# Resolved: Religious people are crazy. What now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 22, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932 "2011-07-22T01:54:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/21 "2011-07-22T06:59:50Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > [Them!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Them!) Oh! (Blushes, hangs head, mumbles apologetically…) Trinopus (loves “The Monolith Monsters”) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/22 "2011-07-22T07:00:39Z")
Well, I have no interest in persecuting the OP, even if I live to see a day where my views are in the majority and his take their long-delayed move off center stage. If anything, persecuting him feeds into the whole martyr thing and strengthens his views. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/23 "2011-07-22T12:40:48Z")
> [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](#): > > This might be considered the companion thread to the other active discussion. I had hoped someone would ask this question in that thread, but as yet no one has. > > I for one believe there is _Something_ beyond us and think I have enough evidence to satisfy myself, but am more than willing to admit that this might be the result of psychosis. Now, I’m very curious as to what the atheists of the Dope would do with me and those like me. Am I to be drugged, incarcerated and rehabilitated? Perhaps executed if I can not change my mind? If I have children will they be taken from me so that I can not affect their thinking? I’m hoping for some sincere and honest answers here. Your something beyond us is kinda of vague, but I get what you are driving at. As to what should we do to you? Nothing. You may believe as you want - as long as you are not actively hurting other people, I don’t really have a problem with your beliefs. If you are going to try to force them on other people (politically), then I’d have a problem. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/24 "2011-07-22T17:55:19Z")
> [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](#): > > Now, I’m very curious as to what the atheists of the Dope would do with me and those like me. Am I to be drugged, incarcerated and rehabilitated? Perhaps executed if I can not change my mind? Now why would we want to treat the religious the way the religious have treated us, and their co-religionists? I’m all for just shining a spotlight on the irrationality of religious belief and leaving it at that, except… > [@](#): > > If I have children will they be taken from me so that I can not affect their thinking? …not…exactly, but I am in favour of measures that ensure that you don’t get to affect their thinking _too much_. Like e.g. mandatory public schooling without religious indoctrination. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/25 "2011-07-22T18:21:46Z")
Well if they’re crazy then they need to be institutionalized. So we better start building new facilities. Except there are more than 5.21 billion religious people, and that is the low estimate that I found and I did not include every single religion out there just the main ones, so the non-religious better get a second job or something to be able to pay for the new crazy houses. Except I doubt most non-religious people would want to spend the money it would require for the new buildings so I guess the only rational thing left is to just kill all religious people. Christian popultion: 2.14 billion. > **[Christian population growth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_population_growth)** > > Christian population growth is the population growth of the global Christian community. According to a 2011 Pew Research Center survey, there were more than 2.2 billion Christians around the world in 2010, more than three times as many as the 600 million recorded in 1910. However, this rate of growth is slower than the overall population growth over the same time period. In 2020, Pew estimated the number of Christians worldwide to be around 2.38 billion. According to various scholars and so T... Muslim population: 1.57 billion. > **[Islam by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_population)** > > Adherents of Islam constitute the world's second largest religious group. A projection by the PEW suggests that Muslims numbered approximately 1.9 billion followers in 2020. Studies in the 21st century suggest that, in terms of percentage and worldwide spread, Islam is the fastest-growing major religion in the world, mostly because Muslims have more children than other major religious groups. Most Muslims are either of two denominations: Sunni (87–90%, roughly 1.7 billion people) o South Asia... Hinduism popultaion: 1 billion. > **[Hinduism by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_by_country)** > > Hinduism has approximately 1.2 billion adherents worldwide (15-16% of the world's population). Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world behind Christianity (31.5%) and Islam (23.3%). > Most Hindus are found in Asian countries, and the majority of India and Nepal are Hindus. Countries with more than 500,000 Hindu residents and citizens are (in decreasing order) India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia (with Bali being 87% Hindu), Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United States, Malaysia, United King... Buddhist population: 489 million. > **[Buddhism by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Buddhist_population_by_country)** > > This list of Buddhism by country shows the distribution of the Buddhist religion, practiced by about 535 million people as of the 2010s, representing 7% to 8% of the world's total population. > Buddhism is the dominant religion in Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Tibet, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Kalmykia and Vietnam. Large Buddhist populations live in North Korea, Nepal, India and South Korea. China is the country with the largest... Jewish population: 13.4 million. > **[Jewish population by country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population)** > > Eligible Jewish population by country (top 12, 2018) > As of 2023, the world's "core" Jewish population (those identifying as Jews above all else) was estimated at 16 million, 0.2% of the 8 billion worldwide population. This number rises to 18 million with the addition of the "connected" Jewish population, including those who say they are partly Jewish or that have Jewish backgrounds from at least one Jewish parent, and rises again to 21 million with the addition of the "enlarged" Jewish populat... ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/26 "2011-07-24T15:47:59Z")
> [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](#): > > This might be considered the companion thread to the other active discussion. I had hoped someone would ask this question in that thread, but as yet no one has. > > I for one believe there is _Something_ beyond us and think I have enough evidence to satisfy myself, but am more than willing to admit that this might be the result of psychosis. Now, I’m very curious as to what the atheists of the Dope would do with me and those like me. Am I to be drugged, incarcerated and rehabilitated? Perhaps executed if I can not change my mind? If I have children will they be taken from me so that I can not affect their thinking? I’m hoping for some sincere and honest answers here. Well I’d begin by making you wear crosses so that we can find you when we round you up for the concentration camps. Luckily y’all seem to be doing that voluntarily. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/27 "2011-07-24T16:48:29Z")
> [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](#): > > … Am I to be drugged, incarcerated and rehabilitated? … I’m hoping for some sincere and honest answers here. Apparently the sarcasm in your question has compromised the sincerity of the response. ---
**Author:** ![Sablicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Sablicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sablicious)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/28 "2011-07-25T13:08:39Z")
Anyone who truly _believes_ in The Flying Spaghetti Monster is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. What’s new…? ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/29 "2011-07-25T13:58:57Z")
If we suppose that all religion is a form of irrational insanity, then it should be controlled, but not persecuted. For instance we could institute zoning laws that would allow for only one building of faith that everyone would have to take turns sharing. We could disallow faith based private education. Eventually it would die out; just a bit faster and messier than it will o it’s own. As education and quality of life increases religion decreases. Just stay the course and It will eventually become nothing more than a quint folk belief. ---
**Author:** ![\_cc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/e19b73/32.png) [@\_cc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_cc)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/30 "2011-07-27T15:18:53Z")
> [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](#): > > Trinopus, thank you for your opinion. So far you are the only one willing to share. I’m really hoping others will be willing to step up and be honest rather than trying to make jokes and snide comments. This is mostly because you opened your thread so insultingly that I really had little desire to respond at first, as in: [QUOTE=The Conqueror Worm] Now, I’m very curious as to what the atheists of the Dope would do with me and those like me. Am I to be drugged, incarcerated and rehabilitated? Perhaps executed if I can not change my mind? [/QUOTE] The fact that you even think atheists are a group of people who want to band together and abuse or murder “crazy” religious people is positively _disgusting_. You opened your thread with a gross and unapologetic equation of atheists to monsters, and are now sitting back with a defensive posture waiting for your targets to “step up”. That makes it very difficult to conduct a civil conversation. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/31 "2011-07-27T18:17:45Z")
When a politician says religion is what determines their actions, they should be hooted down. There are lots of religions in America . They are in disagreement for many fundamental reasons. All Americans deserve representation from their elected representatives. Because the rep has a religion, that does not mean that the rest of his constituents do not merit consideration. Is a person like Bachmann be allowed to push her faith while doing harm to the rights of others be allowed? I don’t think so in America, the melting pot. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/32 "2011-07-27T18:32:18Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Giant ant. I assumed that you were referring to our new insect overlords. Which I, for one, welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/33 "2011-07-28T00:06:54Z")
> [@'\[cc](#): > > ;14070167’]The fact that you even think atheists are a group of people who want to band together and abuse or murder “crazy” religious people is positively _disgusting_. Indeed. Very few of us… I mean _them_, want to do that… except possibly in moments of weakness when we are in turn being abused or badgered by said crazies. (Who make up a very small proportion of theists really). > [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Well if they’re crazy then they need to be institutionalized. So we better start building new facilities. Except there are more than 5.21 billion religious people, and that is the low estimate)… With due credit to the late Douglas Adams… it may be a lot easier for us non-believers to build our houses inside-out and claim that the rest of the world is the asylum. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932/34 "2011-07-28T02:23:13Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > With due credit to the late Douglas Adams… it may be a lot easier for us non-believers to build our houses inside-out and claim that the rest of the world is the asylum. Exactly. Even if it was scientifically and indisputably proven that believers are insane, that wouldn’t change the fact they massively outnumber the unbelievers. So to answer the OP’s question of “what the atheists of the Dope would do with me and those like me”; the answer is not much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-religious-people-are-crazy-what-now/589932.md?page=1)