Faith central role in tackling the world's problems.

[ruby27]

Blair has called for faith to be given a central role in tackling the world's problems.

I don't think religion or faith has caused world problems, but people have used religion as a means to fight war, obtain wealth and exclude some from power.

Personally I don't consider Blair's faith to have solved problems if you consider this was a guiding force in his decision to go to war with Iraq.

But, Blair aside can people stop using faith and religion as a weapon to use against each other and instead draw upon teachings to help?

[naomi24]

Are they hairy?

[Theland]

Knowing my luck they will be. Even the women!

[mibn2cweus]

Resorting to calling on faith to solve the world's problems is tantamount to waving the surrender flag at the foe that created so many of the world's problems to begin with. Reason, to the extent it has been allowed to evolve and been applied is the only means that has ever provided long terms solutions to any problem. Understanding the reasons that problems exist is the essential first step to solving them; not hiding under a rock of ineptitude begging for its mercy.

[Theland]

Mibs - Applying reason and logic to the problem, how are we in the West going to deal with the problem if Islamism?
The eight bomb plotters whose trial has just begun, says it all. These people are beyond reason surely?

[Theland1]

That is a load of preposterous claptrap.
What has faith got to do with causing problems of mans desire to simply dominate his neighbour, because he can?
Third Reich ring any bells?
How about covetousness, where countries go to war over natural resources?
According to you, man is a big hearted animal and there is simply a breakdown in communications.
You seem to inhabit some kind of Utopia that has simply caught a cold, a place that is most alien to those who don't spend so much time in ivory towers.

[mibn2cweus]

Faith is the alleged 'substitute' for reason, a poison that once injested allows those who seek dominion over the mindless to get away with murder.

[mibn2cweus]

Learning to accept that we are all victims of our ignorance is the first step in the process of getting wise.

[naomi24]

Faith binds people to ignorance and it blinds people to truth. How can it do otherwise when those of faith are not willing to consider options beyond that faith? You, Theland, will quote the bible, others the Koran, but despite logical arguments being raised that irrefutably dispute both, you all cling to your irrationality. Each and every one of you is too afraid to do otherwise. There are some here who have studied nothing but the book of their religion, and have listened to no one but the teachers of their religion, so how can they possibly make informed, rational, choices or judgements? Simply, they can't. They have no other options to consider.

Ruby asks '.....can people stop using faith and religion as a weapon to use against each other and instead draw upon teachings to help?

It would be wonderful if they could, but they never will, because rather than seek solutions through religious teachings, everyone of religion thinks they're right, compromise is not an option - and so the destruction and hatred continues.

Mibs says Understanding the reasons that problems exist is the essential first step to solving them ...... and that's true. However, people of religion know problems exist, but are unwilling to seek peaceful solutions. They seek only to triumph over what they perceive as their adversary, and whilst their intentions remain such, peace will never ensue.

[Theland1]

"People of religion..." therefore means grouping together the pacifist Christian with the jihadist islamofascist?

[naomi24]

Yes, in a way it does, but only because both are immovable in their faith, and neither will compromise. That's the nature of all religion, which was the point I was making.

[mibn2cweus]

Pacifism presents its own problems. It constitutes a submission to the status quo that we can only hope will succumb to pressure from the world community given recent protests in China in conjunction with the Olympics. Eventually every group must face the need to protect themselves (and each other) from either/both religious/secular, political and ideological assaults on their freedom and essential human rights. The freedom to be responsible for ones own life is an essential freedom and value that must be purchased for the price of informing and educating an overwhelming majority of its virtues and necessity.

If we fail to persuade a prevailing majority of the essential value of freedom through reason, the persuasion of force is the only alternative that has ever been realised. Do I have faith that reason will prevail. Hell no! But I remain steadfast in the knowledge that there is no other valid alternative other than an appeal to reason to pursue.

I refuse to submit to the notion that humanity is by its (�evil�) nature doomed from the start. If that were true than there never was anything worth striving for. Such a belief resigns the believer to the bone pile of evolutionary dead ends to which they belong. Those who hold such beliefs only see this image of humanity when they look in the mirror and refuse to seek out and realise the best within us and acknowledge the monumental hard won progress that has already been made and which can only be attributed to the efforts promoted by a vision of the virtues or practicing and applying reason.

[Theland1]

The suspension of reason and faith in the greater good is what marks us out as human in so many instances, when faced with a choice of self preservation or self sacrifice.
Pacificism is not an absolute but is relative to each individual according to his / her conscience, as he / she wrestles for guidance from a power that is completely, "other," than themselves.
Complete self sacrifice and superhuman feats are the stuff of legend and fall outside of the normal human experience, and therefore beyond all normal human reason.
Such experiences are difficult if not impossible to objectify, and must be conveyed to lesser mortals only by personal testimony or eyewitness accounts.
The driving force in these instances is faith and not reason.

[naomi24]

Pacifism can only be an option if everyone agrees, but in the real world that will never happen. Wrestling for guidance from a power that is 'other' than oneself, itself produces conflict, since the 'guidance' one believes he receives is at odds with that 'received' by another - and it will remain at odds whilst faith is the guiding factor and is deemed paramount to reason.

[mibn2cweus]

Theland, Do you realise what you�re saying . . . or the importance of thinking about it first?

The suspension of reason and reliance on faith is what makes the determination of what is good impossible which in turn enables tyrannical rulers to mark us out in every case as human fodder to be sacrificed to their own determination of what is �the greater good.�

�Pacificism" <�? is the absolute surrender of ones self to a power that is completely, "other" than their self; �other� being whatever power happens to comes along.

Complete self sacrifice and superhuman feats are the stuff of legend and fall outside of the normal human experience, and therefore belong in the worst of fairytales. Such experiences should not be believed by anyone, let alone by those who imagined them.

The driving force in these instances is the complete abdication of reason preceded by an indoctrination in the belief that self-preservation is evil and that sacrificing others to �the greater good� is not.