Atheism Examined

Yes. For the exact same reasons. Agreed. Our conversation took a philisophical/idealistic turn, so I extended our conversation that way. Then you snap back to reality and just blame me for not being realistic. Fine. If all you want to do is blame problems on people instead of offering some sort of solution, that's up to you. I'm not afraid of offering a solution just because it's tough or idealistic. I'm also not setting that as any sort of realistic goal (not in my life time, or 10 times that, anyway...). I actually stated that already... something about hopefully soloving current racial problems in 50-60 years from now? That was a hint... I even think that's a very lucrative goal. Sorry, I wasn't clear. I slipped into talking about straw-man hypothetical you again without explicity stating so. I don't actually think all you do is sit and post on message boards I agree completey with you here, as well. You still have yet to say why anything I've said is "attempting the impossible" or that I'm "rejecting the inevitable". Other then, well... you did say it would be hard. Good job.Realistically, I think Society is progressing, and I think it is progressing in a manner similar to what I've been talking about here anyway. I think it will progress to what I've been explaining about. I think eventually, there will be laws against racial discrimination world-wide. And these laws will seem obvious and superficial to those alive then as we see slavery laws obvious and superficial now. I think Gay/Lesbian rights will progress in the same fashion. Although I do believe it will happen extremely slowly and be outrageously delayed by bad people.I think, eventually, Religion will be backed off. Forcibly, if needed, by Governments who see the benefits of other Government bodies like Sweeden and other European nations far ahead of us Westerners. I do not think Religion will ever be terminated, and I think it would be a dire shame if it ever were. There are some very serious, large benefits to having the organizations that Religion fills in our Society. Yet I do think it is currently... overstaying it's welcome... here in the West. And I see Society progressing quite nicely in putting it back in it's place.So, really... I don't see how any of my goals are all that far-fetching. And, if you would actually care to show me how they are impossible, as you seem to be claiming, I would be happy to further our discussion.I am fully open to being proven wrong about my goals, and would gladly shave them back to something more attainable. If, of course, you would be so kind as to back up your statement that I may be leaning towards an impossibility? Of course, if you were just talking generally... I'll again agree with your nice, puffy, glaringly obvious general statement.

Yes. Very true. I apologize for getting off-topic and over-bearing.It's just that so much of society that wants to feel good about pro-longing a very negative "social hang-up" hide within Religion. Which is how I easily fell into that trap. I shall desist.

No. The problem is that they havn't even tried. Or, at least, the high-up tip-top leaders aren't doing anything about it. Or are even promoting such behaviour. If that is all we did, then we would not grow. If all we did was keep those 5 commandments, we would never increase of knowledge of how to become better people. Just stay with the same knowledge of how "not to be bad". Stagnation.
Where is the learning here? Where is the striving to be better? I didn't say these 5 things were bad. Just that if we only did them, then we would not be able to grow. And no growth means absolutely no positive growth, which is a bad thing. Ah, I agree. Yes, this is true. Yet it has nothing to do with my point... However, if we only kept those 5 commandments, we still would not grow. And I would still not be happy

For starters, each and every one of those 5 things is a "Don't do this..." thing. Being good and moral is more than simply not being bad.How about "Love your neighbour"?
Or even something small... "Hold the door open if someone right behind you has their hands full".Do you think that niether of those two things would improve anything at all?

That, um... was exactly my point. Why not do more? You stated what was wrong with only keeping those 5 commandments. If, um... if you agree that we should already do more then that, then, well... I agree with you, and don't really understand why we went through this. I agree. It really doesn't seem to make sense since we're, apparently, both arguing the same side.In closing, I'd just like to say I learned a lot from reading/conversing in this thread. I'd like to apologize again to Catholic Scientist and anastasia. I think I lost my cool a bit back there, and said some inappropriate things. Ah well, I'm learning And that's exactly why I come here.