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Axeroberts Maybe you haven't read it really well?
if I wanted to read a book I would buy one.
What a joke, you want to discuss some important and loaded element with txt messages that have like 300 signs or something?
But individuals are not institutions so don't generalize. There are many beliefs so don't get it confused with religion. Common mistake
I'm not even generalising here... in the 60s churches were full over here. Now they are turning some of them into supermarkets :o . That "Blasphemy Laws" got abolished and that laws for same sex marriage god adopted? Abortion? Euthanasia? Are all slowly gaining popularity? That male patriarchical societies are under pressure and that "seperation" in marriage is slowly becomming a normality?
It's not because of a more devoted crowd in the population. This judeo-christian believe systems in the west are slowly loosing hegemony. This new thing doesn't have to be without religion, but religion takes a diffrent and less dominant roll in it. Last month our Church found out that a large number of 16 years old have no idea who Moses is. Now suddenly they have written stricter demands for teachers to meet for when people choose roman catholic religion. (yes, that a choice now a days, 70 years ago, not so much)
If a dataset is less dominant, it will reflect in democratic law making. Because the majority will have a diffrent view and will choose for a less strict application of their religious background. This will reflect itself in laws that get voted in parlement. Isn't that why people were so happy in the US that there is a new ultra-conservative-religious-judge voted into office? It's quite distastefull for a person like me, that "law" and the idea of "religion" get mixed in a political institution.
And I don't confuse religion and believes. But a "religion" is a "belief" , there are more believes" then just "religions". Hence I wrote:
[...]once a belief system tends to get to big (no matter what that believe is)[...].
That idea might be political, religious, economical, etc ... It can even be in your personal circle. Never seen annyone pushed out of a friend circle because (s)he delivers the "unpopulair message" that it might not be a good idea to do something. Then they push the person out, because he's a party pooper. And in the long run the guy turns to be right?