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[ChairmanPoo]

Meh, most fundies are (luckily) hypocritical, and can be caught quite often transgressing the morals they preach. As a result, the resulting society is more about keeping a semblance of piety in public than about actually being pious. You could probably get away with sacrificing puppies to Nyarlathothep in your basement without anyone batting an eyelid, provided you were discreet about it.

[Nadaka]

If someone is harmed/killed because the attacker thinks the victim "does magic", I don't see a huge difference if the victim also thinks they "do magic" or not. It is the same act, with the same cause on the part of the perpetrator.

[palsch]

Modern Salem witch trials blocking.

Salem resident Anaka Hunter contacted the ACLU after she was unable to access websites pertaining to Native American religions or the Wiccan faith for her own research. After protesting to the library director, Glenda Wofford, portions of the sites were unblocked, but much remained censored. Wofford said she would only allow access to blocked sites if she felt patrons had a legitimate reason to view the content and further said that she had an obligation to report people who wanted to view these sites to the authorities.

[ChairmanPoo]

 

[Leafsnail]

If someone is harmed/killed because the attacker thinks the victim "does magic", I don't see a huge difference if the victim also thinks they "do magic" or not. It is the same act, with the same cause on the part of the perpetrator.

I'd say it's pretty different.  Not to say that they aren't both abhorrent, but you could argue going after another religious group falls more under a general persecution of other groups mentality while going after your own children for it seems to with far more certainty highlight a paranoia being instilled by the beliefs of the person.

[RedKing]

The pagans in my family occasionally worship at Universal Unitarian churches when they don't do their thing at home.

LOL...my wife is UU and takes the kids to UU services, but I refuse to go because UU is too "fluffy" for my taste (and I work Sunday mornings anyways) 

Meh, most fundies are (luckily) hypocritical, and can be caught quite often transgressing the morals they preach. As a result, the resulting society is more about keeping a semblance of piety in public than about actually being pious. You could probably get away with sacrificing puppies to Nyarlathothep in your basement without anyone batting an eyelid, provided you were discreet about it.

STOP PEEKING IN MY BASEMENT

Modern Salem witch trials blocking.

[The library] classified sites related to Native American culture and Wiccan faith in the blocked category “criminal skills.”

What.

[Nadaka]

If someone is harmed/killed because the attacker thinks the victim "does magic", I don't see a huge difference if the victim also thinks they "do magic" or not. It is the same act, with the same cause on the part of the perpetrator.

I'd say it's pretty different.  Not to say that they aren't both abhorrent, but you could argue going after another religious group falls more under a general persecution of other groups mentality while going after your own children for it seems to with far more certainty highlight a paranoia being instilled by the beliefs of the person.

It is the same thing. The paranoia instilled by the beliefs of the attacker is always the source of the problem in both cases. In the perception of the attacker, the victim becomes to be hated and feared, something alien and blasphemous. Not because the victims are something to be hated and feared, but because the attackers mind has been corrupted by malevolent faith.

[RedKing]

Or because the attackers are mentally unbalanced to begin with?

Such as the mom who kills her kids because she hears angels telling her that the kids are possessed by demons and she has to decapitate them to free their souls? That's not religion to blame (other than perhaps religion giving you a reason to believe in demonic possession and angels talking to you), that's somebody who was likely to snap anyways.

[Leafsnail]

And when whole communities gang up on the witch children?  Or when it happens far more than it does in other countries... I dunno, are people just inherently more unbalanced in places like Nigeria?

It's one thing to defend moderate religion, but quite another to claim that beliefs can never have a harmful impact.

[Nadaka]

Or because the attackers are mentally unbalanced to begin with?

Such as the mom who kills her kids because she hears angels telling her that the kids are possessed by demons and she has to decapitate them to free their souls? That's not religion to blame (other than perhaps religion giving you a reason to believe in demonic possession and angels talking to you), that's somebody who was likely to snap anyways.

There are some people are insane and may do horrible things for no discernible reason. Then you have an infectious addictive memetic complex that creates and justifies the belief that it is not only ok to torture and kill someone because you think they "do magic" (or any other form of blasphemy, like being a jew or communist) but actively encourages the acts as purification, justice and ordained by a higher power. This can and does affect even "normal" people, not just the unbalanced. And considering the long history and broad history of "witch hunts" consuming entire communities and even nations, you can not just blame it on a handful of crazies. And even some the crazies may not have been inspired to inflict harm without that push from the memetic agent.

[Willfor]

Can we please change the topic?

[RedKing]

I suppose the difference could be a code of civil law that strongly prohibits those sort of attacks versus civil law which doesn't?

Although that leaves me with the distrubing implication that if it weren't for US civil law, I'd have neighbors dragging me out of the house for being an idolator. I'd like to think we're better than that even without the threat of prosecution.

[Truean]

New rule: "How's about we say, 'The fundies' from now on if possible instead of 'Christians,' 'ChristainsTM,' etc?" Perhaps that will make it appear to be less of a generalization? This is an honest effort to not alienate those Christians here who are not that way.

In re: Witch hunting! . We loves to demonize people. There seems to be a "like us" or "not like us" categorical distinction and it's not good to not fit in. This is sad and something I face in my job (I mean criminal defendants, though I guess it actually applies to me) every day. Hurray!

The republicans, including McCain have said it is a jobs killing policy to ban Uranium Mining Companies from operating close to the Grand Canyon.... This is called preservation of a major tourism site/national treasure....

Who writes this guy's speeches? This is not the time to say stuff like that Mr. Romney. You're in first place man. All you have to do is not screw it up.... Yup, that is, you don't have to do much of anything, except not do that one thing.... Just clam up, stick to the script and let the other guy trip all over himself.... You know Santorum will, and Ron Paul has a history of not making it....

[Nadaka]

edit: hit post while composing...

[Truean]

I provided two topics in an attempt to change topic....

Edit: Ninja modified'd