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submitted 1 year ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Mike Dulak grew up Catholic in Southern California, but by his teen years, he began skipping Mass and driving straight to the shore to play guitar, watch the waves and enjoy the beauty of the morning. “And it felt more spiritual than any time I set foot in a church,” he recalled.

Nothing has changed that view in the ensuing decades.

“Most religions are there to control people and get money from them,” said Dulak, now 76, of Rocheport, Missouri. He also cited sex abuse scandals in Catholic and Southern Baptist churches. “I can’t buy into that,” he said.

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[-] thelastknowngod@lemm.ee 72 points 1 year ago

I used to have that really common thought of "I don't care what you believe in. Just don't try to push your opinion on me."

No. It's bullshit.

The very existence of religion is a psychological drain on society. We are all worse off the longer it stays around. There is no such thing as a good religious person and anyone who says they are religious I immediately distrust.

[-] MonkRome@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago

There is no such thing as a good religious person

I've known extremely religious people that were very kind to everyone around them, only focused on doing good in the world, and never pushed their beliefs on anyone else. "Good" and "evil" are very reductive and simplistic terms. Good people can have beliefs that are not good for society and they are not completely defined by that. If we go to that absolute then there isn't a good person that exists. Pretty much everyone harbors beliefs, irrespective of religion, that when examined may be detrimental to society, they just don't know their own blind spots.

[-] thelastknowngod@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

I've known extremely religious people that were very kind to everyone around them, only focused on doing good in the world

Being religious is not a requirement for doing good in the world. If the religion did not exist these extremely religious people you know could continue to do good in the world while not simultaneously supporting organizations that enable corruption, abuse, dishonesty, violence, oppression, etc, etc..

If anyone is still believing in these hokey stories or exploitative organizations they are either willfully ignorant to the world around them, gullible rubes who are victims of a centuries old scam, or actively benefitting from that exploitation.

I stand by my statements. Religion is a virus. It's a net negative in the world that stands in the way of all human progress.

[-] MonkRome@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I was responding to you saying "there's no such thing as a good religious person". I don't really disagree with the rest of your perspective, yet your arguing as if you assume I do. I think it's reductive and crass to judge someone on a single data point. That was my primary point.

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this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2023
1460 points (97.7% liked)

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