Because those good and innocent people are the power base for the nutters. They may not care what they have to say, but it's the same faith that gives those with dreams of converting the world to the "one true religion" traction. It's ultimately unnecessary to claim that heaven, hell, or purgatory are "real" places…
How is it hypocritical to point out the ridiculous nature of religion? That an intolerant attitude to clearly intolerant ideas is in, itself, hypocritical? Why should we tolerate such nonsense? Acknowledge it, sure, but let's call fucking stupidity stupid.
Agreed, I see your point.
I concede the point. However, how does this apply to faith? Can the comfort of faith be measured? And when prayer has been tested on heart surgery patients, they found they did worse when they knew they were being prayed over. How, then, is faith useful in healing?
Nice show of tolerance.
Marcus Brigstocke has an amusing take on this, too. :) For levity, if nothing else.
It isn't that they're sheltering them. They distance themselves from them, claiming that "Well, it isn't MY faith". Well, then what IS your faith? Why are they letting their faith be hijacked in this way? It's because of what's written down in their "holy" books. The fundies have a point in this manner, in that it's…
And placebos are useful in testing the efficacy of ACTUAL medicine. When used on their own they end up not doing anything of actual substance. So, tell me again what substance religion has over actual reality.
I'll also issue Hitchens's Challenge: Name me one act, word, or wish of goodwill that a believer can perform that a non-believer cannot. I've yet to hear one myself, but I'm certainly open to the possibility that I'm missing something.
So? A belief does not make it true, nor necessary. I lost my father to cancer when I was in high school, and have dealt with that terrible loss every day since. Sometimes I'm horrified that I don't think of him as often as I should, but that is my burden, no one else's. We can take comfort wherever we can find it, and…
"Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." -Steven Weinberg
Hooray for Glove & Boots! :D
I rest my case. ;)
White Russian sure seems smooth and creamy, but after a few you'll quickly tire of his endless movie quoting.
Asshat... On the rocks...
The mattress — Do I sleep on top of it? Or does it sleep on top of me?