this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2023
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Mike Dulak grew up Catholic in Southern California, but by his teen years, he began skipping Mass and driving straight to the shore to play guitar, watch the waves and enjoy the beauty of the morning. “And it felt more spiritual than any time I set foot in a church,” he recalled.

Nothing has changed that view in the ensuing decades.

“Most religions are there to control people and get money from them,” said Dulak, now 76, of Rocheport, Missouri. He also cited sex abuse scandals in Catholic and Southern Baptist churches. “I can’t buy into that,” he said.

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[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 245 points 1 year ago (33 children)
[–] BreadstickNinja@lemmy.world 186 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Besides architecture. Cathedrals are dope. But everything else, yeah.

[–] Can_you_change_your_username@kbin.social 48 points 1 year ago (10 children)

I don't hate some older religious music.

[–] cantstopthesignal@sh.itjust.works 89 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Religion was at the center of everything 500 years ago. It's gonna take credit for a lot of stuff because you could barely do anything art related without religious involvement.

[–] query@lemmy.world 59 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

And every now and then they'd go on a rampage destroying other people's and eras' art.

Still happening, even… such as the Taliban destroying ancient statues.

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[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 167 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Even religious groups hate organized religion. They just make an exception for the one they happen to be part of.

[–] negativenull@lemm.ee 111 points 1 year ago (6 children)

How thoughtful of God to arrange matters so that, wherever you happen to be born, the local religion always turns out to be the true one

  • Richard Dawkins
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[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 122 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I don’t mind people going to Church and practicing their religion, as long as they stay in their lanes and they’re not trying to force their religious beliefs on everybody else. Trying to better yourself and your community is great, there’s a ton of really nice people out there who go to Church and are just all around good people. It’s all the assholes that think their belief trumps everyone else’s rights that need to eat shit.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 72 points 1 year ago (14 children)

Not minding your own business is pretty much why Europeans settled North America...

The Pilgrims love to say they escaped persecution, but really they were far right extremists who were all pissed off most of Europe wouldn't follow their strict rules.

So they came to America and started pumping out as many kids as possible. With the goal to become the majority so they could force everyone to follow their rules.

We're worse off because there's no more "empty" land to send them all too. If we ever colonize another planet, it's 100% going to be extremists overwhelmingly signing up to go first. Until then, we're stuck with them.

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[–] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 year ago (13 children)

"Staying in your lane" is the exact opposite of what Christians and Muslims are explicitly ordered to do. Convert acquisition is the primary objective of both faiths.

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[–] crystalmerchant@lemmy.world 92 points 1 year ago (9 children)

I've heard about the "rise of the nones" for fucking years now. I'm in my mid 30s. When the fuck will this trend translate into policy reform

[–] FilthyShrooms@lemmy.world 77 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When the all 80+ year olds in congress ~~retire~~ die out

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[–] soycapitan451@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Organising nones is like herding cats. The evangelicals do not get their power from their number. They vote uniformly and reliably, turning out for every primary, local, and federal election.

We are a diverse bunch with diverse opinions.

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[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago

The moment we start voting

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[–] electrogamerman@lemmy.world 90 points 1 year ago (20 children)

Instead of having anti lgbt protests, or anti abortion protests, we should really start having anti religion protests. They are really a cancer to society.

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[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 85 points 1 year ago (7 children)

I think the only thing we lose is community -- I'm jealous that religious people automatically have that.

The solution of course is trying to return to having neighborhood communities.

[–] cjthomp@lemmy.world 51 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Join a bowling league.

Do anything every week with the same group and you'll establish that same community...but without the grifting and shaming.

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[–] callouscomic@lemm.ee 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

I'm telling you from experience that their "community" is fake. The people are fake. Under the fake stuff that looks nice on the outside is a deep culture of judgment and shame and fear. It's not any community I would ever want. Like family get together for family's that hate each other but they fake it.

To those who will try to tell me "well not ME or MY church." I don't care and I don't believe you. I have been harmed too much too consistently by these groups.

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[–] thelastknowngod@lemm.ee 72 points 1 year ago (54 children)

I used to have that really common thought of "I don't care what you believe in. Just don't try to push your opinion on me."

No. It's bullshit.

The very existence of religion is a psychological drain on society. We are all worse off the longer it stays around. There is no such thing as a good religious person and anyone who says they are religious I immediately distrust.

[–] applebusch@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah. It's at the root of a lot of the problems with conservatives in the US. Religion trains people in believing because they were told to believe, and holding to these beliefs in the face of all suffering and hardship. It's a gateway drug to conspiracy theories and paranoid delusions.

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[–] Chunk@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't immediately distrust religious people but I do kind of roll my eyes and smirk a little bit on the inside.

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[–] ohlaph@lemmy.world 72 points 1 year ago (36 children)

I don't mind organized religion. What I do hate is that religion pushing their beliefs onto everyone they meet, pushing their religion beliefs throughout school systems, etc. If religious can keep to themselves, I see it like yoga or CrossFit.

[–] CADmonkey@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago (4 children)

A crossfit trainer, an ex-marine, and a born-again christian all walk into a bar.

We know that, because they won't stop telling everyone.

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[–] Sir_Simon_Spamalot@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Clearly, you haven't met crossfitters

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[–] mojo@lemm.ee 72 points 1 year ago (5 children)

All I want is separation of church and state, like it's supposed to be.

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[–] IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world 53 points 1 year ago

“Never do business with a religious son-of-a-bitch. His word ain't worth a shit -- not with the Good Lord telling him how to fuck you on the deal.”

― William S. Burroughs

[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 51 points 1 year ago

When your congregation are loud bigots, racists, and assholes, or when your clergy fuck kids and cover it up, or when the religion as a whole surpresses or hates certain genders or sexualities... This is not a surprising trend at all to anyone reasonable.

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I read a really interesting book called How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion, and the author made some very interesting points.

It takes a seismic change in perspectives to change closely-held beliefs that are intertwined with our identities. I grew up as a devout Christian in an extremely conservative protestent young-earth-creationist denomination. I spent my Sundays and Wednesdays listening to the values preached from the pulpit: love, humility, repentance, understanding, protecting the vulnerable, meekness, charity, and unconditional love.

However, these same people when outside of church would spew tirades about "the gays", how poor people are just lazy, and how prayer wasn't allowed in school anymore. The love that was exalted above all other values on Sunday was just a platitude to give cover to hateful grievance.

And that was almost thirty years ago; they've only gotten worse. That's why people are abandoning religion in droves. The values that they sell are not aligned with the actual values of their congregants. Like the old Jim Croce song, their philosophy is "Let him live in freedom - if he lives like me."

Furthermore, losing one's religion nowadays is not the social exile it once was. People have support structures outside of organized religion. It's one of the reasons that Evangelical churches are so against a social safety net: it keeps the excommunicated from crawling back.

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[–] TheMadnessKing@lemdro.id 50 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

I really cant wrap my head that religion still exist in this age. Like we have mass destruction weapons, rockets that go beyond earth, have proof of how vast the universe is and then what we fight over is how some God has dictated our life to be.

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[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Growing up in a super religious family and watching all the nonsense up close is why I’m an atheist today. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE MOTHERFUCKERS

Hail Satan and donate to your local Satanic temple

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[–] Cold_Brew_Enema@lemmy.world 43 points 1 year ago

Religion is cancer.

[–] Octavio@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago

It's about time. I have been fed up with religion since 1978.

[–] Drgon@lemmy.world 41 points 1 year ago (8 children)

The older I get the more angry the concept of God makes me. It's hit the point where I hope I'm wrong, so when I die I can spit in his face and call Him a useless God

[–] elucubra@sopuli.xyz 29 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The idea that their "love" god kills, maims, allows horrendous birth defects, molestation, etc of children is one of the multiple proofs that god doesn't exist. Oh, and wasps and mosquitoes.

[–] Karyoplasma@discuss.tchncs.de 42 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The bible describes God as a manchild that gets upset and throws a tantrum when his playthings don't function the way he wants them to. The loving, benevolent God only exists when things are going his will and then he gives out presents of kindness. It's pretty much the definition of an abusive relationship with a narcissist.

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[–] Bathtubwalrus@lemmy.world 40 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Proud to be in the statistic! Jesus freak to agnostic and very anti organized religion. Glad I got away from religion, I didn't realize what a drain on my life it was until I got out. I'm upset at the years I wasted, but live and learn I guess!

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[–] arin@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Religious orgs are cancer, they also steal tax dollars by avoiding taxes, corrupt organizations and their mansions

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[–] agitatedpotato@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Organized religion is a poison masquerading as a cure. The opium of the people as it were. I will never cause trouble for a religious person who doesn't cause trouble for others, but organized religion I can not abide.

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Not growing fast enough, sadly.

And I say this as one of them.

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[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago

all religions are based on lies and fairy tales

[–] BetaBlake@lemmy.world 30 points 1 year ago (3 children)

One of the least spiritual things you can do is go sit on a pew and listen to a boring person talk.

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[–] callouscomic@lemm.ee 28 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Religion gave my family and the closed groups I was forced to be raised around excuses for all their abuse and desire to judge others. Religion is a core part of all my childhood abuse and trauma and my own adult issues. I have zero interaction with any of them anymore, and I cannot respect anyone who proselytizes in the slightest about anything.

In my lifetime, those who followed organized religion of many types are always those who are the meanest, most ruthless, judgmental critical assholes I have ever dealt with. They sure put on a good show, but I've seen who they truly are enough to spot it anymore. All bullshit. Excuses for liars to hide behind.

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