this post was submitted on 28 Nov 2023
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[–] [email protected] 47 points 11 months ago (8 children)

Sounds fair to me, we need less religion everywhere.

What I don't get is the right wing pushing this and the left wing being against it, while the hero of the far left said 'Religion is the opium of the masses.'

[–] MirthfulAlembic 24 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The rest of the quote is: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." Take from that what you will.

I also don't know that most people who identify as or are called left wing would call Marx their hero.

[–] Gabu 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Take from that what you will.

The only things anyone with a brain can take from it is that religion is a cancer, masquerading as a source of strength and hope when it in fact supresses those qualities, leading to an alienated population.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Opium is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world, the soul of soulless conditions.

The answer to this by you is: Ban opium!

My answer would be: Fight oppression!

The fight is not about drugs, it is about self-determination, dignity, freedom. It is the fight against capitalism. And today the search is on how to prevent the socialist society from turning into an autocracy.

Children have questions, e.g.: Where is grandma now? Until we have a satisfactory answer to this, religion will exist. But in a free world it will no longer be addictive.

And everyone can put on or take off whatever they want. We should start with this immediately.

[–] Gabu 1 points 11 months ago

False dichotomy, you can do both, and in fact by doing both strengthen both positions.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago (7 children)

An argument I've heard against it is that it's overly harmful against non-western religions, specifically Islam. A pretty common tenet in Islam is some kind of head covering for woman. Banning that is a pretty sweeping reform. Christianity and Catholicism don't have anything like that, and if you really wanted to wear a cross you could just hide a necklace under your shirt. And Judaism, most non -orthodox Jews don't wear a yamaka 24/7. So in the end (typical) white religions aren't affected while minorities are.

Personally for me I don't care about wearing a religious symbol as long as you're not pushing your agenda. I don't care if my boss has a Bible on his desk any more than if he had a copy of dragon Ball z.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

I would vastly prefer if my boss had DBZ rather than a Bible. BDZ is just literature, the Bible is a symbol of indoctrination, I don't want my boss to be influenced by some made up nonsense

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

The right wing is pushing specifically for the banning of things like the hijab or other religious head coverings usually worn by women. They justify it by saying that these head coverings are a symbol of oppression against women, and have no place in a free society.

Thing is though, how free is a society if it feels it has to dictate what women can and can't wear?

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago (2 children)

The problem is that you have to treat religion equally and for a lot of European countries that would mean pushing Christian symbols out of public offices as well. Most Nordic countries, Greece and Malta have crosses on their flags for example. Many countries like Germany have parties, which are explicitly Christian. The Bundeswehr uses the Iron Cross as a symbol, which is in direct heritage from a crusader order.

The problem for those countries is that baning Islamic symbols is very often just racist rethoric to hit Islam, rather then a proper separation of state and religion.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

It would be religionist, not racist. Islam is followed by many different races. But I get where you're coming from. I'm all for getting rid of all the religious symbolism etc.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

I am interested, what exactly constitutes a "religious symbol" for you?

[–] Gabu 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Most Nordic countries, Greece and Malta have crosses on their flags for example.

Those crosses don't carry any religious meaning, they're simple historical artifacts. It's akin to how I still say things like "oh my god" or "go to hell", despite being a militant atheist.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Denmark, Iceland, Greece and Malta have some form of Christianity as their state religion. Norway only separated church from the state in 2017. Finland requires a change of the constitution to change the church law, which gives the local lutheran church special rights. Sweden is secular since 2000, but even today grants the local lutheran church special rights.

[–] fastandcurious 13 points 11 months ago (9 children)

Because banning something so petty like a hijab is just a dick move which serves no purpose other than cause more tension, if any women is wearing something by her choice, who the fuck are we to judge? Isn’t that the whole point of tolerance and being left wing?

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

There's a rather considerable current of leftism that is libertarian. Over-regulation of what a person can do, especially with something as, well, personal as appearance, is at odds with left-libertarian values.

Left-authoritarianism is of course compatible with such regulations.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Almost like left ideologies are more complex than an just a yes or no, huh?

Wait until you notice they change over time as they evolve with society.