I’ve never done this before nor do I really have my heart in it. But for a lack of a better forum and to avoid further hijacks of this thread.…
Butch the hell up Anaamika!
You can’t say stupid shit and hide behind in my opinion!
We fight ignorance here and you’ve been a valued contributor. Don’t backslide.
'Kay… 'nuff said?!
An offer (bribe?) of friendship… 
I don’t get it. She said that in her opinion “organized religion is worse than organized crime.”
I think that historically, a case can definitely be made for that and terms like “better” or “worse” are inherently subjective so to qualify them with IMO is perfectly reasonable IMO.
Are you suggesting that she should have stated as fact that organized religion has been “worse” than organized crime or are you really taking exception to the opinion itself? What’s “ignorant” about it?
What the hell does “butch up” mean?
Grow some balls.
What’s ignorant about it is that Organized Crime is an “evil” enterprise at it’s core. It got “crime” in it’s title for Og’s sake.
Religious organizations, on the other hand, tend to want to do good. At least they try and I’m not aware of any that organize with the intent to commit crime.
Admitedly, a great deal of evil has been commited in the name of religion but these acts are perpertrated by (what amounts to) criminals hidden within these organizations. Those and the sheep that follow them.
If not for religious institutions, these individuals would have found alternate means to commit attrocities. Faith should not be slandered in the same breath as religion. It is no more accurate or fair than fundamentalists slandering homosexuals in the same breath as they condemn pedophiles.
Aids in Africa and Asia will kill millions of people…millions of them. The Church refuses to support the use of condoms, which would do a lot to stem that; are you saying that this evil is being perpertrated by criminals hidden within the RCC?
I kinda agree, but I disagree that organized crime necessarily seeks to be evil. Organized crime breaks the law, by definition, but the intentions of the people involved might still be “good”. A numbers racket (policy game) is organized crime, for instance. It’s only as harmful as state-sponsored lottery is, and the proceeds might actually be channeled into positive things.
There are religious organizations who’s practices are against the law. They might require the partaking of illegal substances in their rituals. They might advocate child abuse, wife abuse, or animal abuse. They might allow illegal activities, like shoplifting or bank robbery, if the beneficator is the religious organization. They might also encourage terrorism. On the other end, they might aid fugitives from the law or oppressive institutions (the abolitionist Quakers, for instance). Many civil disobedients are members of organized religion.
So while Anaamika’s statement is certainly provocative, it is not wholly without merit.
You might find doing a web search on “Mafia” and “IOR” very interesting.
I don’t think that’s what Quick was referring to. More like Oral Roberts and his “Send me $8 Million or God will call me home!”
Am I the only one who read the title as advocating lots of flannel and big clunky boots?
I am so going to extra hell
Hating homosexuals for no apparent reason? Forcing your opinions of what others faith should be? Mixing religion with politics? A set criteria of what morals should be? Sounds criminal to me. 
But to my mind that is as sick as “give me some money or your store will not make it in this neighborhood”…how is it not?
Both “requests” are shams and prey on innocent people. If anything, the criminal is at least honest in his crime. The Oral Robert’s of the world are the worst kind of scum, because they intend to dupe people by selling them hope and redemption–neither is for sale.
That said, I don’t think that you can compare say, a serial killer with a pastor who embexxles church funds…but maybe you could compare the killer to a pedophile priest–one kills his victims once, the other sticks around and repeats the offense again and again. Not saying that to be killed by a serial killer is better–just food for thought.
I had never considered the comparison before, so I thank Indy for the provocative premise.
Ahhh, that would be the part where the church requires everybody to adhere to their doctrines by sending around Father Guido and Cardinal Luigi to forcibly remove the condoms from the villagers’ erect penises?
Some religious orders are embracing homosexuality.
Not all religions do this.
Kind of naive. We mix business and politics all the time.
Morals have always been a driving force. Religion is just a formalized venue of some moral values.
[QUOTE=FinnAgain]
Am I the only one who read the title as advocating lots of flannel and big clunky boots?
No. 
It will be difficult to Anaamika to “butch up” in that outfit.
Correct on both counts.
[quote=Loopydude]
What the hell does “butch up” mean?
Anaamika: I normally stay out of GD threads, so I’d just like to say: Please do not do this.
Thank you.
however, if you want to buy that little yellow number linked in the OP, you go right ahead.
This seems like the typical case of “My Exception to the Rule supercedes your Generally Accepted Assumption”. I think this is really reaching.
Like I said, many-a-scoundrel have hidden behind a mask of piousness. Won’t be the first time or the last. Do you really believe the absence of religion would cure these individuals of their propensity to be, in essence, criminals and low lives?
I’m not convinced.
Organized crime works on a smaller scale than organized religion. My guess is that the latter has caused more death and suffering.
So, on balance, I agree with Anaamika.