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Originally Posted by TheSollyLama
And again, I have to disagree, Phil. NO RELIGION fosters critism or critical thinking. In fact religions do quite the opposite. They present a wholly unrealistic set of ridiculous stories and tell people to buy them hook, line, and sinker no matter how ludicrous they are.
It's telling that blind acceptance of the patently absurd is actually considered a virtue among the religious.
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A little study is in order. You know that I'm also an atheist, and subscribe to no religion or supernatural beliefs at all. Nor was I raised in the Jewish, or any other, faith. But I do respect the way that Judaism goes about some things. And you're wrong, in that the practice of Judaism does foster intellectual consideration and critical thinking and debate. This is a big part of why Jews have done so well in a great many intellectual fields; their upbringing and faith fosters these values and skills.
Also, there are some strains of Buddhism that are much less about any mysticism, and much more about awareness of one's self, motivation, and actions. The practice of these belief systems also can foster critical thinking and careful observation. It is not the case that "blind acceptance of the patently absurd is actually considered a virtue among the religious" for all religions.
Making blanket statements about *all* religions and their practices is no more rational or carefully considered than some of those practices are. Beware of dogmatism yourself.
PhilB