Gregg R Thomas

jakelafort wrote:
islamophobia

I don’t know what it’s like in the US, but in the UK we have quite a lot of Muslims.  Some right wing people are forever going on about Muslims this and Muslims that.  Muslims are going to take over.  Muslims are going to declare Sharia Law.  Muslims are a bunch of evil freaks.  I hate Muslims.  That is Islam…[Read more]

jakelafort wrote:
Robert is describing the doctrine, belief and practices of that tiny cult. Is he tarring all 900 members of the cult? Or is he exposing the cult for what it is in simply describing it?

You can say that a cult has x, y and z doctrines, beliefs and practices.  But you can’t say that all the people in it are the same.

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
Scientifically speaking, there is only one human race: Homo sapiens. The concept of different “races” is a social construct, not a biological one.

The different ethnic groups look different and are different colours.  But I agree, those are superficial differences.

@jakelafort – Reg, do you think most of the deconverted are happy to have had their world view challenged and deconstructed?

In the long run, yes.  When Andy Dufresne escaped from Shawshank prison, he may have missed the social life he had with his friends inside but he never thought that returning to jail would be a solution. Returning…[Read more]

But it’s the same thing, to tar a whole group with the same negative brush.

Scientifically speaking, there is only one human race: Homo sapiens. The concept of different “races” is a social construct, not a biological one. We share more than 99.9% of the same DNA. Any physical differences are superficial and not indicative of any fundamental b…[Read more]

_Robert_ wrote:
Ah, OK. A religion is a race now.

Religion is not a race, and therefore you’re not being racist.  But it’s the same thing, to tar a whole group with the same negative brush.

_Robert_ wrote:
Ah, OK. A religion is a race now. Sorry, that’s profoundly dumb and you should know better. If someone believes and practices Islam as written and taught, they immediately drop 50 IQ points. Just look around at Muslim countries. AKA Shitholes. How many are democracies? What is their standard of living? How many are d…

[Read more]

@ Jake and Robert

Yada yada, yada…

It is wrong/unethical/immoral to make sweeping generalizations about a group, even Muslims.

Additionally, it’s illogical. It’s the fallacy of composition.

Example: Some people have turned a novel idea into a million dollar business. So, anyone with a novel idea can become a millionaire.

Despite all your…[Read more]

Now that we’re discussing, apparently seriously, whether Muslims are, as a group, stupid, shall we also ask the same about black people?

jakelafort wrote:
’ve wondered whether Muslims are innately lower in intelligence.

Wow…just wow.

All religions are superstition, but almost all advances in the past have been made in the context of some religion or other.

Jews have made many great scientific and mathematical contributions which have changed the source of history, but so h…[Read more]

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
I agree, perfection is just a subjective opinion. A living entity just needs to evolve to be the fittest for its environment. That is, it has adapted to survive in the environment it exists in.

And, typically, it continues to evolve toward a perfect solution, rarely, if ever, actually achieving it.

I was only talking about this last week with a friend who is a medical doctor from Pakistan. Marrying someone related to you is very common. I learned a new term during that conversation…..consanguineous marriage…read more here.

I agree, perfection is just a subjective opinion. A living entity just needs to evolve to be the fittest for its environment. That is, it has adapted to survive in the environment it exists in.

Regarding the Dawkins article…

It is wrong to think, as many people seem to do, that we humans are the pinnacle of humankind, that lions and tigers are the pinnacle of cathood, that the evolutionary process is complete now.

In fact, here’s how evolution works: when a trait helps a creature adapt, it tends to become incorporated; when it…[Read more]

Yes, I have helped some to de-convert themselves. These would be mostly ‘cultural Muslims’ whose parents were immigrants to Ireland. I guess many were halfway out the door and just needed to be able to reason themselves the rest of the way. There seems to be a brain fog zone where we know something is not true but can’t quite put our finger on…[Read more]

One of the best answers is “I don’t know”.

It can be a good answer. It is better than pretending to have certainty. But humans prefer to have an answer, even if it is the wrong answer. It is like the post during the week about not wanting to think. Many no longer seem to possess any ability to do so and apart from their basic executive funct…[Read more]

Thanks, Reg!!

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
It is not disbelief that is dangerous to our society; it is belief.

That is very true.  One of the best answers is “I don’t know”.

Have a great week everyone!

The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it. It is not disbelief that is dangerous to our society; it is belief.

–George Bernard Shaw