Do you think that the proper way to fight ignorance and hate is to respond hatef

1. 82

   Sarah Christinaposted 12 years ago

   Do you think that the proper way to fight ignorance and hate is to respond hatefully & ignorantly?
   
   I ask this question because today I found a Facebook group offensively titled "Virgin Mary Should've aborted." Their page is dedicated to ridiculing and mocking people of religious beliefs in such a hateful way that I consider it to be hate speech (and reported it as such on FB). I messaged them basically saying that you don't fight hate with hate.They responded that "all religion is evil," that its fake and its OK to ridicule and mock religious people. So, they have a problem being judged but reply by blanket judging others? How does promoting an "us vs them" attitude help resolve anything?
   
   

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2. 67

   TNT Huskyposted 12 years ago

   It's stupid that anyone would think it's okay to use hate at all, let alone to fight hate with hate. It's okay if they don't like religious people, or religion, for that matter. We all have things we dislike, but to attack people because of it is deplorable. An "us vs. them" attitude only feeds the fire, and makes people hate each other even more. We need to keep an open mind when we speak, otherwise, we wind up with more hatred, violence, and everything else that's wrong with the world. At the risk of sounding redundant because I already said it, It's okay to dislike people and hate people, but to actively fuel that hate only creates more. Our kindness and our cruelty fight a constant war in each of us, and the one that wins is the one we support

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   1. 82

      Sarah Christinaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree. It's OK if a person doesn't agree with other people's religious beliefs, but why go around spreading more hate? What does this accomplish? We have to try to work together to create mutual respect and understanding for one another.

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   MickSposted 12 years ago

   It is poor to mock the beliefs of others. However, the main point within all religions is control, some less enlightened people may see that point as evil, and become rather loud in their hatred.  It is probably better to ignore and let the children play.

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   1. 82

      Sarah Christinaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I tried to explain to them that there is a difference between having a religion and having a faith, and they responded that it doesn't matter it's all evil. Pure, straight, blanket judgement. You should never blanket judge an entire group of people.

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4. 94

   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   No this shouldn't happen, BUT sometimes not being as ugly back can be a very difficult thing for even the most mature people. Religion has been a major player in trying to  destroy entire groups of people. Religion keeps many, including myself, from being able to express their beliefs openly. So I have to ask you, if religious people can put me out of business because I'm atheist (if I openly stated I was like they openly state their beliefs), then what reason, other than simply being better than them, do I have to be nice to those same people? Granted I don't go around treating believers different, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I do think about it sometimes.

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   1. 82

      Sarah Christinaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No, people have been a major player in destroying other groups of people. They simply use religion as their tool. Religion in itself is not a bad thing. Who is holding anyone back from free speech? I see a wide range of opinions all over the internet

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   2. 94

      peeplesposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The internet is the only place non believers can express themselves. If I was known to be an atheist to my town and neighbors people would stop allowing my children to play with theirs and I'd lose business. That's loss of free speech to me.

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   3. 82

      Sarah Christinaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sorry to hear that, that is just wrong. But my point is the judgement goes both ways. In college, I was surrounded by atheists and wasn't free to express my opinion without getting looked down upon or judged as stupid, ignorant, etc etc.

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5. 82

   Sarah Christinaposted 12 years ago

   I just want to clarify: It's totally OK if a person disagrees with another person's personal/religious beliefs. I only used religion as an example, but I am against responding hatefully towards people for any reason that involves blanket judging them as an entire group. This means any type of discrimination--based on gender, sexual orientation, class, race, religion, etc etc.
   
   I'm also not saying that there aren't religious folks who are extremely intolerant, and I understand why it offends other people. It offends me, because as a Christian you are suppose to love your enemy and leave God to carry out the judgements. Holding signs up condemning other people has no purpose and only creates animosity. It certainly isn't going to change anyone's mind or bring them over to your side.
   
   Religion does not cause war. People cause war. They have merely misused religion as a tool to achieve their own agenda. Example: Hitler. Many people say Hitler was a Christian. This could not be farther from the truth. When Hitler rose to power, he used the Catholic church to propel himself. He had the crosses and other relics replaced with the Swastika. He had them put him as the head of the church, above anyone in the Bible. His own religious leaders proclaimed, "The greatness of Hitler can not be compared to one so petty as Christ." A true Christian would never say something like that or allow others to say such a thing. It was all part of Hitler's agenda to be the ONLY authority. Any religious leaders that objected were sent to concentration camps. He didn't just send the Jews---his attack was on all religion, and he would have turned on the church after he was done using them.
   
   Additionally, the Catholics aren't really Christians either. They don't read the Bible, and they pray to saints and the virgin Mary, amongst many other things that directly contradict the Bible. They are a corrupt institution and are the ones responsible for the Crusades and a lot of the other religious persecution that occurred throughout history. So to group all Christians together under the same umbrella as the Catholics is like grouping everyone from the continent of Asia and saying they are all the same. It would be like blaming the bombing of Pearl Harbor on all of Asia instead of just Japan. Yet, many non religious people blanket judge all religious people, particularly Christians, in that exact manner.
   
   We will never make any progress if we reduce ourselves to pack mentality.

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