Philippine Catholicism causes Retardation

[monroy]

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There is no question that there is a strong correlation between poverty and religiosity whether it is a causative factor isn't clear but no doubt there is a relation. Most of the wealthiest countries in the world are at least secular, if not non-religious (Japan, France, etc) whereas most of the poorest countries in the world have a very strong religious influence (Somalia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc).

Science and religion just don't get along. Science has been making discoveries every year that refute many of the things in religious text so its natural that these people will resist advances in science or education whenever they can. If the people become too smart and educated, the Church will start to lose a lot of followers. I'm not saying that religious people are stupid, but what I am saying is that there is a link between increased education levels and decreased Church attendance and that can't be good for the priests...

[2tdruid]

I no longer like visiting istorya everyday because of posts such as these.

[yiennahs]

if you have problems with the religion, don't blame it on the principle but on the people who are running the religion

if you have a problem with the Philippines stop blaming anything to anyone or to any religion because it can not solve any problem

and stop accusing my religion labi na kung wala kay imo!

[7DMM]

another bashing thread.....

[hitch22]

In its example of Bavaria being an economically sound German state yet still remain Catholic proves that Attitude also plays a critical role towards attaining economic success. If people refuse to work at it, then nothing great will certainly happen.

I agree with everything you said, that one cannot attribute the cause of poverty to religious beliefs. I think the writer cited the coincidences of Catholicism and backwardness and made the oversimplification that one is the cause of the other...which is not entirely wrong, but should make one pause to wonder.

The part I want to comment here is the statement that Bavaria is Catholic and progressive. I wouldn't label Bavaria as a Catholic state...perhaps a state with more Catholics than other denominations. Bavaria is only about 55% Catholic, by the 2009 count. That's just about half, not an overwhelming majority. That figure has been rapidly dwindling, especially since the global child abuse scandal that rocked the Vatican last year. Everywhere in Europe, you'll see empty churches or churches filled only with a few elderly people. Germany, as a whole, is essentially a secular state where freedom of religion and freedom from religion is guaranteed in their constitution.

Here's a quote on which I want people to ponder (it's from a Roman Catholic author, James Carroll, author of Constantine's Sword):

It's crucial that religious people confront the religous sources of violence, and they've been vivid and powerful. Let's face it. If we've come to a new hope for peace, a new hope for human rights, a new hope for a human civilization that can leave war behind, we haven't come to this through religion.

Here's a question for religious people. I haven't heard anyone asked it. Why is this magnificent embrace of peace that's taken place over the last two generations in Europe...how did all of these take place simultaneous to the collapse of religion? Empty churches in Europe, at a time when Europeans are repudiating violence? (There's) No death penalty in Europe. No war-mongering in Europe...in a culture that has walked away from institutional religion.

Oddly enough, nearly 400 years ago, Francis Bacon observed the same thing:

Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation: all which may be guides to an outward moral virtue... but superstition dismounts all these and erecteth an absolute monarchy in the minds of men: therefore atheism never did perturb states; for it makes men wary of themeselves... and we see the times inclined to atheism (as the time of Augustus Caesar) were civil times.

I'm not saying atheism is better. I do not even agree that it necessarily follows that "atheism leaves man to sense and philosophy," because you can be an atheist and be a nihilist. There's nothing that stops you there. You can be an atheist with violent anti-religious tendencies like the Jacobins during the French Revolution. All I'm saying is that these observations seem to be at odds with conventional understanding that "Godly" societies are more moral and civilized than the less "Godly" ones. It's something worth thinking about.

[handurawan]

unsa naman ni oi.... wai lain dha?

[reclamador]

i am living proof that it doesn't ...