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NeoGreen

(4,037 posts)
42. Steven Weinberg...
Wed May 23, 2018, 08:10 AM
May 2018

...
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steven_Weinberg

Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.
Address at the Conference on Cosmic Design, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C. (April 1999)

Frederick Douglass told in his Narrative how his condition as a slave became worse when his master underwent a religious conversion that allowed him to justify slavery as the punishment of the children of Ham.

Mark Twain described his mother as a genuinely good person, whose soft heart pitied even Satan, but who had no doubt about the legitimacy of slavery, because in years of living in antebellum Missouri she had never heard any sermon opposing slavery, but only countless sermons preaching that slavery was God's will.

With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil — that takes religion.
Above comment is modified in a later article derived from the 1999 talks

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I'm an Atheist and I don't like safeinOhio May 2018 #1
Do what you like and it is not work. guillaumeb May 2018 #17
Well, in the cases where a commandment is similar to a law of society, MineralMan May 2018 #2
Agreed. trotsky May 2018 #3
Well, assuming an existing deity, it's the height of arrogance to MineralMan May 2018 #4
So much for "smile God loves you" The Genealogist May 2018 #7
So you'd think, right? MineralMan May 2018 #8
Somehing sure changed with that deity The Genealogist May 2018 #10
Yah, well, maybe. See, the thing is that MineralMan May 2018 #11
God is only jealous of other gods marylandblue May 2018 #38
No, you cannot murder, steal or lie just because you are a nonbeliever. Sneederbunk May 2018 #5
The notion that those activities are undesirable is far, far older than any religion. trotsky May 2018 #6
Such rules are common to all human societies. MineralMan May 2018 #9
I feel responsible for my actions. safeinOhio May 2018 #22
does that go for Trump also? rurallib May 2018 #12
You can lie all you want edhopper May 2018 #18
See, that's the good part. Pope George Ringo II May 2018 #21
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Why do some people feel its their responsibility... marble falls May 2018 #13
You left out the beginning of that rede. MineralMan May 2018 #14
I get covered by for that with "live a guiltless life." marble falls May 2018 #20
I agree. guillaumeb May 2018 #16
It's more of a meta thread edhopper May 2018 #19
I don't know why some people have to troll others by creating fictitious commandments... trotsky May 2018 #24
Sometimes people seem compelled to engage in certain guillaumeb May 2018 #15
Says who? trotsky May 2018 #25
Why does it matter to you? guillaumeb May 2018 #28
What people? MineralMan May 2018 #29
So no response to my assertions? guillaumeb May 2018 #34
My question is the response. MineralMan May 2018 #35
What about the evident hostility of some few theists... trotsky May 2018 #44
You seem to feel others are unaware of it marylandblue May 2018 #37
Because you're making DU suck. trotsky May 2018 #43
... and the donkey they rode in on Major Nikon May 2018 #45
What an insightful response. guillaumeb May 2018 #48
I am. trotsky May 2018 #49
What a bizarre assertion. guillaumeb May 2018 #50
Please stick with the public thread. MineralMan May 2018 #54
What is unseemly is when the public face does not match the private one. guillaumeb May 2018 #57
I have no idea what you are talking about. MineralMan May 2018 #58
I ahree with your self-assessment. guillaumeb May 2018 #64
Just giving you something to consider. MineralMan May 2018 #66
Anything that another says to me in private will always remain so. guillaumeb May 2018 #67
The worst sort of gossip. Voltaire2 May 2018 #69
And given that you were not a party to the exchanges, guillaumeb May 2018 #71
It is a discussion board. Voltaire2 May 2018 #72
So no real insight into the exchanges, guillaumeb May 2018 #73
I offered my insight. Voltaire2 May 2018 #74
Which is exactly what you're doing. trotsky May 2018 #76
And your tactics? guillaumeb May 2018 #81
What do you wish me to tell you? trotsky May 2018 #83
Reconcile your publicly expressed desire for dialogue guillaumeb May 2018 #84
Since you continue to insinuate things about me to try and badmouth me in public, trotsky May 2018 #86
We both know what your private messages were. guillaumeb May 2018 #88
If this is your new tactic, so be it. trotsky May 2018 #89
So put it all aside? guillaumeb May 2018 #90
Whatever it takes for you to actually engage in the dialog you claim to want. trotsky May 2018 #91
That's a wise policy. MineralMan May 2018 #70
As I've told you, I stand by everything I've said. trotsky May 2018 #63
But if you say one thing in private, guillaumeb May 2018 #65
You have confused yourself, I guess. trotsky May 2018 #75
So no answer to the question? guillaumeb May 2018 #80
I'm sure you think you do. n/t trotsky May 2018 #82
That's a common occurrence Lordquinton May 2018 #68
"...most of them have been banned over time" trotsky May 2018 #77
more correct to say "banned time AFTER time AFTER time AFTER time Heddi May 2018 #85
LMFAO trotsky May 2018 #87
Ambien might make me Catholic Lordquinton Jun 2018 #92
Cogent point... NeoGreen May 2018 #23
much of the intent of almost all of commandments are codified in law... beachbum bob May 2018 #26
Only four of them are reflected in our laws. MineralMan May 2018 #30
No, they aren't. Let us review: Mariana May 2018 #31
Thanks. I'm on a tablet right now, MineralMan May 2018 #32
You're welcome. Mariana May 2018 #33
Mine, too. MineralMan May 2018 #36
What just happened is an example of the Voltaire2 May 2018 #40
Graven images? edhopper May 2018 #39
That's the difference: Atheists don't let some "God" define what is moral. DetlefK May 2018 #27
Not all atheists are good. Voltaire2 May 2018 #41
Steven Weinberg... NeoGreen May 2018 #42
That is true, but the difference is WHY most atheists are good people. DetlefK May 2018 #47
Religious morality is a joke to begin with Major Nikon May 2018 #46
depends on the commandment and vlyons May 2018 #51
I imagine this has been posted before thucythucy May 2018 #52
If God metes out consequences for not obeying them, but you don't believe in God, The Velveteen Ocelot May 2018 #53
Considering Hitler and Pol Pot, why should anyone be concerned MineralMan May 2018 #55
Exactly. If you aren't playing the game you don't have to follow the rules. The Velveteen Ocelot May 2018 #56
And, clearly, even if you are playing the game, MineralMan May 2018 #59
Exhibit A: Donald Trump. The Velveteen Ocelot May 2018 #60
Sorry. When he eventually dies, his chemistry will become part of MineralMan May 2018 #61
I hope none of Trump's molecules come my way, but I suppose it's hard to know. The Velveteen Ocelot May 2018 #62
Think in terms of ethical behavior, not commandments from a God. vlyons May 2018 #78
It truly depends TimeSnowDemos May 2018 #79
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