Comparing The Harm Of False Beliefs

Even though I am mainly on AN to find a likeminded partner, I have got aware, that there are some topics, that can only be talked about in a friendly way in a feminist group.    I recoil from discussing topics, when this provokes immature male youngsters to become antagonistic.

Therefore I joined this group.

My following thoughts were triggered, when someone linked to the singles group a video of a lecture, which was distorted by pornographic pictures.

Atheism as the absence of a belief in a god is the rational baseline.
Equality as the absence of any discrimination of women is the rational baseline.

The primary belief in the existence of a god is irrational and a mental defect.
The primary belief in the superiority of men is irrational and a mental defect.

The secondary belief in the power of prayer, the afterlife and such is also irrational and a mental defect.
The secondary belief in the male entitlement of reducing women to be used as bodies as is done in domination, pornography, prostitution and promiscuity is also irrational and a mental defect.

Both false beliefs, the one in a god and the other in male superiority enhance, support and reinforce each other.

To free the world from false beliefs, it is not enough to remove the false belief in a god, the false belief in male superiority and entitlement needs also to be removed.

But there is one difference:
Religious believers feel justified to harm all those not sharing their specific belief.
But only the perpetrators are brainwashed by education.   The victims are free to defend themselves.   Nobody can brainwash them to cooperate in being harmed and belief the harm to be a benefit.

Sexist men are unconcerned about the harm done by their belief of being justified to use women.
But both the perpetrators and the victims are brainwashed by education to believe in male superiority.   The men are brainwashed to feel entitled to use women, the women are brainwashed into acquiescence and even participation.   Instead of being able to defend themselves against being used, they allow themselves to be used.

Christian moral not only allows men to feel and act superior, but it also limits how much harm men are allowed to do as a consequence of their false belief in their superiority.

The tragedy for women are the men, who when discarding their false belief in a god also discard the restrictions of christian morals to how much harm they do because of their false belief in their superiority.    Atheist men, who maintain the false belief in their superiority, do more harm to women then men, who are restricted by religious morals.    When a man frees himself from false beliefs, he has to get rid also of the false belief in male superiority.

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Replies to This Discussion

It’s important to get to the root of this “brainwashing” you’re talking about. People don’t become “brainwashed” by simply listening to someone speaking. There are objective conditions in society that lead people to believe how they do. One doesn’t become a leader because they’ve stood at a podium and pounded their fist and demanded everyone believe as they say, and then they just do so. People become leaders because they are putting forth ideas that people agree with. In a world full of despair and suffering, religious ideas sound good to the common people, and even better to those who benefit from the mental effects religion has on the masses. Namely, the capitalist class (those who own factories, farms etc.. the means to produce goods), who benefit from unquestioning workers happy to face the constant injustice, suffering, and indignity they endure from having been born to a family who didn’t own any means of production and who must carry out the will of the capitalist class in order to survive and to live with dignity. Religions are like any other pain killers (opiates, alcohol etc..), it numbs people to the pain they’re experiencing and provides them the basis to carry on in the face of it. Why question why the owner of a business is a parasite who lives off of your labor, basically does no work, and treats you like crap, when it’s all just god’s plan and this life isn’t the most important you get anyways? Why care that we live in a world that has long passed the ability to produce adequate food, clean water, shelter, and health care for all, yet you see people dieing all around from treatable conditions? You are “special” and god’s taking care of you…if you just do as I say.

Women don’t auction themselves off to the highest bidder in the dating world because they just heard someone talking about it one day. They do so because they have internalized the oppression they endure under capitalism that has them seen as property. Women, now and historically, have owned less means of production, ergo less means to put forth what is considered “normal” in society. Rich European (or White as they say) men have historically owned more means of production and by virtue of that have been enabled to play on people’s natural fears as social animals by being enabled $$ from their position to put forth what is considered “normal” in society. Women are compelled to do the will of men by the objective conditions in society. If a woman is from a family who doesn’t own means of production, and she wants to have a secure survival and to live somewhat in dignity, she will be forced to do the will of rich men in one way or the other. It will always be the case so as long as men are the ones who overwhelmingly control the means of production, ergo the dominant culture in society.

Atheism and equality for women are only “rational baselines” when being an atheist and acting in ways that promote equality towards women will benefit, rather than harm you within the objective conditions that you find yourself. Atheism and equality towards women are the moral “baselines,” but stand in the way of those who wish to “succeed” under capitalism. Being part of, or leading, a church gets you benefit$ under capitalism (as well as providing mental substance to face the nightmare of a world we live in). Continuing in the tradition of the oppression of women also gets you benefit$ under capitalism. Men obviously benefit from having women doing housework and such, and women benefit in a world where their fastest ticket to the top, and in many cases even having a life worth living, is to do the will of men. You will never fundamentally change the setup where religion and male supremacy dominates unless you dig up the root of the problem, which is the fact that individuals are allowed to own the means to produce goods. As long as rich European/White men are the ones who overwhelmingly control the means of production (and all that flows from that, which is basically everything) we will see the dominate ideas and culture in society be set by them. The only solution to religion and male supremacy is revolution to place the means of production into common ownership. It has nothing to do with “brainwashed” people, but rather the objective conditions people face. I am a revolutionary scientist, not a feminist btw. Feminists are liberals (spit, brushes teeth) who fight for a woman’s equal right to run an empire and to exploit others, I fight for the liberation of women and all of humanity.

Brainwashed by eduction means to me to be first made to take some attitude or belief for granted as if there were not alternative and then being deprived of influences to correct it.

I have long viewed most religions as nothing more than the power play of patriarchs. I agree that fighting religion must be accompanied with fighting patriarchy, otherwise it is a near useless endeavour.

I don't think Christianity limits the harm that can be done to women at all. Look at how American and Australian Christians treated women who dared to be sexually active outside of marriage, until very recently: the social and even physical consequences were dire indeed for women who stepped out of line. Christianity is an old-time Middle Eastern religion which requires women to keep their legs shut outside of marriage, or else. The worry about women and girls having extramarital sex lives caused drastic restrictions on what activities women could participate in, from independent travel to education; US fundamentalist Christians still preach on the AM radio every day that girls "are to be keepers at home," for example.

"I don't think Christianity limits the harm that can be done to women at all. "

It spares the agony of being cheated at least by some god FEARING men.   While it restricts promiscuity, it protects the sensitive, who need monogamy.  


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