Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the problem is that the Abrahamic religions push people to believe that they are special (a chosen people) and that only their system of faith will lead to eternal bliss. Thus, even though Jesus preached against any form of violence, there is almost always violence going on somewhere in the world based on one of the Abrahamic belief systems.

Yes, Jesus admonished these people:

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? — Luke 6:46

Even when Jesus was alive right in front of their faces, still there were people who used religion as a weapon, or to give the appearance of godliness to gain trust in order to run a money scam.

If you murder you are not obeying Jesus.

except killing in war is OK, right? It must be in the Bible somewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you, as well as many people on this forum, are very quick to make religion the culprit in every bad situation. Obviously, Vance Boelter wasn’t living what his faith taught.

Would that be true of the entire Republican party, then, right now? I mean anyone can interpret what they want out of whatever they want. And, I think that is the problem. Religion is based on a lot of abstract concepts that can't ever be proved, so anyone can make it what they want it to be. Looks like the beginnjngs of Gilead at this time in history.

I think of slavery in this country. That was also based on biblical ideas. I think of the suppression and repression of women- all religion. I think of wars past and present- again.

PP here. I really could care less about the Republican Party and it is not the spokesperson for Christianity. You’ve coupled that along with a slew of problems and blamed religion (and most likely, Christian-based religions), ignoring the fact that many Christians rose up to oppose these very problems.
Again, blatant persecution of Christianity by people on this forum is rampant.

I think the point is that religion is often used to do harm, while the perpetrator thinks they're doing the right thing; the thing that "God" wants them to do.

Yes, Christians may "rise up" to oppose these problems, too, but so what? Seems like everyone is just using religion to justify what they want to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you, as well as many people on this forum, are very quick to make religion the culprit in every bad situation. Obviously, Vance Boelter wasn’t living what his faith taught.

Would that be true of the entire Republican party, then, right now? I mean anyone can interpret what they want out of whatever they want. And, I think that is the problem. Religion is based on a lot of abstract concepts that can't ever be proved, so anyone can make it what they want it to be. Looks like the beginnjngs of Gilead at this time in history.

I think of slavery in this country. That was also based on biblical ideas. I think of the suppression and repression of women- all religion. I think of wars past and present- again.

Yeah - I was shocked to learn that good christians owned slaves and thought the Bible condoned it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you, as well as many people on this forum, are very quick to make religion the culprit in every bad situation. Obviously, Vance Boelter wasn’t living what his faith taught.

Would that be true of the entire Republican party, then, right now? I mean anyone can interpret what they want out of whatever they want. And, I think that is the problem. Religion is based on a lot of abstract concepts that can't ever be proved, so anyone can make it what they want it to be. Looks like the beginnjngs of Gilead at this time in history.

I think of slavery in this country. That was also based on biblical ideas. I think of the suppression and repression of women- all religion. I think of wars past and present- again.

PP here. I really could care less about the Republican Party and it is not the spokesperson for Christianity. You’ve coupled that along with a slew of problems and blamed religion (and most likely, Christian-based religions), ignoring the fact that many Christians rose up to oppose these very problems.
Again, blatant persecution of Christianity by people on this forum is rampant.

Anonymous wrote:I think part of the problem is that the Abrahamic religions push people to believe that they are special (a chosen people) and that only their system of faith will lead to eternal bliss. Thus, even though Jesus preached against any form of violence, there is almost always violence going on somewhere in the world based on one of the Abrahamic belief systems.

Yes, Jesus admonished these people:

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? — Luke 6:46

Even when Jesus was alive right in front of their faces, still there were people who used religion as a weapon, or to give the appearance of godliness to gain trust in order to run a money scam.

If you murder you are not obeying Jesus.

Anonymous wrote:I think you, as well as many people on this forum, are very quick to make religion the culprit in every bad situation. Obviously, Vance Boelter wasn’t living what his faith taught.

Would that be true of the entire Republican party, then, right now? I mean anyone can interpret what they want out of whatever they want. And, I think that is the problem. Religion is based on a lot of abstract concepts that can't ever be proved, so anyone can make it what they want it to be. Looks like the beginnjngs of Gilead at this time in history.

I think of slavery in this country. That was also based on biblical ideas. I think of the suppression and repression of women- all religion. I think of wars past and present- again.

I think part of the problem is that the Abrahamic religions push people to believe that they are special (a chosen people) and that only their system of faith will lead to eternal bliss. Thus, even though Jesus preached against any form of violence, there is almost always violence going on somewhere in the world based on one of the Abrahamic belief systems.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that people who are mentally ill or psychopathic sometimes attach themselves to extreme religions, or extreme sects within religions, because it's a way of reinforcing their delusions, or giving cover to their evil.

But, I think that the mental illness, or psychopathy comes first.

Me too, then the religion reinforces it

They cherry pick things from the religion that enforces it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you, as well as many people on this forum, are very quick to make religion the culprit in every bad situation. Obviously, Vance Boelter wasn’t living what his faith taught.

But he thought he was.

That’s on him, not the religion itself.

I think unstable people are drawn to extreme ideologies, which may or may not be religious, political... Anything that works to express and justify rage and violence.

Anonymous wrote:I think that people who are mentally ill or psychopathic sometimes attach themselves to extreme religions, or extreme sects within religions, because it's a way of reinforcing their delusions, or giving cover to their evil.

But, I think that the mental illness, or psychopathy comes first.

Me too, then the religion reinforces it

Anonymous wrote:I think you, as well as many people on this forum, are very quick to make religion the culprit in every bad situation. Obviously, Vance Boelter wasn’t living what his faith taught.

But he thought he was.

I think you, as well as many people on this forum, are very quick to make religion the culprit in every bad situation. Obviously, Vance Boelter wasn’t living what his faith taught.

I think that people who are mentally ill or psychopathic sometimes attach themselves to extreme religions, or extreme sects within religions, because it's a way of reinforcing their delusions, or giving cover to their evil.

But, I think that the mental illness, or psychopathy comes first.

“SLEEPY EYE, Minn. — Vance Boelter grew up in a sports-loving Lutheran family in a small Minnesota town where nobody locked their doors — a background that gave little hint of the zealotry to come or the deadly violence of which he is now accused.
At 17, he had a religious conversion. As he recalled decades later during a passionate sermon overseas, what happened next shook his life. Waving a Bible and thundering from the podium, he spoke about meeting the holy spirit and running off pamphlets about Jesus to give to everyone he knew….” Washington Post 6-17-25 https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/06/17/vance-boelter-minnesota-shooting-christianity/

A certain kind of religion seems to push some people over the edge.

What do you think?