>>"But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
That's a logically fallacious statement (I understand it was made for rhetorical effect and not on the basis of logical validity or truth).
Good people can do evil things for many reasons (just as sometimes evil people do good things) besides religion. How about money, survival, self-interest, exploitation in the name of Captialism, and so many more reasons that have nothing to do with religion?
As I've said before, (https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/not-taking-a-position-on-gaza-is/comment/111311323), "Religion is often the scapegoat - the excuse - that people use to justify WHATEVER they want. NO religion supports Genocide. NO religion supports killing innocent people. But people will interpret religions in ways that support their goals - be it power, money, control, fame, whatever."
Mr. Weinberg's simple point, it seems to me, is that religion has an extraordinary capacity to allow people to feel good about themselves whilst committing acts of evil. With their god ladling love upon them, the religious can worship themselves whilst doing unspeakable things. See Israelis. It is precisely this that makes it such a valuable manipulator's tool. But: a scapegoat? Do you mean there would be no genocide or ethnic cleansing of Palestine if there were no religion? Surely the answer must be: probably? The atrocities in Palestine are more than a land grab, they are being done specifically and overtly in the name of a people who define themselves via religion, in order to rid the land of people they see as 'subhuman animals' because of religion. Israelis want land, their manipulators use religion to make them feel good about the inhuman means they use to steal it. Their most brutal battalions are the fundamentalist ones. The 'not in my name' protesters recognise this, and are rightly disgusted that their religion has been hijacked. Apparently quite a few religions teach that the world would be a much better place without unbelievers - does this mean religions actually do support genocide? Finally: surely no truly Good person would do evil for the love of money, survival, self-interest, exploitation in the name of Capitalism, etc? Good people put others first, even sometimes sacrificing themselves for the good of others, they don't rip them off, steal from them, or starve them to death. Whereas religious people certainly do.
>>"But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”
That's a logically fallacious statement (I understand it was made for rhetorical effect and not on the basis of logical validity or truth).
Good people can do evil things for many reasons (just as sometimes evil people do good things) besides religion. How about money, survival, self-interest, exploitation in the name of Captialism, and so many more reasons that have nothing to do with religion?
As I've said before, (https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/not-taking-a-position-on-gaza-is/comment/111311323), "Religion is often the scapegoat - the excuse - that people use to justify WHATEVER they want. NO religion supports Genocide. NO religion supports killing innocent people. But people will interpret religions in ways that support their goals - be it power, money, control, fame, whatever."
Mr. Weinberg's simple point, it seems to me, is that religion has an extraordinary capacity to allow people to feel good about themselves whilst committing acts of evil. With their god ladling love upon them, the religious can worship themselves whilst doing unspeakable things. See Israelis. It is precisely this that makes it such a valuable manipulator's tool. But: a scapegoat? Do you mean there would be no genocide or ethnic cleansing of Palestine if there were no religion? Surely the answer must be: probably? The atrocities in Palestine are more than a land grab, they are being done specifically and overtly in the name of a people who define themselves via religion, in order to rid the land of people they see as 'subhuman animals' because of religion. Israelis want land, their manipulators use religion to make them feel good about the inhuman means they use to steal it. Their most brutal battalions are the fundamentalist ones. The 'not in my name' protesters recognise this, and are rightly disgusted that their religion has been hijacked. Apparently quite a few religions teach that the world would be a much better place without unbelievers - does this mean religions actually do support genocide? Finally: surely no truly Good person would do evil for the love of money, survival, self-interest, exploitation in the name of Capitalism, etc? Good people put others first, even sometimes sacrificing themselves for the good of others, they don't rip them off, steal from them, or starve them to death. Whereas religious people certainly do.