From: gagrawal@cs.tamu.edu (Gopal Agrawal)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.pakistan
Subject: Re: Who's doing the killings...
Date: 13 Dec 1992 06:40:14 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University
NNTP-Posting-Host: neuron.tamu.edu

In article <lil54iINN3aa@pageboy.cs.utexas.edu> hyder@cs.utexas.edu (Syed Irfan Hyder) writes:
>
>Let's also include in this list of religions, the religion of
>self-profit or the religion of non-religion. 
>This is the religion whose prophet was
>Adam Smith. Of course, there was another religion 
>whose prophet was Karl Marx. Although, the latter religion is
>now even extinct in its birth place, the other is still out there. 

I withdraw my earlier statement "religion is bullshit" and rephrase 
it as "Any form of ABSOLUTISM (even atheism to the point where it 
becomes an organized religion) is bullshit".  I agree with you that
this religion of self-profit too can be dangerous when carried to 
the extreme (why do you call it a religion of non-religion ? The 
capitalist world is still deeply rooted in organized religious 
beliefs. Or are you referring it to communism ?). 

This religion of non-religion/self-profit banks on the survival
of the fittest concept. While it does seem cruel to eliminate
the unfit (or pawns in the chess game as you put it), it is but
a fact of nature. Look around at any ecosystem that is governed 
by natural laws alone (without interference from any philosophical 
reasonings) and the harsh reality is the survival of the fittest. 
(Though it certainly does not mean that the unfit have to be 
systematically eliminated by the fitter. That's where I agree 
what this self-profit religion, carried to the extreme, can do)

Mankind has always had a tendency to deny this harsh reality and 
tried to govern himself with more altruistic laws (some of which 
take the form of organized religions--one of them being the USSR
brand communism). Unfortunately, earths resources being limited 
are bound to produce conflicts when it comes to allocating higher 
priority between self preservation and altruism (thus leading to 
decline of communism).

>The major distinction of these two religions has been the havoc
>they have played on this planet with the lives of more people
>than any other religion. The number of people killed, maimed,
>destroyed, is larger than all the other religions put together!!!
>Just compare the number of people being killed in India presently
>with the number of people dying in Somalia __ a direct result
>of making Somalia a pawn in the game of chess being played
>by the followers Adam Smith and Karl Marx (For more info. see
>MacNeil Lehrer of Wed-Thur last).
>

I agree that economic based religions can play more havoc than
spiritualism based religions. But conflicts between the economic
based religion is at least for something tangible (that does not
mean I am calling for a war between the capitalists and communists 
again).  Spiritual based religions (when they become one of the 
"absolutes") produce conflicts for something that is not even 
tangible!! (except for a vague hope of having a better after life 
or living in heaven/hell). My outburst "religion is BS" was in
reference to this senseless conflicts for concepts that are only
*abstract*. 

regards,
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