2 shot dead ..

[fuzzbox]

Working with some Belgian colleagues today - there have been protests in Sweden where the Quran has been burned, and this was a revenge attack with a fundamentalist from Tunisia looking for Swedish victims. Apparently there are some videos of him explaining his motives in Belgian press.

There's many bemoan religion on here for its effect on conflicts, but let's face it, there is nothing like Islam when it comes to deaths in their name, and intolerance of other faiths.
You can take the mickey out of Christianity, but dare do something to offend Muslims and it's a different situation altogether.
However, in these touchy feely times we pander to it incredibly. I think it's through fear more than celebrating diversity.

If we're keeping score, this week, Judaism is edging it... all to play for yet and I think we might yet see a surprise on our hands before the week is done.

Israel really have never learnt that hitting hard quickly doesn’t really cut it as a tactic. Kill 1000s of civilians and boost Hamas numbers by 200 percent.

There's been a fair few wars on behalf of christianity in general, and also wars against other 'versions' of christianity. Then there's the holy crusades. Don't forget the killing and enslaving of millions that was routinely excused in the belief of christian superiority.  Then of course, there's patriotism with a dash of ignorance and hatred thrown in. 

But throughout history, mostly it's been poverty and/or greed, surely? Usually done in the name of a higher, more noble cause, naturally. 


I used to think it was the fault of religion, now I just think it's in man's nature. If it wasn't religion it would be something else. Stalin and Hitler didn't lean on Religion as an excuse much...

Maybe religion even stops more wars than it starts, but stories of hypothetical wars avoided can't really make the front pages!

There's billions of religiously committed people on the planet and the vast amount of them cause no bother.

There's a happy thought!

[Derek Hardballs]

Humans particularly men are innately aggressive, possessive, violent and want to impose their will on others. There are obviously degrees of this from the most mild mannered to the blood thirsty terrorist. Religion is used to justify this basic instinct and to encourage others to act on their behalf but we are all one step away from apes and as we see in their behaviour we aren’t that different.

[SuperBob2002]

The sooner humanity rids itself of religion and other ridiculous fairytales that are used to brainwash people, the better. Sadly, it's so ingrained in many cultures it'll always be there to tarnish us.

[Protheroe]

No religion can compete with Communism for the sheer scale of mass murder, and usually most of it tends to be their own citizens.

[Remi_Moses]

He won't be shooting anyone else.

[CarlosCorbewrong]

We're just men. We're just innocent men.

[NewWanker]

Humans are tribal beasts, always afeared of those who are different, for whatever reason.

It goes from family, town, area, country, religion, race, etc.. groupings to any other arbitrary difference in between. E.g. football club violence... Heck some take it to what pub they drink at levels... Or the gangsta kiddies with their postcode wars.

All groupings tend to go up chains too, e.g. a football club firm will hate another firm, unless it's gone to national level in which case they join together and face the other level 'enemy'.

Religion gives a wider net of smaller affiliations to bring into the group, to face off against other religions, all because their made up thing is different to their made up thing. When in reality most of the mainstream Jesus type religions are pretty similar.

I've always believed that humans are not designed to live in harmony, and are not made to live in such large groups as we do nowadays.

[Spandaubaggie]

The sooner humanity rids itself of religion and other ridiculous fairytales that are used to brainwash people, the better. Sadly, it's so ingrained in many cultures it'll always be there to tarnish us.

There's an alternative view though, as someone who was brought up as a churchgoer, but long lapsed.

By and large, religion can give a moral code that people live their lives by.

Here's an example, if I'd walked out on my family for another woman I know my parents would have been ashamed of me and in all probability it would have seriously wrecked my relationship with them, and other relations.

My wife's best friend married someone whose dad walked out on him. The son then did the same, with some other woman, and left my wife's best friend with primary school kids to bring up alone, with him giving no support. He was a total cunt, in other words.

If I'd gone to my dad I would have been dubbed a disgrace, but what could the other lad's dad say? Go ahead son whatever makes you happy. I did the same.

The mum has since died and they are left with an immoral absentee prick for a father. Both kids, only in their early 20s are quite messed up.

Most rules of religion, like the 10 commandments are actually a pretty good template for society.

That is not to say there is problems with religion. Of course there is, but it's down to interpretation and the giving out of tolerance and kindness.

I'm glad we live in a more tolerant and liberal time, but the problem is completely saying anything goes and leaving no stigma whatsoever can create problems.

How many of you on here have made big bad decisions that you deeply regret all because you didn't have the grounding to see a bigger picture?

I have my regrets, but not colossal ones, in all probability down to that religious upbringing. That's not to say I don't sympathise with chaps I know who probaby have screwed things up for themselves. I've mates who have that burden to carry.

It's much more complex than religion is just fairytales and let's not be so arrogant to think modern man with our materialism and the internet are so superior to those a thousand years and more ago. Modern life has its fair share of problems and if we took the best bits of religion from it I think there would be a lot of issues solved in our hedonistic, right to be happy society, where so many people are as fat as fuck and miserable, without any meaning to their lives.

Life is tough and a blanket western secular one liner just doesn't cut the mustard.

[DemonicBaggie]

No religion can compete with Communism for the sheer scale of mass murder, and usually most of it tends  to be their own citizens.

Religion or politics, it's all just forms of ideology behind which crimes can be committed and justified.

[NewWanker]

Morality has feck all to do with religion. I know some religious types who got divorced or walked out on families. Some people cheat and lie and go to church and confess away their sins.(Savile springs to mind)

People had morality long before religion tried to claim it as their thing.

A regular used religious argument is how do you know what's right and wrong without religion. Truth of the matter people existed and knew right and wrong way before organised religion, morality largely comes in the preservation of the species type stuff. E.g. murder is bad (simplistically) because it diminishes the strength of the group, so murderers are bad. Rather than murder is bad because a made up deity says it's bad.

Theft is bad because if everyone thieved nobody would make things that they are good at making and the group would suffer, not theft is bad because it got written on a stone tablet

Religion likes to claim itself as the compass of morality, when really morality is a human concept that helps groups survive and thrive.