Thread: Heroes For Gods?

I have heard there are people, large groups of people, celebrating the shootings at Ft. Hood as a great victory and hailing the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero. Simultaneously there are at least as many people who are calling for Hasan's head and are ready to imprison all Muslims (worldwide) as criminals or at least watch them as potential terrorists.

Now flash back to the end of this past May when George Tiller, M.D. was gunned down in cold blood while serving as an usher in a Sunday church service.The murder of Dr. Tiller was widely celebrated as a victory and Scott Roeder, the alleged killer was hailed as a hero by many, even as he boasted about plans for more impending murders.

Am I alone in seeing the similarities in these two horrible crimes? If the supreme being to whom you chose to dedicate your life and in whose name you are willing to end the lives of fellow human beings really does require the assistance of mentally unstable disciples, I will gladly remain an athiest avoiding carefully those who profess their religion is the right one.

I agree, check out my response to the other Ft. Hood thread, sex man, religion controls it, and thus people get frustrated, and kill someone, period.

D

True story. Last time I checked, we Atheists were very far behind in religious killings...

Originally Posted by icedog

...Am I alone in seeing the similarities in these two horrible crimes?...

It hadn't occurred to me, but it's an interesting comparison.

Matthew 7:22 & 7:23.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

yea but you see if its your way of thinking it's perfectly OK. Its the other guy or group who are the criminals and terrorists and all that.

You could also argue that for a true atheist (or nihilist), it really doesn't matter if people are killing or being killed, regardless of the motive. Even the socially constructed morality is pointless in the end, once your eyes close for the last time.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

yea but you see if its your way of thinking it's perfectly OK. Its the other guy or group who are the criminals and terrorists and all that.

This is exactly my point. Any time there is a group of people who have faith in a supreme being while proclaiming they are right and everyone whose faith is elsewhere and/or otherwise is wrong, is breeding and spreading a systemic virus of hatred.

People get way too fired up over these religious things. There are hard core Catholics in the Philipenes who have themselves nailed to crosses on Good Friday. People fast and whip themselves and grow beards and wear silly clothes and eat crappy food and don't eat lobsters and dance around with poisonous snakes and all sorts of odd behavior in the name of one god or another.

Originally Posted by Del1r1um

You could also argue that for a true atheist (or nihilist), it really doesn't matter if people are killing or being killed, regardless of the motive. Even the socially constructed morality is pointless in the end, once your eyes close for the last time.

This is interesting, the way you put it. I never thought of it that way. Based on that argument then, could it also be argued that an athiest or nihilist would regard life as the quintessence of preciousness since that's all they have?

Sorry, your post just got me thinking out loud.

Chris L

What about the religious folk who believe that God is love and that we are to love and do good to everybody, even those who hate us? There are, I think, quite a few of us.