Thread: 17 Year Old Girl Sentenced To Death By Hanging

Originally Posted by clemson357

There would be killing. However, throughout the history of the world more lives have been cut prematurely short in the name of religion than any other single cause.

Only in the name of religion. Take away religion and they kill just as much, but in a different name.

Originally Posted by clemson357

However, throughout the history of the world more lives have been cut prematurely short in the name of religion than any other single cause.

Huh? This has to be the biggest overstatement I've ever seen.
Communism much?

Originally Posted by The Monkey Man

What about the 45-long slide with laser sighting...
And the UZI 9mm, and the 12-guage autoloader?

[At a gun store]
The Terminator: The .45 Long Slide, with laser sighting.
Pawn Shop Clerk: These are brand new; we just got them in. That's a good gun. Just touch the trigger, the beam comes on and you put the red dot where you want the bullet to go. You can't miss. Anything else?
The Terminator: Phased-plasma rifle in the forty watt range.
Pawn Shop Clerk: Hey, just what you see, pal.
[the Terminator is loading a rifle in the shop]
Pawn Shop Clerk: You can't do that.
The Terminator: Wrong.

Originally Posted by clemson357

However, throughout the history of the world more lives have been cut prematurely short in the name of religion than any other single cause...

Where do you glean this trivia nugget from? Or, is this just your professional opinion?

Originally Posted by clemson357

There would be killing. However, throughout the history of the world more lives have been cut prematurely short in the name of religion

Holy moly someone gets it!!

Stalin and Mao chalked up more than anyone else in history. They weren't religious, they were communists.

Originally Posted by brogers

Stalin and Mao chalked up more than anyone else in history. They weren't religious, they were communists.

Yes those unclear facts???? Prove that God is good

I couldn't find any real data but I did find this.

Religious zealotry over the centuries has been directly responsible for countless deaths, imprisonments, needless suffering, torturings, and the oppression of people on grounds of sex, race, colour, sexuality or belief.
A few obvious examples :

• The Crusades.
• The Inquisition.
• Witch trials in Europe and America.
• The Divine right of Kings (valid until killed by another Divinely-appointed King).
• Missionaries destroying/converting smaller, "heathen" religions and cultures.
• The demonization of other religions, e.g. Christianity demonizing Pagans ("They're devil-worshippers!"), the Romans demonizing Christians ("They're atheists and cannibals!").
• Persecution of Heretics - e.g. Galileo for daring to suggest that the Earth orbits the Sun.
• Children dying because their parents refused them medical treatment on religious grounds; relying instead on faith-healers and prayer.
• Slavery, supposedly supported by scripture ("Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, just as you would obey Christ.", St.Paul, Ephesians 6:5)
• Holy wars - followers of different faiths (or even the same faith) killing each other in the name of their (benevolent, loving and merciful) gods.
• The destruction of great works of art considered to be pornographic/blasphemous, and the persecution of the artists.
• Censorship (often destructive) of speech, art, books, music, films, poetry, songs and, if possible, thought.
• Persecution/punishment of blasphemers (Salman Rushdie still has a death sentence on him), and blasphemy laws in general.
• The requirement of theism in order to stand for public office or to testify in court.
• Serial killers believing they are doing the work of Satan (or sometimes Jesus).
• Often-fatal exorcisms by priests believing they are destroying the work of Satan.
• People suffering dreadful injury or death in the belief that their faith has made them invulnerable (e.g. people climbing into lion enclosures at zoos, with a Bible as protection).
• Whole societies divided by minor differences in belief or doctrine, often resulting in violence.
• Mass suicides of cult-members following a charismatic leader who believes the world is about to End (most recently, the Heaven's Gate and Solar Temple cults - there will be more as we approach the year 2000).
• The attempted genocide of followers of a particular faith (e.g. the Jewish Holocaust, "ethnic cleansing" in former Yugoslavia).
• Blood sacrifices to appease the Gods, or to ensure a good harvest. (The Aztecs made daily human sacrifices to ensure that the Sun would rise. Or did they? )
• The practice of "female circumcision" (more accurately termed genital mutilation).
• The discouragement of rational, critical thought (resulting in young-earth creationists, for example).
• Uncontrolled population growth caused (or at least helped) by churches prohibiting birth-control and abortion. (You can also add : unwanted pregnancies, ill-fated forced marriages, and pregnant teenagers condemned to a life in mental institutions to avoid embarrassing their families.)
• The spread of sexually transmitted diseases (e.g. AIDS) due to churches prohibiting the use of condoms.
• Believers whipping, impaling, poisoning or crucifying themselves during religious festivals as a demonstration of their faith and piety.
• Suicide bombers taught to believe that martyrs go straight to Paradise.
• The indoctrination of children into the religion of their parents, giving them an arbitrary, life-long belief that is almost entirely dependent on their place of birth.
• Women treated as second-class citizens or even slaves (article : Islam's Shame).
• Pentecostal snake-handlers (Augusta Chronicle news article)
• Persecution of homosexuals (Genocide of gay and lesbian youth)
• Abuse of power, authority and trust by religious leaders (for financial gain or sexual abuse of followers and even children).
• Minor religions ("cults") stockpiling weapons to defend themselves from the Armies Of Satan (i.e. the police and the government).

Originally Posted by brogers

Stalin and Mao chalked up more than anyone else in history. They weren't religious, they were communists.

They were killing all of those who wouldn't succumb to their atheist beliefs. So there's a religious twist on that as well.