Villagers burn woman accused of being witch

[evangelicalhumanist]

India villagers burn woman accused of being witch

BHUBANESWAR, India, May 30 (Reuters) - An Indian woman accused of witchcraft was beaten, gagged and burnt to death in a remote eastern village, police said on Friday.

The woman was dragged out of her home, her hands and legs tied and taken to a crematorium where she was set on fire in front of the village which ignored her screams for help.

---------------------------------

This is just another of the reasons that I detest belief without rational basis. We must never forget what Voltaire wrote:

As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities

[arthra]

Well I would call that action based on superstition and ignorance than religion per se...

- Art

[mooomooo]

As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities


But what about me ?

The 'absurdities l see and live in my life are real yet in the impossible to believe realm unless l prove it , which l can at any time if l want to and am allowed to , presenting an unusual clinical picture which only adds more difficulty in you trying to believe that what l say is not delusion or whatever . You cannot think of what l say because you cannot accept that what l say is true because if you do you might as well say God is true too .

But l do wonder even if l proved how to cure a coma by energy etc you would still rule out God and call it Nature or whatever . If l tell you my deceased dog's teddy bear flew across the room and l proved it , you would still say " that does not mean God is real " .

So what would it take for an Atheist to believe in God ,,, a whole lot but it would only take 'one' incident for an Atheist to 'know' God is real and then they will know .

But what about me ???

If l am telling the truth ? Does that mean the above quote is null and void ???

EDIT<<< My truths of absurdity would not be absurdities if l proved them as real and they would then go into the realms of accepted capacity and be ruled in with the rest of accepted realities we see and live but according to that quote it is an absurdity until it is proven ,,, is nonsense to me .

[Astreja]

Originally Posted by mooomooo

The 'absurdities l see and live in my life are real yet in the impossible to believe realm unless l prove it...

That's correct. Some of us do require a high standard of evidence in order to believe in out-of-the-ordinary things. We're not doing it to be rude or obtuse; that's just the way we see the world.

But l do wonder even if l proved how to cure a coma by energy etc you would still rule out God and call it Nature or whatever. If l tell you my deceased dog's teddy bear flew across the room and l proved it, you would still say "that does not mean God is real."

That's also correct. If something unusual happens, that's the starting point for further investigations, and it's premature to assume that the cause is supernatural. (It's also premature to attribute the phenomenon to any particular deity, too.) Proper investigation could vastly expand our knowledge of the universe, so I would tend to leave "ah, this is the work of a god" at the bottom of the list of possibilities.

So what would it take for an Atheist to believe in God...

In my case, I would have to experience a substantial body of human-to-god communication. If I saw apparent violations of known scientific principles, such as localized disruptions of gravity, it would definitely suggest the possibility of a superhuman being. But, as I said above, I'd still want to investigate further to see if there's a natural explanation.

[Rev. Kelly]

Unfortunately, most of India is still very poor, which means that there is a lower level of education than we have in more developed countries. This leads to superstitions and ignorance leading the way, especially in rural villages. It is hard to condemn a people who do not understand the world in the same way we do, and have no way to gain the education to do so.

[Asimov]

Originally Posted by arthra

Well I would call that action based on superstition and ignorance than religion per se...

- Art

Not seein the different, there, arthra. Most religions are based on superstition and ignorance.

[arthra]

Hey there Asimov!

My name is "Art" you can call me that!

Today there needs to be universal education and harmony between science and religion.

Abdul-Baha said:

"When religion, shorn of its superstitions, traditions and unintelligent dogmas, shows its conformity with science, then there will be a great unifying, cleansing force in the world, which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements, discords and struggles, and then will mankind be united in the power of the love of God."

[angeleyes]

Originally Posted by evangelicalhumanist

India villagers burn woman accused of being witch

BHUBANESWAR, India, May 30 (Reuters) - An Indian woman accused of witchcraft was beaten, gagged and burnt to death in a remote eastern village, police said on Friday.

The woman was dragged out of her home, her hands and legs tied and taken to a crematorium where she was set on fire in front of the village which ignored her screams for help.

---------------------------------

This is just another of the reasons that I detest belief without rational basis.

I suspect we all have beliefs that are without a "rational basis." Anyone who's examined their inner thoughts and motivation will find irrational thoughts and behaviors - what about love, fear, feelings....? Don't we often act on them without a good "reason?"

That there are some who repsond more primitively than we would isn't any big surprise in a world where there are vast differences in cultures. Is killing a witch that different than killing out of jealousy, greed, or mental illness? I wonder. Why doesn't anyone say "don't get involved in love - it might drive you to do something irrational."

Furthermore, are there not good and beautiful thoughts and actions that are also "irrational?" Could these also not be a part of spiritual or religious beliefs?

[RevKathyV]

Sort of reminds me of the Matthew Shepard story...the young gay youth tide to a post years ago after being beat and left to die....because he was gay..in this country...done due to irrational beliefs.

When people are educated in an ignorant manner or not educated enough to make intelligent decisions these things happen...that is how predjudice continues also...

But as it was stated these people are not as educated as here...so whats our excuse...I will repeat..if a religious teaching or thought is one that will cause harm to someone, it probably is coming from no where but your own ego..or someone elses!!

[Chippingaway]

Atrocities are not exclusive to the uneducated or religiouse or non religiouse.
As Rev Kathy pointed out "if a religious teaching or thought is one that will cause harm to someone, it probably is coming from no where but your own ego..or someone elses!!"

The united states conducted radioactive experiments on thousands of people without thier knowledge, men, women, and newborns.

WISE - Nuclear issues information service
googling 'radioactive experiments' will bring up more information on the subject.

According to a report i heard on the radio when this experimentation was made public, ( Years ago) when one female scientist was asked why, her reply was something to the affect that it was necessary to understand the affects, the people involved were performing a service for mankind. Odd that she did not volunteer herself or members of her family in this noble enterprise.