10:45pm:



Quote:

Baby Dies From herpes After Controversial Circumcision Ritual

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/baby-dies-circumcision-ritual-herpes_n_...

Baronvonrort wrote on Jul 4^th, 2012 at 5:50pm:


Babies can die from herpes. Obviously.

In fact women that have herpes usually have cesarian to keep from giving it to the baby.

SOB

Baronvonrort wrote on Jul 4^th, 2012 at 6:04pm:


Well obviously "simplex 1" can be fatal to babies too since it killed a baby.

SOB