For as much as I enjoy Bill Maher, which is very much, I find he falls into the same trap that many religious people succmb to. And its: "If only everyone else in the world would think like me, we'd have a lot less problems."
Even without religion, we still have the kooks and the extremists. Without religion we still have UFO abductees and we still have genocidal leaders like Stalin.
The problem isn't religion, because religion (along with philosophy) is a tool that humans use to make meaning in their lives. It is a resource of symbols that help orient the psyche. What individuals and societies do with those symbols is the issue.
And I believe we need to respect people's rights in determining their own belief system and world view. Snce there are so many cultures in our world, we actually need more tolerance and patience. That doesn't mean we accept their beliefs as valid for ourselves; it simply means we respect them as people with different world views and beliefs.
I believe its OK to challenge other's beliefs respectfully; and I hope that's what Maher is calling for, rather than intolerance and bigotry-- which is the real problem, isn't it?
Bill, I love ya, but...
Even without religion, we still have the kooks and the extremists. Without religion we still have UFO abductees and we still have genocidal leaders like Stalin.
The problem isn't religion, because religion (along with philosophy) is a tool that humans use to make meaning in their lives. It is a resource of symbols that help orient the psyche. What individuals and societies do with those symbols is the issue.
And I believe we need to respect people's rights in determining their own belief system and world view. Snce there are so many cultures in our world, we actually need more tolerance and patience. That doesn't mean we accept their beliefs as valid for ourselves; it simply means we respect them as people with different world views and beliefs.
I believe its OK to challenge other's beliefs respectfully; and I hope that's what Maher is calling for, rather than intolerance and bigotry-- which is the real problem, isn't it?
bb,
Cern