[ExI] extropy-chat Digest, Vol 198, Issue 4

[Ben Zaiboc]

On Wed, Mar 4, 2020 at 4:08 AM Giulio Prisco via extropy-chat 
<extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org <mailto:extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>> 
wrote:
> I'm equating people who are violent, coercive, etc., and happen to be
> atheists, with with people who are violent, coercive, etc., and happen
> to be believers.
>
> If you insist on adding "because of their religion" to the second
> part, then I will insist on adding "because of their atheism" to the
> first part, because I really don't see any difference between these
> two totally symmetric cases.

Then you are refusing to see it. The difference is blindingly obvlous. 
Religions have rules of behaviour, whole tomes explaining what kind of 
behaviour, dress, food, sexual practices, rituals, etc., are required or 
allowed (and which ones are 'sinful' and to be discouraged, in oneself 
and in others), and often horrifically graphic descriptions of what 
punishments await those who break the rules.

Atheism has none of that. Religions give people /reasons/ for being 
horrible to others. Atheism doesn't.
Nobody is violent, coercive, etc., /because/ they are atheists, because 
there is a complete absence of those rules of behaviour, no 
prescriptions, no concept of 'sin' etc.

How can you possibly regard them as symmetric cases? They're as 
asymmetric as you can get!

Who will regard gay people as misguided, sinful and in need of 
correction, if not outright punishment?
Who will have reasons to do that? Where do those reasons come from?

-- 
Ben Zaiboc

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