Religion
In reply to the discussion: Am I being immoral by believing in a transcendent creator? [View all]AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)"Only fundamentalists are responsible for fundamentalist misdeeds"
I agree with that sentiment insofar as they do what they do, and when they hurt others, they are responsible for that.
But morality, aid and comfort....
I think if you believe without evidence in some supernatural thing, that does add weight to the general assumption that such a thing is real, and fundamentalism is built, usually, on that assumption.
So, I wouldn't savage you for the behavior of the WBC, who are out there hurting people with their 'god hates fags' message, but without that foundation of general acceptance of the bible, or in general, faith in the supernatural, they might as well be standing there with signs that say 'Elvis hates fags' or 'pet rock hates fags' or some other clearly meaningless claim.
So I see it as somewhat aiding/comforting.
If it could be demonstrated that a god DOES exist, and that the bullshit in the old testament is NOT the word of that god, then they would simply be co-opting a faith for nefarious purposes. But as it is, how can I tell they aren't simply slightly misinterpreting what you personally interpreted a different way? Them literally reading a pile of bullshit written by man, that you have discounted/ignored, in favor of a different relationship with a supernatural god?
How am I, an outsider, supposed to firewall the concepts when I look at the two groups? Again, I don't view you as responsible for their behavior, but the general faith in a god of nebulous nature does generally contribute to the platform they are abusing.