Wow. First of all, it has been FOREVER since I have come back to this site. Good to see so many people joining. So in this topic I wish to discuss the potential for religion. I was just watching a video about Liberia, and we all know that, that country is in the dumps at the moment, and nobody is really helping. This man, an ex-general in the rebellion was responsible for the murders of many people and canabalism (basically the usual for African rebel generals). After the war, he was converted, and became a pastor. He realized that his old ways were very wrong and realized that he had horribly sinned. He even found a general that was his enemy at one point, and helped him out, and converted him as well. He told a story of how he was starving in one of the slums, and he found sticks of dried meat, but when he realized the taste of human flesh, he refused to eat it even though he was starving. Now while this is a good story, religion has some very bad potential. The Taliban base their rules on religion, and they do not allow women work outside the house, no media, very little communication, they basically oppress their own population. So, I want to hear some stories, opinions, and ideas of the potential of religion, and what it can really do.
I realize that I did not mention the name of the general. I cannot for the life of me remember his actual name, but he was reffered to as "General Butt-Naked" (He fought naked, believing that once he was nude, he was impervious to bullets.)
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Did he actually become a believer or, like Constantine, claim conversion to gain more and a different kind of power?
As for the Taliban, women are sequestered and treated poorly because the powerful (read men in this case) do not view them as fully human...therefore, they don't think they are engaging in suppression of their population...women don't qualify as population.
Religion has potential...it has the potential to, and indeed does, 'poison everything'.
Good point about Constantine. It's quite possible. People who do terrible things in the midst of war gain all their power from being feared... but in peace that power dissolves - they either have to change their tactics, go about more warmongering (which probably gets tiresome as they get older and can't fight like thy used to) or step down.
I vote for more warmongering! Mainly because I really like that word. :)
Anything with "monger" in it is a great word :)
Agreed as far as i can see (and it depresses me) religions only able to make things worse.
With religion, you can achieve almost anything nicktater and, just as Sammy and that Hulk guy said, warmongering can achieve the same effect.
Interesting, they usually say that about money. Is religion cheaper?
Well religions self financing any money they spend comes from the sheeple.
Both religion and money are about power, more than anything else.
Religion has the potential to spark more violence & slow down progress if not reigned in by secular societies and laws.
Definate agreement with your statement.