Why don't religious leaders..

[Brian Peacock]

I wonder if that is why the most fierce disagreement seem to be within religious traditions and not between religious traditions - not all the time, but often. Look at Fred Phelps for example, he thinks all Christians who don't subscribe to his message of hate are sinners who will burn in hell and who will suffer the moral ruin of a whole nation. Shia and Sunni. Catholic and Protestant.

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

I think a major factor for the reluctance to discuss which religion is better is a more or less conscious awareness that by questioning the validity of any one particular theology one opens the gate to questioning the validity of religions in general. That's why there are so many ecumenical movements and occasional sentiments expressing the belief that even a non-theist like, say, a Hindu can be admitted into the Christian heaven if he has lead a morally good life.

They used to, but nowadays certainly with the major organised religions (where they do not control the state / cannot impose their will by force) it is a conscious decision not to question other major religions for the reasons you state. Obviously always those on the fundy fringes who do argue that, but they are unimportant.

It is one of the reasons that Christians in particular have created "Militant Secularism" as an enemy of religion - as can't directly say that they want their own religion to be treated better than other ones, for then they would have to justify being better. Whereas by arguing against Militant Secularism they can attempt to claim the moral highground by arguing against people "with no morals" blah blah blah - ignoring that Secularism is not simply an Atheist idea. Plenty of those with religion want them kept out of the State.

[Brian Peacock]

Yes Jesus. The Catholics in particular seem to have wilfully forgotten that the idea of the secular estate was developed by them during the middle-ages as a means of limiting the interference of Princes and robber-barons with their organisation's commercial interests. They were, after all, doing Jesus' work, as I'm sure you know.

[Seth]

I think it's in part to avoid the doubled edge, and in part because they prefer audiences which don't talk back.

That's why they call it "preaching." It's not supposed to be a two-way conversation. For that, find a Jesuit.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I think it's in part to avoid the doubled edge, and in part because they prefer audiences which don't talk back.

That's why they call it "preaching." It's not supposed to be a two-way conversation. For that, find a Jesuit.

Yeah, I'm aware of that, thanks.

[amused]

..have the following debate:

'My Religion is Better than Yours and why".

I'm half serious. Why do you think they wouldn't consider it?

They want to be able to control the message within their own controlled environment, complete with organ music, stained glass, and chanting. Political 'debates' are few and far between for the same reason - there's too much risk of damaging the brand. See: Rick Perry. So they have campaign events instead.

Religion is a social/political/commercial enterprise with a lot at stake. When looked at under a bright light, every assertion made by every religion is nonsense, excepting the basic idea of "be nice to each other." The bright lights shone by reason and science are dismissed by religion as not being real authorities because, well, because religion has done a good job of discrediting those authorities in the minds of their flock of sheep. If a series of different recognized religious authorities discredited each of the competing religions by pointing out the stupidity, the whole farce of religion would implode. So they don't do that as a professional courtesy among shysters.

[FBM]

Something about the futility of trying to reason someone out of something that they never reasoned themselves into in the first place...

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

So they don't do that as a professional courtesy among shysters.

Very succinctly put

[Pappa]

..have the following debate:

'My Religion is Better than Yours and why".

I'm half serious. Why do you think they wouldn't consider it?

Write to the BBC and suggest it as a topic for The Big Questions.

[Brian Peacock]

More of a mass debate.


I like organ music, stained glass, and chanting btw. Just sayin' ....

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You have to realize that the "religious leaders" often don't believe the religion they've touting. So they agree to pretend the other leaders' religions are "separate but equal" to avoid the exact thing the OP is hoping to produce, a mass discrediting of all religions.