Religion is always a funny topic to me. Now I think the first thing you have to understand is my belief in a higher being and my belief in religion are in no way connected. I believe that religion in its basest form is man coming up with stories to explain away the things they don’t understand. The Greek’s believed a grieving mother missing her daughter caused the seasons and the sun was Apollo in his chariot. As man has gained knowledge, the need for religion has diminished… or so you would believe.
Instead now most people seem to use religion as a crutch. Anything that goes wrong in their life is attributed to God’s will instead of their bad decision making skills. God should never be an excuse. Also, the belief that some one is wrong because they don’t follow a specific religion amazes me since all religions agree that God is benevolent. Yet if you live your life without committing crimes, without hurting anyone and being basically a good person you will still burn in hell if you don’t go to a specific church, eat the wrong thing on the wrong day or think the wrong thought.
Needless to say, I believe the use of the government to forward a religious/moral agenda is not only wrong but also unconstitutional and violates the separation of church and state. I believe that organized religion is the cause of many problems in society today and should hold no more a special status than any other organization.
Now my rant here is leading to something: The Boy Scouts of America. When I was younger I was part of the Boy Scouts like a lot of my friends. I did the camping and merit badges thing but quickly became disinterested and quit. What I didn’t know at the time… and maybe it wasn’t a prevalent then as it is now… but the Boy Scouts are mainly funded and supported by the Mormon Church. Part of its bi-laws is the discrimination against atheists and homosexuals. How did a youth organization meant to teach boys confidence and help prepare them for the world turn into a religious training camp for bigots? Did I miss something?
I’ve seen nothing in any of the Boy Scout literature that mentions the ties to the Mormon Church… but it’s there and I think that should be something told to all parents when their child signs up. I am also amazed that the Boy Scouts received government money… the use of military bases for the camping and jamborees and the use of public schools for meetings. Yet every public school has a rule against clubs and organizations on campus that discriminate. So why do the Boy Scouts get to slide?
If you are a religious person that goes to church every week reads your bible regularly and does your best to live your life to the teachings that you grew up with; I am sincerely happy for you. If you believe it’s your duty to spread the word of your church to anyone who is interested, go for it. But stop there please. Don’t force your believes onto someone who is either not interested or not capable of understanding what it is you are trying to teach. And any organization that is funded by a church and adopts the tenets of that church should be clearly labeled as associated with that church so parents can make an informed decision about whether or not they want their children to be in a group that teaches intolerance on any level.
Instead now most people seem to use religion as a crutch. Anything that goes wrong in their life is attributed to God’s will instead of their bad decision making skills. God should never be an excuse. Also, the belief that some one is wrong because they don’t follow a specific religion amazes me since all religions agree that God is benevolent. Yet if you live your life without committing crimes, without hurting anyone and being basically a good person you will still burn in hell if you don’t go to a specific church, eat the wrong thing on the wrong day or think the wrong thought.
Needless to say, I believe the use of the government to forward a religious/moral agenda is not only wrong but also unconstitutional and violates the separation of church and state. I believe that organized religion is the cause of many problems in society today and should hold no more a special status than any other organization.
Now my rant here is leading to something: The Boy Scouts of America. When I was younger I was part of the Boy Scouts like a lot of my friends. I did the camping and merit badges thing but quickly became disinterested and quit. What I didn’t know at the time… and maybe it wasn’t a prevalent then as it is now… but the Boy Scouts are mainly funded and supported by the Mormon Church. Part of its bi-laws is the discrimination against atheists and homosexuals. How did a youth organization meant to teach boys confidence and help prepare them for the world turn into a religious training camp for bigots? Did I miss something?
I’ve seen nothing in any of the Boy Scout literature that mentions the ties to the Mormon Church… but it’s there and I think that should be something told to all parents when their child signs up. I am also amazed that the Boy Scouts received government money… the use of military bases for the camping and jamborees and the use of public schools for meetings. Yet every public school has a rule against clubs and organizations on campus that discriminate. So why do the Boy Scouts get to slide?
If you are a religious person that goes to church every week reads your bible regularly and does your best to live your life to the teachings that you grew up with; I am sincerely happy for you. If you believe it’s your duty to spread the word of your church to anyone who is interested, go for it. But stop there please. Don’t force your believes onto someone who is either not interested or not capable of understanding what it is you are trying to teach. And any organization that is funded by a church and adopts the tenets of that church should be clearly labeled as associated with that church so parents can make an informed decision about whether or not they want their children to be in a group that teaches intolerance on any level.
3 Comments:
quote: "Don’t force your believes onto someone who is either not interested or not capable of understanding what it is you are trying to teach." Good point. Unfortunately that is exactly what governments still do (not only the boy scout groups). In the past when religion was law. The governments used the word of the so called "divine" to get their way with people. I think the notion of Satan and Hell was a big effective "scare-tactic" to scare people and keep everyone in line. Now it is no any different, the only thing that is changed is merely the separation of the terms of god and divine from the law. But the thing that keeps everyone in line is still "scare-tactics". In particular the US and European governments use the "Problem, Reaction, Solution" philosophy to reach this. It's an even more sophisticated way to get their "scare-tactics" to work and make it look like a democratic decision. Some enemy or threat is created (by the government, or funded by them), that is the "problem". Then there is an expected "reaction" from the people, which is fear and paranoia. Then the government simply corners the masses with a "solution" which the regime itself decides for the people to choose. Problem, Reaction, Solution. And to further the cause and reassure that the future generations of the masses will follow the rules more swiftly, what better and effective place to start mold the minds than with kids. If their minds is molded and shaped into whatever the government wants, then they make for the best assets for the future of that regime. So there you have it. As the old saying goes: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
quote: "Don’t force your believes onto someone who is either not interested or not capable of understanding what it is you are trying to teach." Good point. Unfortunately that is exactly what governments still do (not only the boy scout groups). In the past when religion was law. The governments used the word of the so called "divine" to get their way with people. I think the notion of Satan and Hell was a big effective "scare-tactic" to scare people and keep everyone in line. Now it is no any different, the only thing that is changed is merely the separation of the terms of god and divine from the law. But the thing that keeps everyone in line is still "scare-tactics". In particular the US and European governments use the "Problem, Reaction, Solution" philosophy to reach this. It's an even more sophisticated way to get their "scare-tactics" to work and make it look like a democratic decision. Some enemy or threat is created (by the government, or funded by them), that is the "problem". Then there is an expected "reaction" from the people, which is fear and paranoia. Then the government simply corners the masses with a "solution" which the regime itself decides for the people to choose. Problem, Reaction, Solution. And to further the cause and reassure that the future generations of the masses will follow the rules more swiftly, what better and effective place to start mold the minds than with kids. If their minds is molded and shaped into whatever the government wants, then they make for the best assets for the future of that regime. So there you have it. As the old saying goes: The more things change, the more they stay the same.
btw: somehow the comment got there twice! ;)
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