Look, I won't say that I've had it the worst of people here, but I was physically abused as a young child for being agnostic and today am an ardent anti-theist.

This shit you're saying is wildly reactionary and I hope people only upvoted it because they mistook it for a bit. No, we should not abuse people for going to a church or presume they are pedophiles (the latter would be harmful to our ability to address actual CSA and has more issues beside). This'll shock you, but I don't think we should put them in concentration camps either.

We need to ruthlessly destroy religion as an organized political force, but legitimately persecuting people for personal religious beliefs that are in no manner hateful or anti-social is completely ridiculous, and that's glossing over that you're effectively saying we should decriminalize murdering them. If you're serious about wanting to get rid of religion as a social force rather than just indulge in sadistic fantasies online, then what we need is education, social welfare, and political agency (via proletarian democracy), because people turn to religion as a coping mechanism and not because their souls are inferior to yours.

[–] LeninWeave@hexbear.net 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

because people turn to religion as a coping mechanism and not because their souls are inferior to yours.

Ironically, I think this kind of thinking just replicates some of the worst elements present in religious thinking as a coping mechanism. I understand why people vent this way, but I think it's toxic (to themselves, mainly) to begin to believe it.

[–] purpleworm@hexbear.net 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I agree, but unless you know the person's mindset pretty well, I think saying so is an excellent way to get the other person to tell you to go fuck yourself and disregard everything else you have to say. For some people it could be helpful to point out, but it's not necessarily the most common reaction to a relative stranger telling you that.

[–] LeninWeave@hexbear.net 4 points 2 weeks ago

Good point, and understandable that people who have had bad experiences with religion would have a negative reaction to that.

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

today am an ardent anti-theist.

Real hegelian dialectics it's when theists and anti-theists become syn-theists.

[–] purpleworm@hexbear.net 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

What do you suppose a syn-theist believes?

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 weeks ago

Project Cybersyn.