"mark"  wrote in message 
news:7qKdnQ970OoVBZbVnZ2dnUVZ8uGdnZ2d@bt.com...
> X-No-Archive: yes
>
> "mark"  wrote in message 
> news:I_qdnZX7WJVICpbVnZ2dnUVZ8vqdnZ2d@bt.com...
>> X-No-Archive: yes
>>
>> "John Brockbank"  wrote in message 
>> news:3efe12c4-4ff5-47e3-8c94-5bca20b43e7a@y21g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>> On 20 Apr, 15:43, davidwg  wrote:
>>> On Apr 20, 3:34 pm, Ken  wrote:
>>
>>
>>> > > Pleased to read a summary in the Sunday Times today of a report 
>>> > > commissioned
>>> > > and carried out by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation...
>>> > > Deliciously ironic in that Rowntree was a Quaker when he set up the 
>>> > > charity
>>> > > foundation over a 100 years ago the poll updated a list created by 
>>> > > the
>>> > > foundation 104 years ago by asking people what they *considered* to 
>>> > > be the
>>> > > worst blights on society.
>>> > > 3500 polled, the 'dominant opinion' was that religion was a social 
>>> > > evil.
>>> > > Many said religion divided society, fuelled intollerance and spawned
>>> > > irrational educational and other policies.
>>> > > It was also said that Faith in a supernatural phenomena inspires 
>>> > > hatred and
>>> > > prejudice throught the world and is commonly used as justification 
>>> > > for
>>> > > persecution of women, gays and people who...."do not have faith" 
>>> > > (!!)
>>> > > Many of those polled called for the state funding of church schools 
>>> > > to be
>>> > > ended.
>>> > > Little surprise then that the bishop of Southwark (Tom Butler) 
>>> > > rejected the
>>> > > indictment of faith. [strange how one might reject the views and 
>>> > > opinions
>>> > > of so many people countered against those views that one holds 
>>> > > personally
>>> > > but, hey ho, he's got a job to do...]
>>> > > Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society said he was 
>>> > > "extremely
>>> > > pleased" and that "Britain has had it with religion". (!!)
>>>
>>> > > If that is true then it is good news indeed....
>
>
>>> > "the 'dominant opinion' was that religion was a social evil.
>>> > Many said religion divided society, fuelled intollerance and spawned
>>> > irrational educational and other policies"
>>
>>
>>> > Who, when one really considers it's history over the last 2000+ years,
>>> > (not to mention the present Holy Crusade launched by a war-mongering
>>> > US president) could possibly disagree?
>>> > Chirstianity and it's accompanying greed was directly responsible for
>>> > the rape, plunder and near extermination of nearly the entire New
>>> > World's indigenous population under the guise of "spreading" X-tianity
>>> > and filling it's coffers with gold- Hide quoted text -
>
>
>>> I suppose it must have done some good but it is difficult to recall
>>> anything significant.
>
>
>>> David WG-
>
>> I assume that by 'it' you mean religion.
>
>> Rather oddly, it is possible to make a case that the idea of a higher
>> authority than kings and lords, and the desire for freedom to follow
>> one's own religious ideas was a very important factor in the
>> development of democracy.
>
>
> It may also be possible argue that there would be no need of such freedom 
> if
> religion did not  exist....
> It may also be evident that the notion of democracy did not (..and in some
> religions still does not) offer such democracy to, for example, women.
> Indeed, we may well conclude in those cases that the very notion of
> democracy has been prevented BECAUSE of religion.
> In addition, the whole notion of the organisation of religion is probably
> significantly un-democratic.
>
> Mark
>
> [to clarify who posted what...]
>
>