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Christopher Thompson

Founder/Writer, The Finding Finite Project

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If the act of giving up your specific religious beliefs could save lives, how many lives would it take for you to do that?

If the act of giving up your specific religious beliefs could save lives, how many lives would it take for you to do that?
Considering the "Holy War's" of history and today, how many lives would have been spared if our planets human population could get the importance in religious diversity, or the diversity in belief in general. Not just getting the importance, but understanding the ironic fault in commanding such a population to "pick one, only one, and have that be the only right one".

Topics: Belief System Crusades Fanatisism Holy war Jihad Secularization freedom of religion religion religion and science sociology
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    James Houston

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    Sep 19 2011: There have been few actual "Holy Wars" throughout history. In fact few wars have entirely about whose God is whose. Most wars have been fought over land, wealth, food, resources ect...

    I think it wouldn't save any lives at all.
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      Christopher Thompson

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      Sep 19 2011: I appreciate your comment. I believe you may have missed the point of my question, both in its framework and pontifical intention. None the less I appreciate your opinion.

  • James Kindler 20+

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    Sep 18 2011: I don't have a religion but rather a spirituality, I would gladly give it up for even one life but I don't know that I can. It is part of who I am.
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      Christopher Thompson

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      Sep 19 2011: Well said and thought! I think you got my point. It wasn't to suggest giving away a belief, it was intended to pose a suggestion of selflessness within the sometimes intense framework of religion. If you look at the U.S. these days and realize that the political party affiliations are acting a great deal like extremist religions instead of their intended labels of affiliation, you might see the danger in such behavior.
      I appreciate your feed back and thoughts.
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    Gisela McKay 30+

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    Sep 18 2011: I think someone should ask (and why not an agnostic) whether you really mean giving up the belief or the outward trappings of the belief.

    Because I think people could sacrifice the rituals and symbols and feign having lost the belief and there'd be nothing you could do to prove otherwise.
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      Christopher Thompson

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      Sep 19 2011: I am not sure that I understand your answer, but I think it address' my point. Please let me know if I have assumed your answer incorrectly: My root intention was to frame the question within the selfless act or willingness to let go of the very common "one god laws" of many religions, which constitutes a moral dead end when it comes to understanding or accepting religions other than ones own.
      I tried to use the universal goodness in people (saving a life) and the intense nature of religion and belief to create an internalized message of acceptance, rather than the stubborn ideal that "one god, my god, is the only right god". Either way I really appreciate your collaboration and thoughts.
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    Scott Armstrong 50+

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    Sep 18 2011: I wouldn't "give up" anything I believe, even to save the entire population of the planet.

    Neither would I kill, or expect to be killed, in the name of my own, or anyone else's, beliefs either.

    Live and let live.
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      Christopher Thompson

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      Sep 19 2011: Did you get the internalized message of the question? or the question framework intentions? I think we are probably pretty close to each others thoughts or beliefs, it was just a little hard to get past your unwillingness to change belief. The hard dissection of the question rather then the soft or overall understanding of the questions purpose is where I think you hyper focused. Either way I greatly appreciate your collaboration and ideas.
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    Christopher Thompson

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    Sep 17 2011: I think you may have missed the point of the question. I understand realities, and I wasn't addressing the entire complex paradigm of struggle, I was attempting to illuminate the polarized views of belief. How we continue to take on things of guidance/management (religion) as things to fight for, to die for in the face of the irony in shortening an already finite life in the name of the belief that gives us our salvation.

  • Bob Shingles 10+

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    Sep 17 2011: Ideally, no one should choose religion over that of even a single tangible life but we do not live in an "ideal" world.

    Regardless of if people picked any and all life before religion, there would still be wars over resources and for the domination over other humans.
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      Christopher Thompson

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      Sep 17 2011: : I think you may have missed the point of the question. I understand realities, and I wasn't addressing the entire complex paradigm of struggle, I was attempting to illuminate the polarized views of belief. How we continue to take on things of guidance/management (religion) as things to fight for, to die for in the face of the irony in shortening an already finite life in the name of the belief that gives us our salvation.
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