>> ^JiggaJonson:

If there is one thing the bible got right it's this: the love of money is the root of all evil.


Possibly the one and only thing Ayn Rand actually got right...her refutation of this old saw is amazing. An eleven page (IIRC) monologue by Francisco refuting the claim is actually readable, understandable, and quite logical. Money is a symbol and a tool, and quite a powerful tool at that. It expands our capability far beyond anything that could have been accomplished when limited to a barter economy.

The part she failed to grasp (or refused to admit, I'm not sure) is that unrestrained greed is -not- a virtue. Once you throw away ethical behavior in the pursuit of unbridled acquisition...once you start treating people as tools to be used rather than human beings...once you begin to look at people as sheep to be fleeced rather than trading partners to make mutually profitable deals with...you -are- evil.

If there is one thing the bible got right it's this: the love of money is the root of all evil.

I'm a big fan of Obama and believe that Keynesian economics isn't the root of all evil that the right would have you believe, but this is pretty darn funny. Any time you go into a crowd of a lot of people and ask as many people you can find a really intelligent question that sounds really stupid, you can edit out the intelligent responses and watch the hilarity unfold.

"They" would never let that happen -Can you say "Assassination!" (Just ask JFK - oh, right, ya can't)

>> ^probie:

President Ventura. I don't know about you, but I like it.

Congratulations! Your comment has just received enough votes from the community to earn you 1 Power Point. Thank you for your quality contribution to VideoSift.

Hey, Sifters? I have a problem with you.

As most of you probably know by now, I'm a staunch anti-theist, and yet:

- Religion is not the root of all evil.
- Nothing is and nothing could ever be the "root of all evil". (Dawkins' words (paraphrased), not mine)
- To say that religion is the root of all evil is impossibly immature, it alienates the moderates and does not help the causes of rationality and science in the slightest, and Sifters ought to know by now that it's mostly extremists that see the world in black and white.
- Jesse Ventura is a paranoid conspiracy nut that just happens to have been influenced by someone to add religion to one of the batshit-insane ideas he subscribes to (Alex Jones, I'm looking at you).

Here's a couple of things Mr.Ventura believes in, via reddit:

* He thinks the Bilderberg Group controls the world and is looking to thin out the population through disease and vaccines. Also, they're going to KILL HIM, apparently.
* He thinks there's a weapon in Alaska that can change the weather, shoot down satellites or trigger global mind control.
* He thinks we're all gonna die in 2012 (except for the elite few who get to hide in bunkers).
* He thinks Big Brother is real.
* He thinks 9/11 was an inside job.

So please, don't upvote Jesse Ventura just because he happens to identify as an atheist, because his reasoning is inherently flawed. His view of the world is more similar to that of Jenny McCarthy rather than, say, Christopher Hitchens. You do upvote QualiaSoup's amazing videos because of his rational explanations of how one arrives at his beliefs (or lack thereof), don't you? So please, don't tolerate Ventura's 9/11 theories, just because he "bashes religion" - next time you see a clip of him venting, evaluate his line of thought and THEN cast a vote accordingly.

/sarcasm>> ^MrFisk:

religion controversy
Hmph, almost never see those two words together...

I don't know if Religion is the "root of ALL evil" but it's certainly up there with Greed.

Agree with Ponce above ^. I agree with Jesse that religion is the root of all evil, he's spot on. But he really starts denting his credibility with all the conspiracy theories.

Your video, Jesse Ventura "I Think Religion Is The Root Of ALL Evil!", has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

>> ^Gallowflak:

I like him. But I think it's dense to imagine religion as being the root of all evil. Religion is a fabrication of man, and has to be a consequence of something else. It's the inadequacy of the human creature which is the root of all evil, filtering into the world through various delightful minty flavours.

Agreed. Christopher Hitchens put it with characteristic bluntness when he spoke of the inherent shortcomings of human beings.

"This kind of theocratic fascism will never die because we belong to a very poorly-evolved mammarian species. I'm a complete materialist in that sense. We're stuck with being the product of a very sluggish evolution. Our pre-frontal lobes are too small and our adrenaline glands are too big. Our fear of the dark and of death is very intense, and people will always be able to profit from that."

-Interview with Johann Hari, 2004

I like him. But I think it's dense to imagine religion as being the root of all evil. Religion is a fabrication of man, and has to be a consequence of something else. It's the inadequacy of the human creature which is the root of all evil, filtering into the world through various delightful minty flavours.

You might as well say "Human beings are the root of all evil" religion and religious thought is so intertwined with our species it's probably related to language in that there's a genetic predisposition for it.

I would've loved for you to have put some more time in linking evolution, population, and corporate greed. It's an interesting link that I could imagine would take a bit more explanation.>> ^NordlichReiter:
Porksandwich, below is a bit of pessimism and sarcasm.
It's a sick world were companies profit off of survival of the fittest.
I would like to think that the Human Race can surpass that, but probably not. Given the nature of today's world. Money is the root of all evil. The US uses fake paper as it's currency not real monies.
From a science standpoint, I would think that the race would benefit from good health care, but you know how science is seen.
More bad news; according to the US Census Bureau 152,505 people die every day, globally. There are only a couple sure things in life; death, taxes, and becoming a statistic.

(Figures may not add to totals due to rounding)
-------------------------------------------------
Natural
Time unit Births Deaths increase
-------------------------------------------------
Year 131,940,516 56,545,138 75,395,378
Month 10,995,043 4,712,095 6,282,948
Day 361,481 154,918 206,563
Hour 15,062 6,455 8,607
Minute 251 108 143
Second 4.2 1.8 2.4
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/pcwe
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/popwnote.html

Porksandwich, below is a bit of pessimism and sarcasm.

It's a sick world were companies profit off of survival of the fittest.

I would like to think that the Human Race can surpass that, but probably not. Given the nature of today's world. Money is the root of all evil. The US uses fake paper as it's currency not real monies.

From a science standpoint, I would think that the race would benefit from good health care, but you know how science is seen.

More bad news; according to the US Census Bureau 152,505 people die every day, globally. There are only a couple sure things in life; death, taxes, and becoming a statistic.

(Figures may not add to totals due to rounding)
-------------------------------------------------
Natural
Time unit Births Deaths increase
-------------------------------------------------
Year 131,940,516 56,545,138 75,395,378
Month 10,995,043 4,712,095 6,282,948
Day 361,481 154,918 206,563
Hour 15,062 6,455 8,607
Minute 251 108 143
Second 4.2 1.8 2.4
-------------------------------------------------
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/ipc/pcwe
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/popwnote.html

I don't like survival of the fittest.

To bad you were born to play the game, we all were.