Mastodawn

Mark Holtom (aka Kingbeard)

Just in case you didn't realize it before - there are 3 major religions in this world that all follow the same God but have different interpretations of wtf happened after they split from the original texts. Their God didn't change, they just did.
The first one decided that they're right, and no other prophets came along after their prophets.
The second one said, "we accept most of your religion but this guy showed up and he's the son of God"
The third one said, "Look, we're all brothers, that guy was cool but he wasn't the son of God. We have a new prophet and we got an updated rulebook from God and we're gonna follow that."
Now all 3 of them (plus the 4 versions of the first one, the 6 versions of the second one and 7 versions of the 3rd one) all argue about who's right - and have spent centuries letting political leaders use their faith to inspire each other to kill one another for their faith.
And there is no end in sight for this bullshit.

Mark Burton Nov 1

@MarkHoltom
"And there is no end in sight for this bullshit."
Because that is indeed what it all is, despite some decent humanist messages buried in among the alpha implausibility and biblical blood lust.

DG1JAN 🇪🇺Nov 1

@MarkHoltom and considering how stupid the fundamental hypothesis of a "God" is, makes it even worse

Graeme 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Nov 1

@MarkHoltom
Fairy stories, all of them
I'm reminded of tihs:
“Anybody who wants religion is welcome to it, as far as I'm concerned--I support your right to enjoy it. However, I would appreciate it if you exhibited more respect for the rights of those people who do not wish to share your dogma, rapture, or necrodestination.” ― Frank Zappa

Zeeshan Ali Khan

@MarkHoltom #3 actually made their prophet not only the last one but the reason for all of creation. 🤦‍♂️

@zeenix @MarkHoltom In which case I suppose I have to give them a minor tip of the hat for trying to draw some kind of line under the whole nonsensical pile of crap.

Em & future cats 🇺🇦🐈🏳️‍🌈Nov 1

@MarkHoltom I’m favoriting this because of how perfectly you summed that up in so few words!😹 I am totally in agreement with you on this. I even have a friend who (at five I think) stopped “believing” in the prescribed “god/s” over this very thing. They later became an agnostic.

enoch_exe_inc Nov 1

@MarkHoltom Sounds like all the different ways of interpreting the #USConstitution, to be honest. There is the “Living Constitution”, purposivism, organicism, textualism, originalism—but these are debates within the walls of a madhouse. All sides ultimately agree on and accept the fundamental legitimacy of a document purporting to represent the blessings of liberty and justice for all…written by wealthy *slaveowners* whose property they stole.

Paul Drye Nov 1

@MarkHoltom And Baháʼí and Mormonism too, which are respectively a bit bigger and half the size of Judaism, so they seem to count as major too (if anyone asked me, that is).

Misja van Laatum Nov 1

@MarkHoltom wow 👏 that's a very succinct and accurate description

Mr. Lance E Sloan (IRL) 👤Nov 1

@MarkHoltom
Apathetic agnosticism: this is the way. I have spoken.

Kid Mania Nov 1

@MarkHoltom
Religion creates Hate and War.
☠️ ✝️ ☠️
#doomed

Panicky_Patzer Nov 1

@MarkHoltom And don't forget that under the main branches of each, there are numerous denominations, including tens of thousands of Christian denominations, that quibble over scriptural interpretations even further.

I just can't wrap my head around someone going all in, to the point of murdering others, over a belief based on stories that, at best, MIGHT be true. Well, kind of. Like, some of these places existed, and maybe some of the people. We think. But...FAITH! Yeah, faith! That's it!

Polly Waugh Nov 1

@MarkHoltom
Best. Summary. Ever.

oldguycrusty Nov 1

Terrific. Really splendid 'history of religion' and how it divides us.

Yeah, Jehovah, God, and Allah is the same guy, just wearing different hats. He has always demanded blood sacrifices, and either animals or humans will do.

@MarkHoltom
Your framing is backwards. What moves the world is the material reality of the world, the ideas follow suit.

Monarchies and now capital are the illness, the profiteers hide behind whatever religion they have at hand, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Which you did not mention.

In Tibet there was a religious monarchy who owned slaves and indentured servants, all while using the rehtoric of the Buddha.

Making money is the real cause of war and suffering.

@MarkHoltom ... not to mention the bulk of those siblings in faith all deny the existence of all the other gods available to chose from. The Hindu faith already has millions of gods.. and everywhere on earth some more are added.
So basically this one is dissolved in a sea of comrades and one of many millions in their own right is a highly selective choice, isn't it, and outnumbered into insignificance to boot.

Even those who chose to have a contemporary god, like e.g. Taylor Swift, have an urge to kill the followers of somebody else.

Be gentle and humble and chose a god which isn't a fucked up killer idol and accept that you deny millions of other gods and will rest in their respective hells or similar accommodations in your after life, so basically being grilled in eternity for being in denial of all the others.

No? Your's is the one that counts? I would not bet no other deity will not go after you as you certainly didn't test all of them beforehand.

Bullshit hits the fan for people carrying a poo container and a fan. I rather carry some soap and towel....

And all because of the delusion that invisible, omnipotent beings exist. All this magical nonsense is invented by people to manipulate others into doing what they want and to take money out of their pockets so that they themselves don't have to work.

Ω 🌍 Gus Posey Nov 1

@MarkHoltom *goes back in time and slaps Abraham just to make the point*

RustyRing Nov 1

Wanna see an Evangelical detonate? Point out that Islam is essentially the same religion as Christianity. They don't know this. They don't know about Muslims including the Christian Bible in their education, observing Christian feasts, or literally any real thing about them. They don't know that Arab Christians call God "Allah".

Plenty of gothic conspiracy theories, but no facts.

bouriquet Nov 1

@MarkHoltom And the concept of a “god” was to explain the things not understood, even when people had multiple gods.
And then we got science, which tried to explain things.
And now we have those who deny science but also use the god concept to their advantage to camouflage their lies.
Fascinating, as Spock would say.

bouriquet Nov 1

@MarkHoltom And the concept of a “god” was to explain the things not understood, even when people had multiple gods.
And then we got science, which tried to explain things.
And now we have those who deny science but also use the god concept to their advantage to camouflage their lies.
Fascinating, as Spock would say.

MidgePhoto Nov 1

@MarkHoltom
I think the bullshit is quietly melting.
In educated developed countries it is below 50% now.

🥑 Yours Truly! Unruly 🇨🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦🌻Nov 1

Figments

Democratic Socialist BillJRyan Nov 1

@MarkHoltom
The Things Power & Wealth HUNGRY Hypocrites Do in the Name of God, While Not REALLY BELIEVING IN HIM!

@MarkHoltom It is preposterous for ANY of them to claim the truth of their religions!

I follow the Great Green Arkleseizure, which is obviously correct.

VelteropⓐⓊ🪂🇪🇺🇳🇱🇬🇧🇩🇪Nov 1

@MarkHoltom Religions evolve like everything else. They arise from earlier versions, go extinct, split off and develop into a new one, they sometimes hybridise, etc. I often wonder if a vastly more 'theodiverse' spiritual ecosystem might perhaps make the world a better place. But then again, they'll still kill and devour each other, of course, just as organisms do in a physical ecosystem.