Soap Box Religion Poll

[Jim Z]

my votes:<BR><BR>- no, I don't identify with any religion. I was raised catholic, and went to a catholic school. But for me, the whole "god" concept seemed utterly disconnected from the real world.<BR><BR>- I think religion is a detriment to society. It asks people to set aside rational thought in favor of putting blind faith in fairy tales. And quite frankly, the whole "god" thing is rooted in nothing more than the desire to control people.<BR><BR>- I'm neutral. don't shove it in my face, and I won't react.<BR><BR>- neither Islam or Christianity are, IMO, more harmful or beneficial. history has shown that people will do both good or bad things based on what they think their invisible sky fairy wants.<BR><BR>- I would hope that as we understand more about ourselves and everything else, our need for a "god of the gaps" would disappear.<BR><BR>- I don't think it should be made illegal, everyone should be free to believe what they want <B>so long as they don't use the force of law to make me submit to their beliefs (you hear me, Republican party?</B><BR><BR>- Government should be entirely free from the taint of religion.

 

[Jim Z]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">You REALLY need to spend a week or two with a handful of us. I am amazed that you don't see ANYONE doing good works. Is it possible that you are looking in all the wrong places so that you don't find any?!? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>are you doing good works because you want to help people, or are you doing so to get in "god's good grace?" If it's the latter, then I submit that you are not a good person, and you're only doing said "good works" for selfish purposes.

 

[Jim Z]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">In what way? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>In Michigan, I can't buy a beer or any drink before noon on Sundays (or at all on Christmas Day.) There's no reasonable explanation for that other than someone thinks I should be attending mass.

 

[Jim Z]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">That is a pretty lame intrusion upon your personal freedoms and the potential explanation is someone at one point thought it was a good idea and it simply has stuck. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I don't care how "lame" you think it is. There's no good reason for it. What is so special about Sunday morning compared to the rest of the week?<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Blue laws are usually not written by people who attend 'Mass'. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>you know what I mean.

 

[Jim Z]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bgirl:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jim Z:<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Blue laws are usually not written by people who attend 'Mass'. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>you know what I mean. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>yes, i do. Just picking a nit. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>for what purpose?<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It's too much of a coincidence if the blue laws concerning alcohol were not based in religion. Then again do you NEED to drink on Sunday morning--- </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>You need to justify prohibiting something; it's not on me to justify why I should have it.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'm more concerned with not being able to shop in my favorite mall ALL DAY Sunday. That's a blue law that definitely needs to be abolished. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Then again, do you NEED to go to the mall on Sunday?

 

[Jim Z]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">You don't find stores open at 4:00 AM either. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>1) 7-Eleven<BR>2) A store/company setting its own hours is hardly comparable. <BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">In fact the economy could be 24/7 and unemployment would probably be nil at this point were we to switch to such. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>except for that whole "humans are diurnal" thing.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"><BR>Well there is the pragmatic that if a significant portion of your society is going to be taking Sundays off that as a businessman you are going to have trouble finding people to work that day or who will shop on that day. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>that's fine, if you own a business and you decide not to open on Sunday, then so be it. When it becomes codified into law, there better be a good reason for it, and "such and such religion says something that can be interpreted to prohibit it" isn't a good reason.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">We've rather obviously gotten away from that being the case and what laws remain are, as explained above and casually ignored by you, a result of inertia. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>It was ignored because it's irrelevant. Inertia or not, the laws are still on the books, and, in my example (sunday liquor sales,) if one tried to repeal them then you can bet the religious groups would be fighting it every step of the way.

 

[Jim Z]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I'm 30, and up until about 10 years ago, nothing was ever open on Thanksgiving or Christmas except IHOP, and maybe a handful of other places. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Again, were they closed by choice, or because they weren't allowed to be open? I don't care if a business owner doesn't want to be open for his own religious reasons (see Chick-Fil-A.)