Are religious debates too Western-centric?


DragonQuestWes's avatar
I am an Atheist, but the problem I have with a lot of religious debates be it atheists vs. religious people, atheists vs. atheists and religious people vs. religious people, is that these debates just stop at Western civilization.

People tend to forget that the Abrahamic religions such as "Christianity, Judaism and Islam" came from the Middle East and there's also Buddhism from Asia. I never hear much about Chinese religions such as Taoism.

As someone who's spoken to a Muslim, I've learned that Europeans (who before they were mostly Christian, had worshiped Norse gods such as Thor) used Christianity as a means of colonizing other lands and that Western Christianity is sort of a "perverted" version of Middle Eastern Christianity because of the racism perpetuated by a lot of white male "Christians." Not to mention that there are Atheists who brag about how secular the West is compared to the Middle East while ignoring the fact that there are secular Middle Eastern countries too so I never got the hype over why people actually like Richard Dawkins because I've heard that he's an absolute prick.

So are we too US-centric/Euro-centric in our religious debates here?
Comments186
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
WolfOfRebellion's avatar
Well, according to my experience, most people that I debated with were from west. They kept calling me "retard from WBC" :|
DragonQuestWes's avatar
Since when did the WBC exist in Serbia?

I swear, I'm beginning to hate Westerners more than I hate weeaboos.
WolfOfRebellion's avatar
WBC don't exist in Serbia, however some people here on dA compared me with them. Like they never heard for Catholics or Orthodox. :|
Didj's avatar
I can't really recall the last time that someone came knocking on my door trying to convert me to Shintoism. Or when people where demanding that the Hindu story of creation be taught in science classes. Or the last time I saw a anyone standing on a street corner, screaming at people though a microphone about how no one will never reach enlightenment unless they accept Buddha into their lives.
DragonQuestWes's avatar
I'm aware of the whole thing about knocking on your door and saying "Hey let me tell you about so-and-so, got a minute?" But I wonder if it's like that elsewhere at least on a grand scale.
creyk's avatar
That could be because the western world is the most advanced, and we are western people as well.
Why would we care about their religious problems, when we have ours?
I agree with what you wrote in your opening about Christianity being a tool by the rulers way back. And well then, as the generations were taught those things over and over again, it just became very ingrained in people's thinking.
Totally-dead's avatar
Why is RD an absolute prick? And since when is being nice necessary to being right?

And of course we fucking are. Most of us are bloody from the US or europe! This is an english speaking art site! The vast majority of major english speaking countries where people interested in art sites are liable to exist with proper internet connections, have a christian majority in their populations!
DragonQuestWes's avatar
You know there's reasonable pricks and there's just pricks. That's how it is. That's what I can say about Dawkins.
Totally-dead's avatar
Why specifically is this prick just a prick?
DragonQuestWes's avatar
For starters, he attacks Islam more than he attacks Christianity. Since when has Islam been a threat to us? "Islam one of the greatest evils?" He also acts as if the West is superior to the "Islamic world."

If we're going to talk human rights, why don't we start with ourselves before acting like we can talk about how awful Sharia law is? Yeah, Sharia law is awful, but you know the US and NATO supported the Taliban and Saudi Arabia wants us to bomb the shit out of Iran. We know that there are Christians who've pretty much done shit like homophobia, sexism and whatnot. Our society is full of pots calling the kettle black.
Totally-dead's avatar
Yes, but we hate them. They are the fringe of our society comparatively, and many people are not happy with our country`s foreign policy.

Can the same be said for the majority of Islam dominated countries?

I do not hold such a radical view, but I will admit I prefer modern Christianity on the whole, to modern Islam.
AlieaArt's avatar
A bit of that is due to cencorship in their own part of the globe, like banning youtube in some places.

So its of no surprize to see a western website to be of mostly western ideals.
DragonQuestWes's avatar
Censorship? And you know this because?
AlieaArt's avatar
I didn't mean to sound like I know everything about it...

Anyway, did at one point China censor some google searches involving freedom and the like? That is what I ment.

I don't know if DA will get the same treatment or not. (Hope not)
DragonQuestWes's avatar
The whole "China censoring the internet" thing was nothing more than a distraction to keep people away from real issues such the lack of human rights in the US. People who call China a "tyranny" are nothing more than pots calling the kettle black.
AlieaArt's avatar
"People who call China a "tyranny" are nothing more than pots calling the kettle black."

I agree, China is just another country with a diffrent view.

The distraction worked, it was all they talked about the whole time.
neurotype-on-discord's avatar
Here? Yeah.

"As someone who's spoken to a Muslim"--but that doesn't make me think we should start having more Eastern oriented debates. If the West is what most people know, stick to it.
DragonQuestWes's avatar
Never said that we should though. Just wondering if people would learn from experience since a lot of people tend to act as if they know everything about Islam or other religions besides Christianity for that matter.
neurotype-on-discord's avatar
DragonQuestWes's avatar
The experience of the believers of religious groups from the other side of the globe of course.
neurotype-on-discord's avatar
But if the majority is Western anyway, doesn't it make sense to focus on that?
DragonQuestWes's avatar
Just focusing on the West is one thing but imposing views on elsewhere is another.
neurotype-on-discord's avatar
How is this imposing views on elsewhere?
siegeonthorstadt's avatar
I can write a whole book on this subject. I thought the cause was the lack of age in this forums, thank you for pointing out that its a western tradition unrelated to age.