Viking_Hippie

Fair. Changed the link to the Torrentfreak article provided in another comment.

Thanks, that's much better! Updating the post link to that.

Otherwise brilliant people who happen to be religious on the side are fine, if misguided.

That's not who we're talking about here, though. "Religious fucks" in this context almost certainly means people and institutions who insist on their religion being the ultimate decider on what people are allowed to do, say, or even THINK.

THOSE are a poison to freedom, creativity, and well-functioning society. Especially in the cases of theocracies and semi-theocracies like Israel and the US.

That's your answer to everything!

Need money laundering? Turn to the mafia

Need a business advantage? The mafia

Annoyed by neighbors? Also mafia

Need help with your homework? Mafia

Can't decide what to wear? Ask the mafia!

Nope. And even if it was, the HOUSE speaker has no authority over SENATE rules and procedures.

Isaac Newton's religion was as relevant to his scientific achievements as Hitler's vegetarianism was to his atrocities.

In other words: correlation doesn't equal causation.

Society ≠ hierarchy.

In fact, hierarchical authoritarianism (both religious, political, and mixtures) IS the proverbial pyramids.

If not for the pyramids and the exploitation they represent, the Egyptians could have been a much more egalitarian and thus successful society.

So yeah to have complex organized societies it seems a few pyramids were necessary

Nope! Complexity and organization does NOT necessitate strict and often arbitrary hierarchy.

That being said now in the modern period religion isn't necessary

🧑‍🚀🔫🧑‍🚀

but it does seem to have been very important in the past to building complex society

Nope. They just hadn't invented better systems of government yet. In fact, every time social progress has been achieved, it's been in SPITE if religion, never because of it.

as we know it.

Yeah, very much the warts of it all.

the only plus it has is having a familiar GUI and a big community.

Those are exceptionally good plusses, though.

In fact, it's the number one and number two requirements for easing the passage between systems, which is why I chose Zorin.

42/kelpie/Faerun