InsaneThrottle

Many of the people I know seem to have a deep sense of purpose. Whether working for racial justice, teaching children to read, making inspiring art, or collecting donations of masks and face shields for hospitals during the pandemic, they’ve found ways to blend their passion, talents, and care for the world in a way that infuses their lives with meaning.

Have you ever felt excited by something that feels a little bit, well, wrong? That doesn’t make you weird, actually. As it happens, lots of people’s sexual fetishes lean towards the kinky side. Sex is often considered sinful, dirty or inappropriate, and sometimes that leads to a mixing and blurring effect, where things that are taboo then become erotic.

Is religion harmful? A recent survey showed that many people, even religious people, will say, “Yes.” But they mean the other guy’s religion, not their own. I believe that in the 21st century, all religions that include the supernatural as part of their belief system are harmful. I am not saying that religion does not have any good points, but on balance, religion does more harm than good. Sometimes the very things that are good about religion are the things that make it harmful. This article examines four pros and cons of religion. Religion fosters group identity but also creates divisiveness. Religion explains the world but also subverts critical thinking. Religion provides comfort but also creates dependency. Religion does good work but also diverts resources. What Is the Origin of Religion? Religion goes so far back in human history that it is probably safe to say that religion has always existed. The first cavemen lived in a terrifying world. The only way to make sense of their life was to invent gods and spirits that controlled the world. The next logical step was to try to influence these gods and spirits. And that was the beginning of religion. People lived in tribes, and each tribe had its own gods. With the advent of agriculture, the tribes coalesced into towns, cities, and states. Sometimes the gods of the various tribes ruled jointly; sometimes, one god would supersede all the others. Tribal people wanted a fierce god who could protect them in conflicts with other tribes. It was a case of “My god can beat up your god.” This explains the war-like attributes of the god of the Old Testament of the Bible. A group that had a belief in God had a survival advantage in primitive times. Many of the things that religion provides were beneficial when civilization was less advanced; today, however, they do more harm than good. Religion creates divisiveness Religion creates divisiveness Canva.com 1. Religion Fosters Group Identity but Also Creates Divisiveness Tribal gods gave a group of people an identity. This made the group cohesive. We are the children of (NAME OF GOD.) This group unity undoubtedly helped early mankind to survive. The harm of this is divisiveness. We are the insiders; they are the outsiders. They are different; they are the other. We have to kill them, or at the very least, conquer, convert, or enslave them. As the human population grew, it was not tribe against tribe, but country against country and religion against religion. As technology advanced, the weapons were not spears and stones, but machine guns and nuclear bombs. Religious zealots now have the tools to threaten all humanity with extinction. How many wars have been fought because of religion? How many billions have died because of religion? One religious group kills people of another religious group. One group within the same religion tries to kill another group within their own religion, e.g., Catholics vs. Protestants, Shia vs. Sunni. How many have died because of religion—the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, the witch burnings, etc? Yes, the wars and mass murder were often done for reasons of political power, but it was religion that made it possible. Religious institutions did not condemn the wars; just the opposite, religious institutions were usually actively supporting the wars and genocides. During WWII, the Pope could have said, “It is a mortal sin to participate in the extermination of the Jews.” How many lives would have been saved? Even today, groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS war as much against other factions within the Muslim world as they do against the West. Many say that ISIS is just a power struggle for control of the Mid-East. Perhaps, but the people who follow the ISIS leaders do so in the name of their religion. There is a clear inverse correlation between the level of religious belief in a country and the peacefulness and prosperity of that country. Religion subverts critical thinking Canva.com 2. Religion Explains the World but Also Subverts Critical Thinking When there was little or no science to explain the world, religion provided the explanations. Knowing that there was a reason behind the good and bad fortune of life gave a feeling of control. If early humans did not feel that they had control, they might have given up when faced with adversity. The harm from this is the subversion of critical thinking. People become used to accepting superstition instead of science, magic instead of reason. This type of thinking makes people vulnerable to all types of charlatans. I once had a conversation with a man, a lapsed Catholic, who nonetheless was bringing up his children in the Catholic Church. He said this religious upbringing would keep them from later joining a cult. I was bringing my child up as an atheist for the same reason. I told him, “You have taught your children to believe in superstition, so perhaps they will later decide to change from one superstition to another. I have taught my child to reason, so he will be skeptical of any cult that tries to recruit him. When the Catholic Church emerged from the Dark Ages, it began to encourage science. It was seen as a way to understand God’s Creation. Unfortunately, science kept discovering things that were in opposition to the teachings of the Church. The church then tried to quash science. Scientists like Galileo and Bruno Giordano were tried for heresy. The battle continues, but science, because it is based on provable truth, is winning. Sam Harris is a well-known atheist who has written several books. He opposes religious tolerance. He argues that religion is a continuum. If we support the so-called moderate religions, we are also giving credence to the more violent and bizarre religions. He believes that all religions that advance supernatural explanations for the world must be abandoned. Heaven's Gate Is an Example of the Power of Religion to Harm In 1997, a cult in California known as Heaven’s Gate was in the news. This cult incorporated Christian ideas about the apocalypse and mixed them with ideas from science fiction. Thirty-eight adherents committed mass suicide in order to gain salvation by leaving their terrestrial bodies so they could be “beamed up” to a UFO following in the path of the Hale-Bopp comet. I remember how shocked everyone was when this story broke—How could anyone have believed this crazy stuff that the cult leader was preaching? I did not find the ideas of Heaven’s Gate to be any less crazy than the ideas of traditional religions. The main difference is that most modern religions, most of the time, are life-affirming. They help people get through life; they don’t want them to end their lives. However, once people have learned to accept things on faith without evidence, people can end up believing anything. One man’s faith is another man’s heresy is another man’s crazy. Religion creates dependency Canva.com 3. Religion Provides Comfort but Also Creates Dependency Life is hard. Bad things happen to good people; good things happen to bad people. Bad people do bad things and get away with it. Natural disasters strike, killing hundreds and sometimes thousands. As the joke goes: Life’s a beach, and then you die. Religion, and a belief in the afterlife, give many people comfort. It gives them a feeling of purpose and meaning; it gives them solace in times of grief. The harm from this is a childlike dependency. Your religion tells you what is right and wrong, just as your parents did when you were a child. Have you heard people say, “It is all in God’s hands” or “It is God’s will”? Yes, others say, “God helps those who help themselves,” but I think too many would rather pray than take action to better their situation. Religion becomes an excuse for complacency and laziness. If you have diabetes, prayer and resignation will not help you, but a change in diet and more exercise might. There are politicians in the United States that refuse to do anything about man-made global warming because they believe that it is in God’s hands. They think the sea level will not rise because, in the Noah’s Ark story, God promised no more floods. (I believe the Bible also says something about the fire next time. Fire? Global warming? Hmmm?) One big issue is marriage equality and homosexuality, which many religions call sin. Some of the more enlightened say, “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.” It sounds good, but when the “sin” is who the person is, the “sin” and the “sinner” cannot be separated. I remember being shocked one day when I thought deeply about what it meant to be a “sinner” and to have been born a “sinner.” How absolutely horrible it must feel to self-identify as a sinner. I have made mistakes and not always lived up to my ideals, but I never thought of myself as a sinner. The mistake is not who I am; it is just something I did. I feel guilt for the wrongdoing, I take responsibility for it, and I resolve to do better. I do not go to a priest to be absolved or to a minister to be saved. Religions call all kinds of natural and normal feelings and behaviors sin, especially when it comes to sex. Some tell you what you can and cannot eat; some tell you what you can and cannot wear, some tell you what you can and cannot do with your body, and what you can and cannot do on certain days of the week. Deviate from any of these prescriptions and proscriptions, and it is a sin. Does God really care about circumcision and clitoral cutting, about shaved heads and beards, about turbans and headscarves, about pork and shellfish? Religion diverts resources Canva.com 4. Religion Does Good Work but Also Diverts Resources Religious groups often do a lot of good work, and I commend them for it. They help the poor with food banks and homeless shelters; they assist in natural disasters; they run hospitals, adoption agencies, and schools. Secular groups do all of these things too, and they do it more efficiently because far less of their resources are spent on “overhead,” and no resources are spent on saving souls. Also, religious organizations are often choosy about who and how they help. You can come to their soup kitchen, but you will have to stay for the sermon. Missionaries go to poor countries and build a well or a school, but they will also build a church. A church will help you adopt a child, but not if you practice a different (or no) religion and not if you are part of a same-sex couple. Religions are just like for-profit corporations—to survive and grow, a religion must build power and wealth and compete for market share. Is that why some religions forbid family planning or abortion—they want to increase their numbers at the expense of the well-being of the women and families who might be better off with fewer children? Is that why poor people are made to tithe and donate when that money could be better spent on their families? I have always thought about how convenient it is that many churches say you cannot be saved by good works. It seems you have to join their church to be saved. Some have said the subjugation of people is actually part of religion’s marketing plan. Research has shown that when people feel prosperous and secure, the hold of religion weakens. Not one advanced democracy with progressive socio-economic programs that provide for the well-being of its citizens has a high level of religiosity. Does No Religion Mean You Can Do Anything? Lack of religion is not a license to rape and pillage and do whatever you want. We have laws and we have codes of conduct. People are “moral” because “virtue is its own reward.” We are happier and more successful in life when we follow the Golden Rule and behave ethically with kindness and compassion. That is why the moral principles of most religions and the secular philosophies of life have very similar core principles. Besides, is anyone who is motivated by the promise of heaven or the fear of Hell really a moral person? I say if you are not good for goodness’ sake, you cannot call yourself a moral person. Sources and Further Reading Dr. Phil Zuckerman, Professor of Sociology at Pitzer College, has written several books about the relationship of religion and positive societal characteristics: Living the Secular Life: New Answers to Old Questions Society Without God; What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment This content reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and should not be substituted for impartial fact or advice in legal, political, or personal matters. Questions & Answers Question: How harmful is religion? Answer: I think religion has both good and bad effects, as I explained in the article. Overall, I think the bad outweighs the good. © 2015 Catherine Giordano BY CATHERINE GIORDANO Follow talksallabout JOIN THE CONVERSATION Recommended Articles Why Atheism Specifically Targets Christianity More Than Other Religions Pros and Cons of Religion What Is Donald Trump's Religion? Atheist Churches: What Role Does Religion Play in Society? Unitarian Presidents: The Architects of American Democracy Political Parties and Symbols: Origins and Meanings Privacy Policy About Us Editorial Policy Terms of Use © 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

Which is more important: book smarts or street smarts? It all depends on what you want to do with your life. Book smart people have a lot of knowledge and can excel in school, but they don’t handle real-world situations well. On the other hand, street smart people may not know much about books and tests, but they’re experts at handling every situation that comes their way.

The cycle of poverty is about more than a simple lack of resources. It’s a complex issue that requires digging a little deeper for sustainable solutions. That’s why World Vision works alongside communities to empower families, build their resilience and lift them out of poverty – for good. What is the cycle of poverty? The cycle of poverty begins when a child is born into a poor family. These families often have limited or no resources to create opportunities to advance themselves, which leaves them stuck in the poverty trap. On paper, the cycle of poverty has been defined as a phenomenon where poor families become impoverished for at least three generations.

Gaslighting is a term that has been thrown around many times but what does it actually look and feel like? The first thing to know is it’s a serious form of mental and emotional abuse that makes you question your reality and sanity. In other words, gaslighters use manipulation and control tactics to distort your perception, feelings, and self-worth.

Many of us have friends we rarely see, but when we do, we share a bond. Maybe you have a great deal in common, or perhaps you share one significant commonality but are otherwise quite different. These people come and go in our lives, but they’re important. You may value the relationship even though you don’t hang out regularly. Years ago, we would keep in touch with occasional letters, a get-together when we were in town, or perhaps a lunch once in a while. These days, we’re probably connected on Facebook, LinkedIn, or another spot on social media.

Life is a journey of ups and downs, and along the way, we learn many lessons; some through heartbreak, disappointment, and pain, while others come with time and experience. But there are some life lessons that you don’t need to learn the hard way. These are little truths about life that if you embrace now, will save you a ton of regret in the future! Let’s jump in:

Strip clubs and exotic dancers (a.k.a. strippers) have always been shrouded in mystery and taboo. But it’s an undeniable fact that they are a significant part of our American culture. Hence, I delved into various resources and extracted these 11 stats (the ones I found most interesting) from those four studies. So here are the 11 eye-opening statistics and facts about strippers. And for everyone who’s here on a mission for a research paper, I’ve linked my sources. Leave the strippers to strip and let the nerds guide you to the numbers. There’s no binomial distribution in the champagne room.

Sometimes in life, we become so focused on what we haven’t accomplished that we lose sight of what we have. It’s easy to forget about the lessons we have learned and the obstacles we have overcome, and instead focus on the goals we haven’t achieved. But it’s time to take pride in what you’ve become. While it can be tough to define what a good person is, there a few traits we can all agree on that show you’re a better person than you think. Here are 12 signs that you’re actually a much better person than you think you are.

Most often when people say you can’t choose your “family,” they mean your family of origin — the family you were born or adopted into. Chosen family members can be a lifeline when we live far away or have difficult relationships with our families of origin. When you choose a long-term partner, or embrace singlehood, or become a parent, you are creating a new family on your own terms.

There’s been a huge shift in the way people date and marry in recent decades. As the stereotype goes, successful men used to marry their secretaries; now people choose spouses with similar levels of education and earnings. The phenomenon is called assortative mating. But smart, successful women still have to navigate enormous landmines in their romantic relationships with men.

Marriage is meant to last forever—according to wedding toasts, love songs, and various religious texts, anyway—and given our ever-lengthening average life expectancy, forever is a long, long time. It's one thing to pledge eternal love as you stand fresh-faced and beaming at your bride on the day of your nuptials; actually living out that promise twenty, thirty, or forty years later can be quite another.

erry Springer, legendary talk show host and former mayor of Cincinnati, has died, according to a statement from his family. He was 79. According to a family spokesperson, Springer died peacefully Thursday at his home in suburban Chicago after a bout with cancer.

A Vermont elementary school says it will no longer use the words “male” or “female” when teaching fifth-grade students about puberty and human reproductive systems. Families of students at Founders Memorial School received a letter on April 20 informing them of the changes to the science and health curriculum. The changes reflect the district’s desire to use “gender inclusive language,” Principal Sara Jablonski wrote in the letter.

We all know Mexican women are pretty y es difícil no enamorarse de nosotras (and it’s hard not to fall in love with us). But dating a Mexican woman also comes with certain… expectations and obligations. And trust me, you don’t want to get on our wrong side! It’s not as scary as it might seem, though! So, in this article I’m actually going to reveal eight secrets for your relationship with that Mexican sweetie to be just perfect.

will experience, the emotional journey from victory to tragedy, from despair to hope, all embodied in Brandon’s story. Unlike most cinematic adaptations, “Greater” had to do very little to embellish the story. The film is meticulously modeled after the true life story of the former walk-on from Harrison, Arkansas. Often times in death, we idolize individuals in an enhanced way beyond what they truly represented in life. Brandon Burlsworth was not perfect. He would be the first to point that out. But from someone who had the privilege to know him, I would offer the perspective that the movie is a true depiction of his nature and his unyielding commitment to always put others before himself.

It sounds like a Big Brother nightmare: The home of a 94-year-old grandmother is seized by the state for unpaid taxes, and all the sale proceeds — far above what she actually owed — go to public coffers. Now the U.S. Supreme Court will debate and decide a tricky property rights case involving a legal David vs. Goliath with nationwide implications for the power of the state to order homeowners to pay up or risk lose everything. Despite the seeming power imbalance, both sides have raised strong legal arguments that will not be easy to resolve on the merits.

Our nation’s highest court has consistently recognized that the Second Amendment is compatible with strong firearm regulations. Despite this, the gun lobby has repeatedly sought to invalidate lifesaving gun safety laws.

Gratitude is a simple thing: you can never run out of it, so why hold back? Let yourself feel grateful for all the goodness that comes and goes in your life, no matter how big or small it might be. This gratitude flows through us as positive energy, affecting ourselves and those around us equally. But there are some people who seem to hold onto every ounce of gratitude they have. These people show no thankfulness for anything in their lives, making them seem negative, grumpy, and ungrateful. But why are ungrateful people the way they are?

The Outlaw Feminist is a Youtube Creator who believes in fighting for those that can't speak for themselves. She's especially involved in human trafficking causes and is here to tell her story about an encounter she had with Stephen Stubbs. Stephen Stubbs is an attorney and very active in the motorcycle club scene and the civil rights scene

As we get older, we tend to think we’re invincible. We’ve made it this far, so what could possibly go wrong? The fact is that no one’s perfect. Even the most successful people make dumb mistakes from time to time. No matter how much planning you do, there’s a good chance you’ll make some costly blunders over your lifetime. Here are some of the most common mistakes people over 40 make and how to avoid them.

“Voting is your civic duty.” This is a pretty common sentiment, especially each November as Election Day approaches. But what does it really mean? And what does it mean for Americans in particular?

A total of 35 states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls. Scroll over the map below for state-by-state details. Note: On April 1, 2022, the Arkansas Supreme Court granted an emergency stay in the lawsuit against Act 249, which passed in 2021 and made changes to Arkansas's voter ID law, allowing the law to go into effect. The case is pending before the state Supreme Court. The remaining 15 states and D.C. use other methods to verify the identity of voters. Most frequently, other identifying information provided at the polling place, such as a signature, is checked against information on file. See NCSL’s Voter Verification Without ID Documents.

The Outlaw Feminist joins the show to talk about the entertainment industry as well as some of her causes that she supports.