Lying is the Root of all Religion

[ceeboo]

What a bizarre thread!

[ajax18]

I’m not addressing your opinion that everyone would be a better person with religion. I don’t agree with it, but everyone gets to have opinions. I’m arguing against what you said about the founders. They held a wide range of opinions on all kinds of subjects — what they agreed on is what we see in the Constitution and its first 10 amendments.

Well I didn't say everyone would be better, I said most people would be better. That's an interesting fact about Jefferson. I was just going back to what I learned in American Heritage at BYU on the founders believing in a general religion which was Christianity, but not a specific creed or state endorsed Protestant sect of Christianity.

[Chap]

...
Christianity, regardless of the truthfulness of its origin story, promotes the Golden Rule. Is that harmful to society?
...

Teaching people to treat others kindly and fairly is, I would like to point out, not an exclusive property of the bundle of beliefs and practices that is commonly called Christianity.

Leaving all other faiths aside, many people who have no belief in any religion none the less bring up their children to act that way, thereby disproving, if disproof were needed, that belief in so-called 'supernatural' entities and acts is essential if one is to act well.

What is more, such people are not burdened with what someone has called 'the sinister fairy tale' that is the theological core of Christianity: the notion that the human race is born with an inherited load of sin, and that the only way for us to escape consequent condemnation by the all-powerful entity called 'god' in English was by a certain Jewish teacher of the first century suffering an agonising death that he did not deserve.

[Res Ipsa]

...
Christianity, regardless of the truthfulness of its origin story, promotes the Golden Rule. Is that harmful to society?
...

Teaching people to treat others kindly and fairly is, I would like to point out, not an exclusive property of the bundle of beliefs and practices that is commonly called Christianity.

Leaving all other faiths aside, many people who have no belief in any religion none the less bring up their children to act that way, thereby disproving, if disproof were needed, that belief in so-called 'supernatural' entities and acts is essential if one is to act well.

What is more, such people are not burdened with what someone has called 'the sinister fairy tale' that is the theological core of Christianity: the notion that the human race is born with an inherited load of sin, and that the only way for us to escape consequent condemnation by the all-powerful entity called 'god' in English was by a certain Jewish teacher of the first century suffering an agonising death that he did not deserve.

Oh, I agree. I simply offered it as an example of a Christian teaching that is not harmful to society. It's right there in the manual.

[Jersey Girl]

What a bizarre thread!

Oh look. Yet another freaking liar. Join the club, buddy.

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

What a bizarre thread!

What do you find bizarre about it?

[canpakes]

What a bizarre thread!

Although the title’s proclamation is (in my opinion) unduly harsh in several ways, maybe consider it (the thread) and its central claim in context of the linked article.

I found the example of the manipulation of the CO2 graph in Huckabee’s book to be somewhat illuminating when considering the logical alternative.

[Res Ipsa]

What a bizarre thread!

Although the title’s proclamation is (in my opinion) unduly harsh in several ways, maybe consider it (the thread) and its central claim in context of the linked article.

I found the example of the manipulation of the CO2 graph in Huckabee’s book to be somewhat illuminating when considering the logical alternative.

The kids' climate guide includes serious lies, including representing CO2 levels from 391BC as being from the "present." That's typical climate science denier propaganda. But climate science denial is driven more by profits and politics than by religion. To extrapolate Huckabee's lies to something general about religion is a huge stretch.

[canpakes]

Although the title’s proclamation is (in my opinion) unduly harsh in several ways, maybe consider it (the thread) and its central claim in context of the linked article.

I found the example of the manipulation of the CO2 graph in Huckabee’s book to be somewhat illuminating when considering the logical alternative.

The kids' climate guide includes serious lies, including representing CO2 levels from 391BC as being from the "present." That's typical climate science denier propaganda. But climate science denial is driven more by profits and politics than by religion. To extrapolate Huckabee's lies to something general about religion is a huge stretch.

Yes, in the general sense, a stretch. Unfortunately, Huckabee is a bit of a religious celebrity, and to have his name in and involvement on this just adds to the pile of folks who’ve crafted their image on their faith while practicing some very questionable behaviors. They all fall under the “if anyone should know/act better …” category.

I could point to a half-dozen folks in my immediate family who won’t match up to the characterization of this thread’s title, but they don’t mean anything to casual observers familiar with the Huckabee name.

[Some Schmo]

To extrapolate Huckabee's lies to something general about religion is a huge stretch.

It would be a huge stretch if it were an isolated incident, but it's not. It was just the latest example I'd heard about when I thought to create this thread. We could talk about the Bible museum with the dinosaurs. We could talk about dozens of cults. We could talk about Fox News. And on and on and on.

I didn't just read that article and suddenly come to my conclusion. I'm surprised it's even controversial. Seems self-evident.