Charlie Hebdo: Gun attack on French magazine kills 12

[pErvinalia]

I think we need to do more. No more special status for religion. People can believe what they want, but religious groups get no more respect or tax breaks than a group of steampunk aficionados.

[pErvinalia]

Religious groups don't get to be on government committees concerning anything other than faith.

[piscator]

In America, we don't want to tax churches, lest they demand representation...

[AvtomatKalashnikova]

In America, we don't want to tax churches, lest they demand representation...

Works fantastically for keeping churches outside of American government, too! Rest of world could stand for learning from such system...

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Avoid religion, I say. In fact, we need to eviscerate it in the west.

For every person killed by a religious nutjob there are dozens killed in robberies. And far more than that killed by family or friends in arguments. And WAY more than that killed in car accidents.

Perspective.

But robbery and fights and car accidents aren't an ideology. There's a clear difference here that you seem unwilling to see.

No. I see the difference. I'm just saying that there will always be ideological nutjobs and they will always do crazy, fucked-up shit. But they will always be a really tiny minority of the things that can kill you so it's silly giving them too much emphasis - especially as gaining too much emphasis is exactly why they do what they do! Just chill.

[pErvinalia]

Nah, I'm sick of religion and its poisoning influence on society. Time for us to grow up. It's the 21st century, FFS!

[pErvinalia]

Well I posted my feelings on Facebook, and already the post is up to over 100 replies from angry "liberals". Although, it's only actually two people, and one of them is a religiously tolerant Christian. But I've been prodding "liberals" increasingly over the last few weeks/months. Honestly, there's a collection of liberals who really do have no idea of the concepts of liberal enlightenment. I'm a bit sick of treading lightly around them.

[pErvinalia]

Hahaha, poor guy. I don't think he's every properly debated an atheist before. He's a bit lost.

[Seth]

Religious groups don't get to be on government committees concerning anything other than faith.

But religious people do, and their religion is allowed to inform their decisions.

[Seth]

In America, we don't want to tax churches, lest they demand representation...

Actually, we do tax churches in many ways (sewer tax, road tax etc.) for their impacts on community services, but we don't tax their income in part because the economic and social benefits that they bring to the community historically far outweigh any amount that could be collected in taxes, and also because taxation has historically been the way that governments oppress religious people and churches.

It's not that the US cannot tax churches, it's that the US has decided not to do so out of respect for the rights of the people to the free exercise of religion.

The power to tax is the power to destroy.

[Seth]

Nah, I'm sick of religion and its poisoning influence on society. Time for us to grow up. It's the 21st century, FFS!

Religion is the reason that humanity has survived to the 21st century.

[Seth]

Hahaha, poor guy. I don't think he's every properly debated an atheist before. He's a bit lost.

Linky?

[pErvinalia]

Religious groups don't get to be on government committees concerning anything other than faith.

But religious people do, and their religion is allowed to inform their decisions.

Yeah, that's fine, but they are representing themselves, not a religion.

[pErvinalia]

Nah, I'm sick of religion and its poisoning influence on society. Time for us to grow up. It's the 21st century, FFS!

Religion is the reason that humanity has survived to the 21st century.

Fucking bollocks!

[pErvinalia]

Hahaha, poor guy. I don't think he's every properly debated an atheist before. He's a bit lost.

Linky?

It's on my facebook wall. You can't access that.