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Biggest consumers of internet pornography are Conservatives

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laureanna
Post subject: Re: Biggest consumers of internet pornography are Conservatives
Posted: Fri 06 Mar , 2009 8:00 pm
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Dave_LF wrote:
The prison population is more religious than the population at large. I don't have the numbers at my fingertips, but it's a stat I've come across before.
And if I were in prison, hoping to be paroled, you can be sure I'd be acting religious as well.
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I don't know anyone who's religious because they're scared of getting murdered. I do, however, know tons of people who are religious because they were raised that way. This isn't scientific, but it leaves me with little doubt which is cart and which is horse.
People are religious because they were introduced to it, AND because they find it helpful in their daily lives. I'm sure there is both nature and nurture involved. I agree with Ax that fear - or the lack of security in one's life - can lead to dependence - whether that is dependence upon religion, nationalism, other -isms, superstition, or just the fundamental certainty that there is such a thing as certainty - that brings some sense of security to one's life.

When the natural world makes no sense, and seems to be random and violent, then having an ally in someone or something super natural (literally above nature), can be very comforting. I've studied my Tlingit Indian culture and found that, several generations ago, life was ruled by the whims and vagaries of the supernatural, and had to be considered and appeased at all times. But nowadays, people like me can go for hours - maybe even days - not thinking about how an insulted animal spirit or wind spirit or mountain spirit is going to get me for my incorrect behavior, by causing a famine, storm, or rockslide. Likewise, I've been raised Catholic, but I no longer believe that discussing religion the way I am now is likely to cause me to be struck by lightning or the trials of Job. I do not say "there but for the grace of God go I" when looking at people in poverty, because I don't feel the smugness of being in the grace of God, or anyone else. Instead, I see social injustices brought on by poor public policy.

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Wilma
Post subject: Re: Biggest consumers of internet pornography are Conservatives
Posted: Fri 06 Mar , 2009 10:01 pm
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Wel from what I learned in Anthropology class is that religion is important for social control. At least in the past. Without social control/social order there would be chaos. That is not just for humans but for any group of social animals there is always some social order apparent.

Also Lauranna thank you for pointing ot the flaws of that other sttudy, that looks pretty big. If anything it's more about the weakness of the public health education /sex education. Yes the religious types are big on sex ed but that should not mean the government can't can't say it should be taught. I know religious types don't like to look at the numbers for teen pregnancy etc.. but that does not mean the religious people are evil. The whole point of religion was to introduce positive social order, explain the unexplainable and encourage healthy living. Basically to cure social ills, not cause them. Also remember its a reflection of the time they were written also.

Also a lot of things attributed to religion are cultural practices and are not in the religion at all. Also some religions are pretty amazing for their time. Islam has women's rights listed in it. They have rules for when abortion is allowed and isn't allowed and they have rules on how a woman can get a divorce in particular circumstances. I think somewhere it even says women are supposed to get an education too. I think in the Bible one is supposed to compensate a father if he takes his daughters virginity. (basically a consequence of taking advantage of girls). So religion isn't all bad. It's supposed to help people not harm them.

The thing is since religion is a form of social ordering, those who control the religion are those who control the social ordering. So they take hold of a religion and use it as a political tool. If religion wasn't there the same people would be against sex ed, and controlling women etc.. and all those other ills. They just would not have political tool like religion to use. And yes Lauranna is good to point out people in jail are more religious. A better study is asking a person when they are caught for the crime and before they are put on trial if they are religious.

(from Wikipedia)
"Nothing I've ever found has contradicted the Bible. It's people with their finite minds who misread the Bible."
- Louis Leakey

For those who do not know Leakey was an anthropologist and him and his family are some of the movers and shakers in evolutionary anthropology/archeology. Also some of the his students are movers and shakers in primatology (ex: Jane Goodall) Also his parents were missionaries.

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ToshoftheWuffingas
Post subject: Re: Biggest consumers of internet pornography are Conservatives
Posted: Fri 06 Mar , 2009 10:19 pm
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Quote:
The thing is since religion is a form of social ordering, those who control the religion are those who control the social ordering. So they take hold of a religion and use it as a political tool. If religion wasn't there the same people would be against sex ed, and controlling women etc.. and all those other ills. They just would not have political tool like religion to use.
There, Wilma has my opinion expressed in a nutshell. :cheers:

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Dave_LF
Post subject: Re: Biggest consumers of internet pornography are Conservatives
Posted: Fri 06 Mar , 2009 10:34 pm
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Quote:
The thing is since religion is a form of social ordering, those who control the religion are those who control the social ordering. So they take hold of a religion and use it as a political tool. If religion wasn't there the same people would be against sex ed, and controlling women etc.. and all those other ills. They just would not have political tool like religion to use.
Except the study showed otherwise. More secular nations do not have groups agitating against sex and science education the way the US does (for example). And do you really think religion has nothing to do with why women have to wear burqas in Saudi Arabia but not in Norway? Lose the religion and you lose most of the motivation for that sort of thing.


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Wilma
Post subject: Re: Biggest consumers of internet pornography are Conservatives
Posted: Fri 06 Mar , 2009 11:05 pm
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Well the thing is in Europe they have other uh.. social changes before they got secularied. It's not like they gave up religion without a means of dealing with other issues first. Other places not so much. Like treatment of women. Europe and north America have had the feminism movement since I guess the late 1800's. Other places didn't have it that early. If certain places where just to give up religion instantly, there would be some people who would still wanna control women. That is why in Islam for instance they put in rules on how to treat women so they don't get screwed over. Also they have definitve rules about abortion. I don't even think the secular world does. It's about personal feelings. Some religious people I know are pro-choice and some non-religious people are pro life. So even then there would still be issues.

Remember Europe has been through huge amounts of social change and is a high developed industrialized place. Other places are not at the same stage. Also the principles the US was founded on was while they were some early Americans were escaping religious persecution so the founding principles in American history would be fundamentaly different from Europe which has had a much much older history.

Also some people are just afraid of social change altogether and use religion as a means to turn back the clock to when they understood the world. Even withou religion there would still be some people who would want to fight social change.
Although, it appears as if women were never just barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen like some people think they were in the good old days. At other points back in human evolutionary history, women did participate in the public social order and even assisted in hunting trips ocaissionally. (Sorry, I just keep thinking of the stuff I learned in Anthro class, and I have personal issues about anti-feminists.)

Alot of world has not dealt with the feminism movement so if they just got rid of religion they would probably come up with even worse ways to control women. What I think is important in some parts of the world who don't want to/not ready for secularization is that they need open religious education since a lot of places keep very important ideas that are in the religion away from the public.

Religions were put in to prevent chaos and anarchy. Just getting rid of religion would not mean instant order, and things would instantly be better, things could possibly get worse since, well not all people feel everyone will inherently do the right thing. And some won't, that is why religion is used as guidance for those who are unsure.

OK I have to go now (leaving to see The Watchmen). Sorry my post is not well ordered.

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Itoshiki Sensei from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Avatar by: sparklessence

"There is no such thing as coincidence in this world, only hitsuzen." - Yuko Ichihara and Kimihiro Watanuki - xxxHolic

"I'm modest, I'll keep my knickers on and die!" - My sister Grace commenting on Bear Gryllis on an episode of Oprah :rofl:

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