Poll: Would the world be a better place without religion?
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I don't think the world would be better of without religion (speaking as a person who is not religious in the least).
As much as I dislike people living through their religion, I admit that it does a fairly good job of keeping the world in order. Religious wars aside, you really can't argue with unconditional altruism on a day to day business.
Even when the world is ravaged by religious zeal, I do believe that it's not as bad as there potentially being no religion at all.
As much as I dislike people living through their religion, I admit that it does a fairly good job of keeping the world in order. Religious wars aside, you really can't argue with unconditional altruism on a day to day business.
Even when the world is ravaged by religious zeal, I do believe that it's not as bad as there potentially being no religion at all.
The christian God doesn't expect nearly as much from you as the ancient Gods did. Sacrifices, wars in their honour, giant statues made of precious resources... All the christian God wants you to do is kill an hour and a half a week at a church, and even then it's entirely optional.TheDean post=18.71618.741461 said:
Just because you love someone doesn't mean they won't still suffer the consequences of their decisions. A parent may love a child but if the child does something wrong, is the parent supposed to just ignore the consequences? Is ignoring the consequences of your decisions what "love" is to you?TheDean post=18.71618.741461 said:
UPDATE:
Wrong, infact it's easier than that. All you have to do is accept Christ as your savior and ask him into your heart and you are saved. Going to church doesn't save you, geting baptised doesn't save you, giving money doesn't save you. All that extra stuff is just that, extra.Maet post=18.71618.741773 said:
Im going with yes, the world would be a better place without religion. Religion is used as a huge reason for persecution, isolationism and all forms of tension build up. Not only that but it holds the advancement of the human race behind in the form of learning. Some of the smartest people are held back by their religion, especially in physics where with much of modern physics you find huge holes in the bible and reasons for god. Just think how far ahead we would be without having the 1800 years of religion suppressing advancements and free though too? Its the remnants of old superstition that got institutionalized to be used as a control method of the masses, nothing more, nothing less.
In short religion just segregates and causes suffering so yes, we would be better off without it.
Also, to the person saying 'the christian god' Surely the fact that there is more than 1 'god' and all believes are mixed up proves that the idea of an all powerful being is impossible, since if he was all powerful why present a confused argument to who he wants to worship him? Then again, anything being all powerful is impossible since if you are infinitely 1 thing you have to be infinitely not another at the same time thus not being infinitely powerful
In short religion just segregates and causes suffering so yes, we would be better off without it.
Also, to the person saying 'the christian god' Surely the fact that there is more than 1 'god' and all believes are mixed up proves that the idea of an all powerful being is impossible, since if he was all powerful why present a confused argument to who he wants to worship him? Then again, anything being all powerful is impossible since if you are infinitely 1 thing you have to be infinitely not another at the same time thus not being infinitely powerful
The OP's question isn't whether today's society need religion, but what would happen to humanity if religion wasn't present at all.Eggo post=18.71618.734815 said:
In light of this, you yourself admit that religion was needed by humanity. I suppose you and Ares have nothing to argue about in this thread, eh?Serious_Stalin post=18.71618.730975 said:
I've spoken with many a religious zealot and trust me these psychotic madmen are only restrained by the belief that god will punish them if they do something bad, take that away and we're stuck with billions of foaming at the mouth rabid dogs looking to fullfill their bases impulses in the most violent way possible.
Here is somehting to think about:
There is an after life ithout religion.
Consider this, we are made of the same stuff as everyhing else. This means we will, in a sense, live on after we die. things that used to be us will be floating aorund in space. This is the afterlife.
"this moment we are all,
this moment all is us,
we realise we never die,
the moment we accept we do not exist"
the above quote is form a poem.
what the last line is getting at, if you're interested, tough it's not strictly relevant to the topc, is that if we consider the entire universe, we're so small and unimportant we don't even exist.
There is an after life ithout religion.
Consider this, we are made of the same stuff as everyhing else. This means we will, in a sense, live on after we die. things that used to be us will be floating aorund in space. This is the afterlife.
"this moment we are all,
this moment all is us,
we realise we never die,
the moment we accept we do not exist"
the above quote is form a poem.
what the last line is getting at, if you're interested, tough it's not strictly relevant to the topc, is that if we consider the entire universe, we're so small and unimportant we don't even exist.
An unequivocal 'Yes' from me, the world would be a better place without it.
You can point to all the great things that have sprung from religious origins, you can say that religion gives us morality and compassion and a meaningful existence, but I believe that all those things would have existed without religion, except they would have been made stronger by being more focussed on humanity than on some intangible superstition.
You can point to all the great things that have sprung from religious origins, you can say that religion gives us morality and compassion and a meaningful existence, but I believe that all those things would have existed without religion, except they would have been made stronger by being more focussed on humanity than on some intangible superstition.
I would like to make a probably massively over stated point:
War of the Roses - Cause: Power Struggle for British throne
German Wars of Unification - Causes: Prussia/Bismarck's want for power/control of Germany; the rivary between Prussia and Austria; German nationalism; the Vollverine
Napoleonic War - Cause: Napoleon
French Civil War - Cause: The attitude of the aristocracy towards the people
World War I - Causes: The assanination of Franz Ferdinand; the arms race between Britain and Germany; the Franco-Prussian war; the alliance system
World War II - Causes: WW1; German invasion of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland; Hitler's personality; the Treaty of Versailles; the depression of 1930
American Civil War - Causes: the secession of the confederate states from the union; the election of Abraham Lincoln: the existence of slavery in the south; the attack on Fort Sumter; the failure to reach compromise in 1861; the attitudes between the northern and southern states
Simplified, and open to correction, but I think I've made my point. I will listen to no-ones arguments about religion being the cause of all wars without good, historical evidence about this being the case.
Hitler's hatred of the Jewish people played no part in the start of World War 2, so far as I can see.
War of the Roses - Cause: Power Struggle for British throne
German Wars of Unification - Causes: Prussia/Bismarck's want for power/control of Germany; the rivary between Prussia and Austria; German nationalism; the Vollverine
Napoleonic War - Cause: Napoleon
French Civil War - Cause: The attitude of the aristocracy towards the people
World War I - Causes: The assanination of Franz Ferdinand; the arms race between Britain and Germany; the Franco-Prussian war; the alliance system
World War II - Causes: WW1; German invasion of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland; Hitler's personality; the Treaty of Versailles; the depression of 1930
American Civil War - Causes: the secession of the confederate states from the union; the election of Abraham Lincoln: the existence of slavery in the south; the attack on Fort Sumter; the failure to reach compromise in 1861; the attitudes between the northern and southern states
Simplified, and open to correction, but I think I've made my point. I will listen to no-ones arguments about religion being the cause of all wars without good, historical evidence about this being the case.
Hitler's hatred of the Jewish people played no part in the start of World War 2, so far as I can see.
The multiple crusades
Slavery and inhumane conditions in Britain pre 1900 were justified with Christianity.
Pretty much every conflict in Ireland
Britain/France wars
Religion is actually the cause of more wars than other things are, you state nationalism as the cause for many (a point which I will accept) however, think about this. In the majority of these circumstances there is a non secular state (being a state with institutionalized religion) meaning that religion is seen as a key part of national identity, thus causing divisions and ultimately contribute to a large portion of the nationalism.
Also, most wars earlier were to do with religion and the vast majority of persecution too.
Slavery and inhumane conditions in Britain pre 1900 were justified with Christianity.
Pretty much every conflict in Ireland
Britain/France wars
Religion is actually the cause of more wars than other things are, you state nationalism as the cause for many (a point which I will accept) however, think about this. In the majority of these circumstances there is a non secular state (being a state with institutionalized religion) meaning that religion is seen as a key part of national identity, thus causing divisions and ultimately contribute to a large portion of the nationalism.
Also, most wars earlier were to do with religion and the vast majority of persecution too.
I dont believe any religion, however, what I do think is that the values they teach (e.g the 10 commandments) have helped the human race greatly. I do believe that without religion, so much culture would be lost, so many morals and values, gone. Whether god(s) exist or not, religions teach us valuable lessons.
As far as I know, they didn't give leniency to atheists - which, if an anti-religon regime was their agenda, would have surely been the case.Unknower post=18.71618.740853 said:
For those of you that would argue that many wars were fought over religion, please understand one thing...conquest even in the name of religion is still conquest (religion was just used as the excuse for conquest to take place). Trust me, if people didn't have the excuse of religion, there would be just as many wars- just for more basic and less philosophical reasons.
All that religion in the world stands for (becoming more/better than what you are, giving you a set a basic principles and beliefs to stand for, allowing a person the medium for self evaluation/transformation, giving more of yourself to your community, nation, and world) far outweigh all the wars that people want to pass of as in/for the name of religion, but were simply power grabs and principles "justified by God".
All that religion in the world stands for (becoming more/better than what you are, giving you a set a basic principles and beliefs to stand for, allowing a person the medium for self evaluation/transformation, giving more of yourself to your community, nation, and world) far outweigh all the wars that people want to pass of as in/for the name of religion, but were simply power grabs and principles "justified by God".
I think religion is a good thing, it gives us a moral backbone with which to follow. It provides a hope for an afterlife rather than 80 years on earth then nothingness. I don't believe it starts wars like some say(crusades being an outlier that was non biblical religion anyways) Though I will say militant islam is a violent religion that needs abolished.
As for some comments saying people waste their life following a religion/believing in God. How is faith in God,going to church on sunday and living a moral life a waste if it brings someone joy/peace?
As for some comments saying people waste their life following a religion/believing in God. How is faith in God,going to church on sunday and living a moral life a waste if it brings someone joy/peace?