I'm sorry, but your views of the Bible and religion are not what most people believe.
Unfortunately not, but people being misled due to their own ignorance/fear/stupidity is as old as time, I'm just pointing out to you that this "condition" is not due to religion, but a human condition. People could just as blindly follow other/non-religious ideologies, and even die for them.
Just look at the many posts on here, you'll see how brain dead people are trying to tell us science is wrong and their religious beliefs are right.
Exactly, it is a people problem. Specifically a lack of critical thinking, perhaps a better education system would be a solution, but critical thinkers are not good for people in power. Never were.
I have to say, I don't know what happened to Slashdot if this is true. Who on earth can come to a nerd site and honestly believe (e.g.) that evolution is wrong. I mean, how can you reject science, yet be the type of person who hangs about here? (Unless they are trolling, I guess...)
Besides, why would I use the Bible as guidance when its full of contradictions and racist bigotry.
A lot of cartoons I watched as a child are nowadays considered racist, and are banned. Does that make them bad cartoons? I watched them a lot, I grew up with them, yet didn't turn into a racist bigot.
Same goes for comic books, literature, art and a bunch of of other things. As long as you understand the context of when something was written and what was socially accepted at the time, and realise that we've moved on from there and it is no longer acceptable, then I see no problem with the message itself.
Do you really believe women are the lesser vessel? Is it ok to beat a child with a stick? Is it wrong to work on Saturday?
I think I covered this above. Back then it was socially acceptable. Nowadays it isn't. Understand it within the context. We've moved along a lot in 2000 years.
Or let me guess, you just pick and choose what you like from the book.
Well... no not really. You just interpret the teachings yourself. Spirituality is something that should be private to a person, not something you should project to the world, and definitely not something you should force people in, or beat them over the head with.
Humans seem to have had religious beliefs throughout the ages. We have evidence of spiritual beliefs going back thousands of years. Yes, the way we seek enlightenment varies, from polytheism, monotheism, spiritualism, and beyond. They are all aiming for the same goal, but in different ways and interpretations.
To sit here and tell me that one specific version, one specific text, is the one truth and only way, just shows a level of brainwashing that is both impressive and scary.
I honestly don't know what to tell you. I meet many Americans, and the non-religious ones really have a chip on their shoulder about religion. This is unfortunately because your breed of Christians are such extremists. Those evangelicals are quite frankly nutbags, properly off their hinges. I've met a few of them, and they scare the shit out of me. Most of Christianity (and religions in general) are not like that, just like not every Muslim is an Islamist ready to stone people to death for dancing to music.
I noticed another thing about Americans as well, and US culture. You're not very big on compromise. You see the world in black and white, no gray, it is all a case of "my way or the highway". Either the bible is the complete truth or it is nothing. Either you are for free-market or you're a communist. Either your with us or against us., etc....
In a world of grays I don't know how you get anything done, it is all completely polarised. You waste so much time and effort just arguing its amazing. Especially over things the rest of us couldn't really give a toss about.
I mean, this whole thing about evolution/creation for example. In a sane situation this would not even be discussed (how can you deny something that has been proven to happen? We have evidence), yet somehow this has become yet another battleground. The rest of the world (including religions) have no qualms about evolution. We probably have a minority which don't believe in evolution, but no one takes them seriously.