point taken Paras - proof read before you post. i would like to point out that English and Comparative Literature are, in fact, different disciplines, in the same way that Physics and Mathematics are different disciplines. just to be nitpicky.

as for Beck's post, honestly i responded partly as a joke and partly because i believe people toss around the word "hate" too much. please realize that disagreement, dislike, and disapproval (note the alliteration) are NOT the same as hatred. i would argue that it is far more detrimental to the human race than religion. people are far more willing to do things in the name of religion, science, politics, etc. they use them as excuses, using something that has the potential to be the vehicle for great good to further their own bigoted and selfish motives. i know that sounds all "bleeding-heart", but that's what i think. some people are too willing to use institutions, religious or not, to mask and justify unconcionable things. others do not. people need to take responsibility for their actions and stop using excuses that perpetuate systems of fear and mistrust. so can religion be used to justify evil things? yes. does that make it evil? no. just as science, politics, ethnicity, nationality, sports and money are not evil in themselves.

and Paras - when you said that religion requires people to suspend reality to in order to believe. i don't think you're right. faith is defined as "believing in that which has no proof", not "believing in that which does not exist". people who believe in a religion believe that set of beliefs is the truth - not that they are deciding to believe in a convenient fiction.

any i couldn't reference "The Core"...i haven't seen it. although from what I've heard, if you think that movie is more plausible then then chemical creation of a genie...well...i don't know what to say.

so please note that these are just the thoughts of Mary. Just because I have said them, please do not ascribe them to every Christian, every Canadian, every female, everyone under the height of 5'6, everyone with blue eyes and brown hair, or everyone who has not had the good fortune to avoid seeing "The Core".

oh my goodness - that was my first message board rant...what has become of me????

I've got a copy of Coppit that I've been inchin' to play for a while now.

hey!!! guess what?

no I'm not going to whatever you just guessed, thats gross!!!

My ankle is about three times its normal size right now. went to the hospital last night to check if it was broken. it isn't. just a bad sprain. at least if I got a cast I could function to some extent. damn ankles. other than confirming that my ankle wasn't broken the doctor was no help whatsoever! he actually told me that icing my ankle really doesn't help that much. hmm... I'm not too sure about that guy.

this sprain is bad enough that I can't even go to work. so now I can't physically do anything and I can also no longer afford to do anything. that said, if anyone is up for anything that doesn't require me to move. I'd like to partake.

Oh yeah , I also left my cell in a cab on friday night. so I no longer have anyones phone number. so when I find some paper or another cell phone I'll be asking for some numbers thank you very much.

I just watched this movie called "Weird Science" and now i hate all science.

This is a good point; one movie does not really prove anything about a subject. Although, I would point out that "Not Without My Daughter" is at least based on a true story. I'd also point out that, if you want a movie that makes you hate science, I'd go with "The Core" over "Weird Science". I mean, computer generated genies? How can that make you hate science?

I consider religion to be inherently detrimental to the wellbeing of the human race.

Gee, this isn't meant to be inflammatory, is it?

It is just when people bend it to suit their own needs that it becomes evil.

I would suggest that this is part of what Beck's getting at in his previous comment. But there's more to it than just that. If I own a newspaper (or write on a website, I suppose) I can write opinions and use that medium to my ends. I don't believe, though, that I can get people to riot or destroy buildings or go to war just because I say so, or because I say someone I know says so. And that's because people (I hope) think about what comes out of those media.

Which gets me to what I think is the other part of Beck's ... problem ... with religion. Often, religion demands a faith which is defined by the suspension of rationality (or, at least, faith that is taken with the suspension of rationality.) And I think that it's that characteristic, combined with people wanting to twist it to their will, that can make it dangerous.

It seems like a more specific case of something that bothers me that I've talked about before, when something is judged to be right or wrong (or true or false, etc.) purely based on the source.

In any case, I'm curious to see where the discussion goes. (I get the feeling, from the phrasing of Beck's "discuss" post, that he was curious as well.)

and damnyouparas - why do you not have spell check?

Well, it'd be complicated to do spell-check in a manner that would be usable without being annoying. And I'm not really interested in writing that.

Besides, I'd think that the student of English in you would see spell-check as a crutch that impairs our abilities to actually spell good (not to mention the whole spelling vs. grammar thing.)

Religion has always been a very touchy subject with me. From my standpoint my dad raised me as:

"What actions you take speak louder then any religion you may preach. A Triad (chinese mafia) who kills a man and then ask buddah for forgiveness is both guilty for taking a life and trying to hide behind religion for salvation."

That being said religion by itself isn't evil. It is just when people bend it to suit their own needs that it becomes evil. Religion is trying to answer the questions of: Why are we here? Who created us? What happens when we die?

point taken mary... that was a lot of alcohol talking though.

Although this movie was based on a true story.
I will however cut down on the harshness of alcohol (and radioactive craters) and simply say that I consider religion to be inherently detrimental to the wellbeing of the human race.

Discuss.

and damnyouparas - why do you not have spell check?

I just watched this movie called "Weird Science" and now i hate all science.