Technology and religion: the parallels

Jon

Administrator
Staff member
#1
I just had a thought! There is talk on this forum of the evil of religion. There is also talk on this forum of the good of religion. So, could it be that religion is like technology, where it can be used for harm or good?

Just like splitting the atom can create nuclear energy for the benefit of all, so too it can create bombs that wipe out Hiroshima.

Is the true answer that each is essentially benign in nature, yet it is the inappropriate use that is the real issue?
 

The_Doc_Man

Founding Member
#5
If you take the time to consider Islamic law including the Hadiths that are part of Sharia, then NO it is not true that religions are generally benign.

Islam, one of the biggest religions in the world, has built-in admonitions to kill infidels who refuse conversion. They have admonitions on punishing miscreant wives (plural). They have built-in admonitions to kill sexually deviant people. They have built-in admonitions to kill people who try to leave Islam (apostacy). In fact, they have pretty much only two punishments: Beat the crap out of you or beat/stone the life out of you.
 

The_Doc_Man

Founding Member
#6
Now if you want to draw parallels between religious cults and scientific cults, consider Anthropogenic Global Warming. I would expound on the subject but I just had lunch and don't feel like tossing my cookies right now.
 

Uncle Gizmo

Founding Member
#7
GOD IS DEAD!

Anthropogenic Global Warming
There is no doubt in my mind that the world is warming up! I have my own first-hand experience of it, experiencing the winter of 1963 (UK), and 1980 and others. Now I also have no doubt that we will again have a severe winter, but the Frequency has much reduced, to my mind anyway. There was the butter debacle butter was bad for you. And then sugar, and many more. The one which sticks out in my mind which is similar to the to the global warming one is the ban on fox hunting.

There is no doubt in my mind that fox hunting is cruel, but what stuck out in my mind at the time was it was the left wing people taking down the right wing people. But it just didn't seem right or sensible that people would actually take that sort of action because they opposed another group. But then understanding where Dr Jordan B Peterson comes from, where he experienced similar in his university days, and he mentions George Orwell's book The Road to Wigan Pier, where George Orwell observed exactly the same.

The left wing are not interested in helping the poor, or the unfortunate, in, if you like in the case of fox hunting, they are just adversarial and want to take down the right. And that's what I see in this attempt to lay global warming at the feet of the capitalists and fossil fuels. That's my take on it really, there's a distinct left-wing element to it, and it needs countering. Now getting back to the gist of this thread, these left wing activists, and again this sort of comes from Jordan B Peterson, there is definitely a religious element to the way they think.

Carl Jung said something similar to God is Dead, basically he meant that we were losing our religion. But he also realised that the religion would be replaced by something, and he warned that it would be placed replaced by groups, ideologies, and that these groups would be susceptible to manipulation by governments. He predicted the rise of the oppressive states (Russia). And also realised that ideologies would kill many people. Now here in the west, we rarely talk about this criminal past of Russia, we focus on Hitler, but the Russian government killed 10 times more people than Hitler ever did.

Nothing is ever mentioned of the Russian mass (millions) murders, and JDP Jordan B Peterson thinks that this is because the leftist elements kept it out of our mainstream schooling deliberately because it didn't fit with their ideals.

Now, you may have noticed that I haven't posted for a while, and I think one controversial post I started, I have ignored. I was worried, I didn't like exposing my thoughts, I felt that I would leave expose myself to attack, discredit whatever. I just felt uncomfortable about saying what I thought. However I got this again from Jordan B Peterson, the only way I am going to learn, the only way I'm going to improve myself is by exposing my thoughts to the comments and criticisms of others, hence this post..
 

The_Doc_Man

Founding Member
#8
I do not at all disagree that the Left vs. Right relationship is adversarial and has escalated. I also am seeing that in the current dust-up between Congress and the President here in the USA. They have become rabid in their hatred, almost to the point that any other legislation they pass is merely an afterthought.

You are quite right about Russia. They were not all sweetness and light. They were all about ruling the people with an iron fist - and not even using a velvet glove to soften the blows. But then, what was Machiavelli's statement on the matter? "The object of power is power." It isn't about a nicer or better way to rule people. It is about the raw power of ruling.

I think that Jung was absolutely right about one thing. When you take away "that old time religion" you replace it with some other polarizing movement. I think the reason is that doing so allows people to NOT THINK! That is why religion has persisted for so long - because nobody wants to think too hard, so they let some charismatic kook in a clerical collar tell them what to think about stuff that is too hard for their feeble little brains. And as a result, they treat people harshly by thinking they are something else first and people second. This leads to gay-bashing, inter-religious hatred, attempted domestic domination of females, and it fuels liberal vs. conservative conflicts (though as noted, other factors enter that fracas.)
 

Bee

Founding Member
#9
Now, you may have noticed that I haven't posted for a while, and I think one controversial post I started, I have ignored. I was worried, I didn't like exposing my thoughts, I felt that I would leave expose myself to attack, discredit whatever. I just felt uncomfortable about saying what I thought.
Well firstly, I've missed you. It's been just me vs Jon and Doc. You can imagine how much fun that is.

Secondly, we are all adults and this is a safe space [Jon hates that term *giggle*] to be able to express opinions and hypothesize. For all of Jon's mischievousness with his click-baity posts, he's a very, very decent human being and as Moderator would simply not allow any of us to be rounded on by the others.

So please, post away.
 

Bee

Founding Member
#10
Oh - and one other thought, I don't remember a controversial post from you. So, that's how controversial it was. Now, my Alabama Ruling post - that's controversial.
 

Uncle Gizmo

Founding Member
#12
Well firstly, I've missed you. It's been just me vs Jon and Doc.
I thought I should mention that I have been keeping away from this forum deliberately, because I've just got so much to do. I get wound up and drawn it into so many things I shouldn't, and I Neglect the important things! Not saying that it's not important to get involved in something like this forum, it's just prioritising it...
 

Bee

Founding Member
#13
We are all busy. I've had a particularly trying couple of months in terms of work and I'm far, far behind where I wanted to be. Post as and when time permits, but it's good that the debate is interesting enough to hook you in.
 

The_Doc_Man

Founding Member
#14
Trying to play catch-up after moving can be trying. I remember the time I moved out of my childhood home after Mom passed. The new house was great but work didn't stop and the things that got moved didn't put themselves away. There was a certain degree of weariness that set in before everything was where it needed to be.
 
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