Quote:
Originally Posted by SeattleUte
I don't contend that. I am not professing to address the full panoply of good or reasonable deeds in which humans can engage. Nor do I claim religious institutions are incapable of any such good deeds. There have been many performed by religious people and institutions. As you probably know, the most prominent radical Islamic organizations have gained substantial popular support by establishing hospitals, schools, and charitable organizations while the local civil authoritiarian governments (often US allies) did much less such good works.
What I am saying, and I think history fully supports me in this, is that religious institutions are fundamentally, implacabley and at a cellular level, hostile to democratic insitutions and civil liberties. They are intolerant of the conditions of plurality and diverse view points that are both a necessary foundation for and fostered by democratic institutions and liberties protected by the Bill of Rights. Moreover, I think that traditionally this hostility is self-evidently transmitted to the mainstream of religious adherants. For example, I saw in a recent post that Mormon Red Death said that when the brethren speak, thinking stops. In my experience, this is not an atypical mindset for an average Mormon. Now, do I want a president who has that mind set? Not on your freaking life.
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I was aiming at this little target with a peashooter and you retunred fire with a howitzer. I think you conceded (indirectly) that Arch's comment didn't prove your point. As to your shot, why are religious institutions any worse or different than institutions that aren't infused with democratic or pluralistic ideals? IOW, why you pickin' on religion?