Bush Administration wants to keep torture secret

[SpoDaddy]

It has nothing to do with trend if you helped originate the trend. I've been saying that since I went to christian middle school.

You think your antics in middle school helped start a worldwide trend amongst miserable athiest psuedo-intellectuals?

It's the reason I was expelled. Religion is bullshit. It's all bullshit. If there was a Christ, I hope he suffered.

Where is all that anger coming from?

And how does religion not kill people when an alarming amount of human suffering can be attributed to it?

You can't attribute human suffering to religion any more than you can attribute murders to guns or knives; they're all tools used and manipulated to serve universal human motives. You don't prevent murder by banning guns.

[Mman]

The whole "religion causes death" argument that has become so trendy to make is about as useful as the "guns kill people" argument. People kill people and they're very resourceful about finding excuses and tools to do so.

But both are true. Especially religion, which has been historically the reasoning behind wars and terrible oppressions. Now, whether or not we would have been BETTER without religion is another question. You are right about people being good at finding reasons to fight and kill, but it is hard to see a better reason or more divisive matter than religion. The same argument can be made about guns. Would banning guns end murders? No. Would it remove the easiest and most effective way to murder people? Yes, and crime rates would most likely decrease if there was an actual removal of guns from society.

[Melf]

Crime rates might decline, but you just don't go and remove one of the premier amendments to the constitution. It's easy to grant a right, but extremely difficult to take one away.

As for religion being the cause of suffering, I don't agree. Take away religion, and people will cause suffering over money, an ideal, or whatever bullshit they can manipulate to achieve their ends. Religion in and of itself isn't the cause of suffering, as can be attested by the many religions that haven't slaughtered millions in their names. PEOPLE are the cause. Religion is just the most popular excuse.

[g0zen]

QFT

The more you try to paint me as a terrorist the more you make yourself look like a horse's ass. Keep it up, I say.

[icarusfall]

You think your antics in middle school helped start a worldwide trend amongst miserable athiest psuedo-intellectuals?

Obviously not, but by saying it's "So trendy" you're implying I just picked up the idea from TV. I didn't.

Where is all that anger coming from?

That's what it looks like when someone is actually pissed off about something. I'm not even interested in debating this with you. It's time I could spend forcing a gun down a preacher/prophet's mouth. They ruin lives, and attribute to more hate in this world than any other ideology.

You can't attribute human suffering to religion any more than you can attribute murders to guns or knives; they're all tools used and manipulated to serve universal human motives. You don't prevent murder by banning guns.

I don't attribute human suffering to religion exclusively. I attribute it to it as a huge factor. We're done here.

[Mman]

Crime rates might decline, but you just don't go and remove one of the premier amendments to the constitution. It's easy to grant a right, but extremely difficult to take one away.

I'm not arguing that we should ban guns. Hell, the US couldn't do it if they wanted to. There are simply too many available in the country and so many against the sentiment that it would be impossible. However, if we are to assume there was a successful ban than the number of violent murders in the US would dramatically decrease.

As for religion being the cause of suffering, I don't agree. Take away religion, and people will cause suffering over money, an ideal, or whatever bullshit they can manipulate to achieve their ends. Religion in and of itself isn't the cause of suffering, as can be attested by the many religions that haven't slaughtered millions in their names. PEOPLE are the cause. Religion is just the most popular excuse.

I agree that people will find ways to kill other people no matter what the situation is. However, that doesn't free religion from being the cause of some unimaginable suffering in the world. Also, name one major religion where massive amounts of individuals have NOT been killed because of it. Religion has been the most prominent and divisive element in the history of mankind. Would "ending" religion do anything to end suffering? Nope, but again, that does not negate it being a cause.

[Spent]

You can't attribute human suffering to religion any more than you can attribute murders to guns or knives; they're all tools used and manipulated to serve universal human motives. You don't prevent murder by banning guns.

Are you telling me that the murder rate wouldn't go down if guns were banned? A gun takes the personal part of murder away, anyone can pull a trigger, but jamming a blade trhough someones ribcage, that takes some drive. A gun dissassocitates people from the death, keeps them at a distance in most cases. I'd say that many deaths would have been avoided if guns were not around, for the simple fact that it takes much more balls to choke/stab/beat your victim than to shoot him. It's much more personal.

Really your argument is kind of rediculous, that's like saying crutches don't walk, people do. I mean, sure it's true, but without the crutch some people couldn't walk, it enables them to do so. That being said, I don't think that whatver is deemed as something that enables someone to potentially do something bad should be banned, however it would take a fool to not understand that these tools do make ideals and actions easier to pull off.