Its a great read in bed

Adam... buy a Kindle... get a library card...

One of the main problems with the bible and the koran is the fact so few people read them but are happy to quote from them and then use these quotes to justify acts of greed or violence

Let's face it, if it's anything like the Christian Bible it's going to be hard ****ing work to get through. Don't get me wrong, the bible has its moments, some really great passages, some really exciting and dramatic stuff but it's like 20%... the other 80% of it is boring, long-winded waffling BS.

No, as you said in your OP, it's down to interpretation. Even the scholars of these books disagree on the meaning and intent behind the words

I've read the Bible many times... and I've also read the Koran, although it was some time ago. I feel like I've earned the right to quote from them. Anyone quoting from them to justify acts of greed or violence has misinterpreted their message, in my opinion. What's more, it isn't only religious people who try to justify acts of greed and violence, so the point is moot.

I feel like I ask this every time is one of these threads appear - so two or three times a month on average... People with faith have a right to their beliefs without being ridiculed for them by people who imagine they know better. To be ridiculed about any other aspect of your life would probably be some kind of "ism", but people of faith are a soft target. Extremists of all faiths are dangerous... the vast majority of people of faith just want to get on with their lives unmolested.

unfortunately around the world the main issues seem to be religion related

Israel, the middle east in general, africa, Afghanistan, pakistan

you name the sh1tstorms and you have wee guys in outfits saying their god is on their side

Its only good old North Korea who seem to be bucking the trend

Yes that's true but they are extremists and terrorists mainly trying to invent reasons for their murderous regimes which in reality have more to do with greed and/or power.

Religion is a great cover for monsters and warmongers it's has been used as such for 100s of years.

Of course every book is open to misinterpretation.

Of course as its man invented for that very purpose.

There are nice bits....

well you have to give it the gloss to get recruits and to sell it to the masses

That's a matter of opinion there Livia. My personal belief is that everyone has the right to make light of (what I think you would refer to as "ridicule") anything and everything they would like to make light of. Do people have to like it? No. Do they have the right to then dislike the person for doing it? Of course! But that's as far as it goes IMO. Ignore it, fight back, whatever... just don't go around expecting to tell people what they do or don't have the "right" to do with their day whilst not only insisting on upholding the rights of others, but attempting to drape them in some bulletproof shield of political correctness. "You can't say that because...".

Blergh. No. Organised Religion (note: NOT necessarily general spiritualism)... is ****ing stupid. It makes me angry, because it reminds me that people are fearful, gullible and easily lead. In my genuine opinion. And I have as much right to say so as any religious person does to believe what THEY believe, and I don't feel particularly inclined to keep it to myself for fear of ruffling feathers or hurting feelyfeels. It genuinely isn't something that bothers me... because I'm not a particularly "nice" person, I'm afraid. I like to think that I am a good person... but I am not a nice one.

However, as I said, I do fully accept ANY person's right to dislike me for that, and for balance, I am 100% willing to be ridiculed on any aspect of my existence in return.

:clap1:

Only because people were desensitised; fear worked pretty well early on. They had to add in the nice bits later to entice back those who had figured out that God doesn't actually smite people, make floods, or diseases or plagues of locusts etc. because he isn't real and stuff. "Stick has broken, commence operation Carrot!"

I reckon someone just figured out that humans, over time, become increasingly defiant but remain steadily greedy.

"OBEY or bad things!"
- "Oh no, help! I will obey!"

"Continue to obey, or bad things!"
- "Nah, bored, come at me bro."

"Err... if you obey you get infinite sweets in heaven, really awesome ones."
- "...they free?"

"Yeah infinite! Free sweeties! You have to OBEY for now though."
- "Free... free sweets, you say? OK I'm back in."

Great post TS, mind you I don't think I could consider 99% of the religious people I've met as good or nice, I'm just unlucky maybe?

Hitler wasn't on a religious crusade, neither was Stalin. Two of the biggest mass-murderers of the last century. Like I said, it isn't just religious people who can be violent. People in general can be violent.

Yeah, I just can't real another of your comic replies to a serious subject, TS.

Personally all I can say is that I don't think it makes much difference... of the religious people I know, and the non-religious, the split between good eggs and bad 'uns is pretty similar :shrug:. So I can only conclude that it's not a factor.

I do find that close-knit church groups have a tendency to start to veer towards being cliquey and judgemental, but again, that happens with the vast majority of small close-knit groups of any kind.

How many times are you going to exercise your right to ridicule religious people? How many times? It's a couple of times a month right now... and always the same thing, over and over and ****ing over.

You don't hurt my feelings. I am just aware that you don't have faith and have no understanding of it. I make allowances for you.

Okay, there are four of you now. You can all sit around agreeing with each other.

Its a fair point but i am not saying religion has any monopoly alls i am saying is that it is ripe for violence and suppression as essentially its based on made up stuff.

My god says you are bad, its not my fault. You yourself have said many times that your god gave Israel to Israel 5000 years ago,. The reality is none did, they made that up to excuse some marauding and murder.

All I can really say there, is what I already said above:

My personal belief is that everyone has the right to make light of anything and everything they would like to make light of. Do people have to like it? No.

The "seriousness" of the subject is, surely, as much a matter of opinion as anything else. You take religion seriously and therefore religion is a serious topic; I try my very hardest not to take it seriously and so it isn't necessarily. It *can* be, but it certainly doesn't have to be.

All I can really say it, and it's a repeat of my last post... there are four of you now all clapping and nodding at each other. Enjoy!

The only honest answer to that is... as often as LT feels like making a thread about it and it coincides with me having nothing better to do. Which, sadly, I admit, is quite often.

That applies to all of us in every single thread here :joker: