Not The Onion

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US High School Student Loses Scholarship Over Social Media Twerking Video (www.ndtv.com)

submitted 9 months ago by TheOneWithTheHair to c/nottheonion

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

All religions are tools. Saying "religion is cancer" overlooks all of the good things that people get out of religion, such as a community with shared values that helps each other. If you can have a religion without superstition and dogma, where's the harm? It's not religion that's cancer. It's superstition and dogma.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sure, but the term religion implies superstition and dogma. It's literally part of the definition. What is religion without that? Community and tax exempt status? The former is just called community (which also implies shared values) and the latter is mostly a scam.

I'm not saying good things can't come from religion, but they don't come because they are religious. Any good they do is done regardless (or often despite) the supernatural beliefs.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sure, but the term religion implies superstition and dogma. It's literally part of the definition.

Definitions have to comport with reality, not the other way around. Satanism is not a social club. We have holidays, we have rituals, we have ministers who conduct wedding ceremonies. We even have church services.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I want to let you know I'm not the one downvoting you. I disagree, but I'm not downvoting.

Personally, I don't think The Satanic Temple should be considered a religion. I think the term has been watered down, particularly in the US, because our laws are stupid. As long as there is an incentive to be called a religion it should be, but there shouldn't be an incentive. Why should anyone's beliefs be valued more because they're tied to (usually at least) supernatural beliefs?

TST was created as religious satire. That's the reason for the holidays, riguals, and other services. They need to conform to the appearance of a religion to work as a religion for their own purposes. That isn't to say these are bad or wrong. They're just as valid as any other religion. It's just that the belief that it's founded on is humanism, not something supernatural.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Why should anyone's beliefs be valued more because they're tied to (usually at least) supernatural beliefs?

TST agrees with you. In fact, this is almost word-for-word what it says in the FAQ under the question "If you don't believe in the supernatural, how is TST a religion?"

TST was created as religious satire. That's the reason for the holidays, riguals, and other services.

What convinced you of this?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

No, I agree with that. It's religious satire. That's why I included the parenthesis.