"Robert Morein" wrote in message
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"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
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"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
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"George M. Middius" cmndr [underscore] george [at] comcast [dot] net
wrote in message ...


[snip]

Moral guidance provided by religion
comes packaged in an assortment of superstitions, myths, demands for
fealty, promises of favor/forgiveness, distinction, exclusion, ritual,
and ceremony, which both you and I consider unpalatable. But this is
precisely what the vast majority of humanity requires, who are not
possessed of universal minds.

**Indeed. However, IMO, superstition is no replacement for understanding.
Education is the real answer to people's problems. They may not enjoy
those answers at a given time, but for humanity as a whole, true
understanding of the nature of this universe is the ONLY answer.
Superstition and gobbledegook merely leads to more superstition and
gobbledegook.

You have a higher opinion of humanity than I do. In my opinion, the vast
majority are marginally equipped to function as part of modern
civilization. It's in our genes, Trevor. Evolution stopped too soon.

**Perhaps.


The Communists had a similar notion early in the 20th Century; to make a
New Marxist Man, shorn of the hobbles of religion, governed by a rational
philosophy. It didn't work because humans are not fundamentally rational.

**Not so much. It didn't work, because the Marxists did not replace religion
with education. Education will enable people to remove the shackles of
religious claptrap. Moreover, it is vital that they do so of their own
volition. I am not a proponent of the removal of religious rights. People
should have the right to worship whatever their delusion dictates. In their
own time, of course. Religion has no place in schools, workplaces, or
government.

You seem captivated by the idea that the right ideology can conquer human
weakness. Marxism and Fascism tried with fanatical devotion and
ruthlessness to create the New Man. They failed, and for the time being,
Mankind is not endangered by an "ism."

**Of course. Humans need and crave education. They need to be provided with
facts, not gobbledegook. I have no problems with religion. Like any other
product or service in our society, it needs to meet all the relevant
consumer laws. 'Life after death'. Prove it, or place the appropriate
condictions on any advertising. It is illegal to mislead people by false
advertising.



Arny is an educated fellow.

**As are many of us here.

Yet inspite of all the rationalitiy he bestows
upon himself, he is driven by irrational desires. And he's not the worst
of what we have to deal with. How many people do you actually know with
below-average intelligence?

**Honestly? Know. Not many. Know of. Several.

We try to ignore their presence, but they
constitute half of humanity. They are scarily irrational, and unable to
grasp the modalities of thought you would like to gift to them.

**It is my belief that most people can be educated. It is the responsibility
of those who are well educated to ensure that the rest of humanity can
follow.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au

"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
...

"Robert Morein" wrote in message
...

"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
...

"Robert Morein" wrote in message
...

"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
...

"George M. Middius" cmndr [underscore] george [at] comcast [dot] net
wrote in message ...


[snip]

Moral guidance provided by religion
comes packaged in an assortment of superstitions, myths, demands for
fealty, promises of favor/forgiveness, distinction, exclusion, ritual,
and ceremony, which both you and I consider unpalatable. But this is
precisely what the vast majority of humanity requires, who are not
possessed of universal minds.

**Indeed. However, IMO, superstition is no replacement for
understanding. Education is the real answer to people's problems. They
may not enjoy those answers at a given time, but for humanity as a
whole, true understanding of the nature of this universe is the ONLY
answer. Superstition and gobbledegook merely leads to more superstition
and gobbledegook.

You have a higher opinion of humanity than I do. In my opinion, the vast
majority are marginally equipped to function as part of modern
civilization. It's in our genes, Trevor. Evolution stopped too soon.

**Perhaps.


The Communists had a similar notion early in the 20th Century; to make a
New Marxist Man, shorn of the hobbles of religion, governed by a rational
philosophy. It didn't work because humans are not fundamentally rational.

**Not so much. It didn't work, because the Marxists did not replace
religion with education. Education will enable people to remove the
shackles of religious claptrap. Moreover, it is vital that they do so of
their own volition. I am not a proponent of the removal of religious
rights. People should have the right to worship whatever their delusion
dictates. In their own time, of course. Religion has no place in schools,
workplaces, or government.

You seem captivated by the idea that the right ideology can conquer human
weakness. Marxism and Fascism tried with fanatical devotion and
ruthlessness to create the New Man. They failed, and for the time being,
Mankind is not endangered by an "ism."

**Of course. Humans need and crave education. They need to be provided
with facts, not gobbledegook. I have no problems with religion. Like any
other product or service in our society, it needs to meet all the relevant
consumer laws. 'Life after death'. Prove it, or place the appropriate
condictions on any advertising. It is illegal to mislead people by false
advertising.



Arny is an educated fellow.

**As are many of us here.

Yet inspite of all the rationalitiy he bestows
upon himself, he is driven by irrational desires. And he's not the worst
of what we have to deal with. How many people do you actually know with
below-average intelligence?

**Honestly? Know. Not many. Know of. Several.
Our impression of humanity depends, to a certain extent, on who we interact
with. For example, many social workers, who deal with the bottom strata of
society, are pessimistic about Man's potential.

We try to ignore their presence, but they
constitute half of humanity. They are scarily irrational, and unable to
grasp the modalities of thought you would like to gift to them.

**It is my belief that most people can be educated. It is the
responsibility of those who are well educated to ensure that the rest of
humanity can follow.

That was Plato's Politics, but the current trend in the world is democracy.

"Trevor Wilson" wrote in message
...




**Not so much. It didn't work, because the Marxists did not replace
religion with education.


You forgot about Gulag U. and Lubyanka College.