by Stephynbouby » Mon Jul 18, 2016 3:54 am
I was listening to an interview with the deputy Mayor of Nice yesterday. He was almost in tears. He spoke about how the city he loved had been ripped apart last Thursday night - Bastille day. He talked about how long the wounds would take to heal - 'perhaps a generation', he thought. He also spoke about the past atrocities - Charlie Hebdo. He spoke about how the powers that be talked about reconciliation and unity after each attack. Yet, nothing was done whilst his country was repeatedly attacked. He wasn't talking about revenge per se but he did want the authorities to minimise the possibility of his country being attacked again. He talked about how he had repeatedly requested that the city be provided with more police and had been turned down.
It was at this point that I began to think about the fact that religion is a belief system. It is not based on any facts whatsoever. The so-called holy books are just that - so-called. One either believes that they are true and correct or one doesn't but proof there is not. One can either believe that there is a super being which we called god, allah, etc. or one doesn't but proof there is not. Yet, based upon this belief system, for which there is no proof, men kill. 84 people are dead. 82 lay in hospital, injured. Some are still fighting for their lives. Many are young children. They are not in dispute. They do exist.
In theory, religions are supposedly about peace, love, forgiveness and understanding. If this were really the case, there would be no killing in the name of any god, Yet, more people have been killed in the name of a god than for any other reason.
Let's take christianity as an example. As religions go, it is fairly peaceful. However, it wasn't always thus. In its dim and distant past, the religion was responsible for killing between 100 and 200 million people. That didn't include the millions that were raped, pillaged, tortured and enslaved. It was the most blood-thirsty entity this world has ever seen. Even Hitler only managed to kill 10 million people. He was considered the most evil person that has ever lived and yet, christianity was responsible for the killing of between 10 - 20 times more people.
So much for religions being about peace, love, forgiveness and understanding.
Also, it says in the bible that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god. Yet, the richest entity on the planet is the catholic church.
Religion has done Mankind far more harm than good. As a result of religion, Man has lost his place in the Universe. Whether he regains it remains to be seen.
Religion suppressed science in the past. Thankfully, that era is over, though it still does meddle from time to time. Some christians claim, for example, that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. Religion has set back science at least 100 years, it has been estimated. As science has progressed, the power that religion has had over man has waned. Religion is now in decline. In the UK, 40% of the population do not believe in a god. In certain parts of continental Europe, the majority does not believe in a god. This trend looks set to increase. Even in the USA, atheism is on the increase.
Meanwhile, back in the USA, 3 more white police officers were killed by a black gunman who was later shot and killed.
Meanwhile, back in France at the Tour, Pantano took yesterday's stage, Rafal Majka took the Polka Dot jersey and the rest of the classification is as you were. Froome still wears the Yellow jersey and looks increasingly likely that this will continue all the way to Paris next Sunday.
I was listening to an interview with the deputy Mayor of Nice yesterday. He was almost in tears. He spoke about how the city he loved had been ripped apart last Thursday night - Bastille day. He talked about how long the wounds would take to heal - 'perhaps a generation', he thought. He also spoke about the past atrocities - Charlie Hebdo. He spoke about how the powers that be talked about reconciliation and unity after each attack. Yet, nothing was done whilst his country was repeatedly attacked. He wasn't talking about revenge per se but he did want the authorities to minimise the possibility of his country being attacked again. He talked about how he had repeatedly requested that the city be provided with more police and had been turned down.
It was at this point that I began to think about the fact that religion is a belief system. It is not based on any facts whatsoever. The so-called holy books are just that - so-called. One either believes that they are true and correct or one doesn't but proof there is not. One can either believe that there is a super being which we called god, allah, etc. or one doesn't but proof there is not. Yet, based upon this belief system, for which there is no proof, men kill. 84 people are dead. 82 lay in hospital, injured. Some are still fighting for their lives. Many are young children. They are not in dispute. They do exist.
In theory, religions are supposedly about peace, love, forgiveness and understanding. If this were really the case, there would be no killing in the name of any god, Yet, more people have been killed in the name of a god than for any other reason.
Let's take christianity as an example. As religions go, it is fairly peaceful. However, it wasn't always thus. In its dim and distant past, the religion was responsible for killing between 100 and 200 million people. That didn't include the millions that were raped, pillaged, tortured and enslaved. It was the most blood-thirsty entity this world has ever seen. Even Hitler only managed to kill 10 million people. He was considered the most evil person that has ever lived and yet, christianity was responsible for the killing of between 10 - 20 times more people.
So much for religions being about peace, love, forgiveness and understanding.
Also, it says in the bible that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god. Yet, the richest entity on the planet is the catholic church.
Religion has done Mankind far more harm than good. As a result of religion, Man has lost his place in the Universe. Whether he regains it remains to be seen.
Religion suppressed science in the past. Thankfully, that era is over, though it still does meddle from time to time. Some christians claim, for example, that the Earth is only 6,000 years old. Religion has set back science at least 100 years, it has been estimated. As science has progressed, the power that religion has had over man has waned. Religion is now in decline. In the UK, 40% of the population do not believe in a god. In certain parts of continental Europe, the majority does not believe in a god. This trend looks set to increase. Even in the USA, atheism is on the increase.
Meanwhile, back in the USA, 3 more white police officers were killed by a black gunman who was later shot and killed.
Meanwhile, back in France at the Tour, Pantano took yesterday's stage, Rafal Majka took the Polka Dot jersey and the rest of the classification is as you were. Froome still wears the Yellow jersey and looks increasingly likely that this will continue all the way to Paris next Sunday.