I say the same thing as Dr. Roy did, "do not bring your religion for discussion here if you cannot handle criticism of it."
I am extremely reluctant to discuss specifics from religious books in the public forum, because most seriously religious people are too brainwashed to be able to handle criticism of their religion. Since the public forum is open to all, including people who can read without comprehending intellectually, discussing specific messages from any specific religion could be misinterpreted. The misinterpretation could have two strong opposing poles.
1) If I say good things about a religion by selectively quoting what I actually like, the overly brainwashed religious readers would get deeper into the cocoon of their religion, which actually contains a lot of "primitive wisdom" (read "stupidity" by today's standard) and raw hatred.
2) If I say bad things about a religion by selectively quoting what I dislike, the overly brainwashed religious readers would hate me. Depending on what religion I am talking about, I could be in a lot of trouble, including threats to my life.
There is actually no middle ground. If I say both good and bad, the hate mongers would hate me as much as they would if I said only bad things about their religion.
Aside from the misinterpretation factor, I do not have much time or mind to discuss religion. My general thought is that there is no point in proving that a theory that was proposed centuries back is flawed/wrong. Depending on what the theory is, it can be appreciated/respected, without following/believing, even when it has been proven wrong. Since I do not want to invoke religious examples, let me use a scientific one. The scientists and philosophers of the Middle Ages and Renaissance Period believed that Earth, Air, Water and Fire were fundamentals elements of matter/energy. We know better now. But should we call those pre-Socratic scientists/philosophers stupid? Certainly not.
The real problems are with people, not with religions. If people used a good deal of their common sense, they could see the good as well as the flawed/stupidic/hateful aspects of the religions that they inherited from their forefathers. They could follow what is worth following, and discard what must be discarded for justice/peace/progress/affluence on earth. Religions would have no power if people did not follow. Unfortunately, the most intelligent life form on earth has too many members who do not use their intelligence when it comes to religion. Too many of us humans are too stupidic and scared when it comes to religions. A dire consequence of that is that amongst us humans there are too many who are opportunistic criminals, thriving on the foolishness and fears of the blind believers/followers of religions, making the world a miserable place to live in for millions of absulutely innocent and good people.
Sukhamaya Bain
From: Jiten Roy <jnrsr53@yahoo.com>
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Are some religious people menaces in the society?
To: "mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com" <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [mukto-mona] Are some religious people menaces in the society?
Mr. Mustafizur Rahman,
I knew that this is coming. That's why - about a month back, I asked a particular member of this forum not to quote from his religious scripture. My argument was that – if you bring your religion for discussion, others will criticize it, and you have to have the stomach for that situation. Many of you were upset and said that - he has the right to bring any topic for discussion in this forum. After all it is the Mukto-mona forum. Some opined that - I have no power to stop anything in this forum. You were all right. I have no power to stop anything.
My intention for this particular discussion thread was to discuss 'religion' in general, not a particular one. Someone introduced Islam into the discussion to show that Islam has solution for everything, and the cascade followed. Snce, I did not bring Islam into the discussion, you cannot say that I have targeted Islam. My personal opinion is – all religions are the same, and none of them are any good. I also do not like politics-with-religion, be that Islam or Hiduism or Christianity or any other religions. I hope - I have explained myself clearly. If not, let me know.
Again, I reiterate, do not bring your religion for discussion here if you cannot handle criticism of it. I sometime bring Hinduism into the discussion, an I am mature enough to handle the criticism.
Thank you.
Jiten Roy
From: MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN <mustafiz84@hotmail.com>
To: Mukto-mona Mukto-mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 5:47 AM
Subject: RE: [mukto-mona] Are some religious people menaces in the society?
To: Mukto-mona Mukto-mona <mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 12, 2011 5:47 AM
Subject: RE: [mukto-mona] Are some religious people menaces in the society?
Kamal Das, Jiten Roy etc,
Will you STOP taking advantage of this Forum and refrain from spreading your venom against Islam?
Mustafizur Rahman
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