None of your doctrines established freedom of religion, democracy, nor a Bill of Rights,etc.
Your religion's beliefs have not resulted in one thing of benefit to mankind. Not one drop of water has been made safe to drink, no disease has been cured, no war has been ended by the beliefs you espouse.
Your home is not air conditioned by any invention of religion. The food that sits in your fridge is produced, transported,processed and refrigerated by technology that derives from science, not religion.
When your son falls seriously ill will it be science that provides the therapy that saves his life? Or will it be your religious doctrine?
When you sit in your church, mosque, or tabernacle, was it religious doctrine that discovered the electricity that powers the lighting therein?
Religious doctrine neither invented the internal combustion machine that you drive to worship meetings nor discovered the refined oil that powers it.
It wasn't religious dogma that stopped Hitler.
2006-07-02 11:14:59 · 20 answers · asked by theagitator@sbcglobal.net 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
What an arrogant question.
Besides that several philosophers of science have pointed out that monotheism is the true basis for the scientific method, religion (specifically the bible) has donated some of the greatest ethics to mankind. "Love thy neighbor as theyself" springs to mind. And even if many "religious" people do not follow what they preach, it has still helped to instill a mentality into human society which is an underpinning of civilization to this day.
And even if you do not agree with a, or any, religion, do you not consider it a morally correct idea to respect other people for who they are and what they believe? That is certainly one of the foundations of the American, democratic ethics which you brought up.
2006-07-02 11:20:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I assume you are an adult and therefore I will not presume to tell you what to do, but since you asked...
I would recommend treating everyone with respect, and they should offer the same in kind. The freedom of speech applies to all.
Most of the benefits of religion have been social ones, but I must point out that Christians are the ones that established the majority of hospitals, through which most of the scientific research to save lives was funded and performed. Muslims began a movement of cleanliness and scholarship that had never been seen before, which furthered education and saved countless lives from infection.
There is no reason to not believe in and respect both religion and science.
Best wishes.
2006-07-02 18:25:10 · answer #2 · answered by K M 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because you should respect all people. And you should respect the things they care about.
AND, you are mistaken about the freedom of religion and democracy in this country. It came about as a direct result of the religeous beliefs of the founding fathers and the people of the time.
Read any of their biographies, or letters, or comments, or the documents they produced (including the constitution with bill of rights) and you will see that they based their philosophies on their religious beliefs.
By the way, I respect your religious belief, which you call by some other name, but is a value/belief system based on un-proveable premise. I don't agree. I just respect.
2006-07-02 18:21:51 · answer #3 · answered by enginerd 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're asking why? I am Muslim, and here's your answer:
My religion is giving tolerance to others' believes!
My religion says people to help each other!
My religion forbids to force people to change their religion!
My religion orders hygiene.(Muslims have to wash their hands, face, feet a few times a day!)
My religion orders to respect the government(even if it's not a Muslim government) and never rebel!
My religion forbids to kill people!
My religion says, it's a bigger sin to kill non-Muslims!
My religion forbids to take even dust from others!
If you took anything from others', it's not forgiven by forswearing! You have to ask "the other person" to "forgive you"!
My religion orders to learn science, wherever it is!
My religion says; the blood of soldiers', dying while defending their country is so precious, but scholars' ink is even more precious!
My religion orders to have the newest technology!
In Koran, there are many things science explored later!
Those are the answer for "Why?"!..
Also, yes, because of my religion ordered to learn science, Muslim scholars, scientists, doctors, physicists etc. did so many things!(I'm sure, you also aren't aware of those, but this is not the topic for it. Send me a pm, and I'll answer you, if you want to learn!)
You want to sound like, religion and science cannot be together. But all you say is just crap!.. Science explore new things, and we use them... So, what? Religion doesn't say, people cannot research, explore, find anything etc.! Religion doesn't say, science doesn't exist and people cannot use its results. Science is also something, like nature, people, created by Allah!
Some scientists believe in God, after they saw so wonderful things about nature!
But sometimes science cannot tell everything... Then, how can you explain those things science cannot tell?
And there's "big bang" theory!
Also, when you feel alone, sorry, etc., the science, cures etc. can't help you! People have a soul, we don't have only flesh and blood. And the cure for your soul is, belief!
While there were no "human rights", "international laws about prisoners of war" etc. agreements, Muslims were already doing those!
And it wasn't the technology, which beat Napoleon!(Napoleon won many wars and had a big army, but he was stopped and beaten in a little castle by Ahmed Cezzar Pasha! So, he couldn't go on!)
2006-07-02 19:53:03 · answer #4 · answered by abcd 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your question has a very stupid contents explaining your beliefs and the way you look at religions. Those "Invented things" are the power of Human Mind which God Granted to Humans, Religion is merely the way human thank his god for those blessings, it's the relation between Man and God and the way to show appreciation and gratefulness.
Without religion, would u be happy if "Human inventions" such as Gun was to kill u in the middle of the street and says "Oh, it's okay, this Gun is science of man"
2006-07-02 18:32:00 · answer #5 · answered by firewireo 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well, first of all, I'm not a believer of any kind, but i think you undervalue the strongest impulse mankind have, provided he/she has a brain; Belief. Not to a Creator of any sort necessarily, it may be to science or to simply him/herself. Your thesis misses some vital information; founder of modern medicine is tough to be an imam: Ibn'i Sina. Chinese developed gunpowder, firstly to be closer to their creator, and the first trial for space travel is from china, which ended disastrously. It wasn't religion but belief, in fact, stopped Hitler. It was also the reason Hitler got strong; Germans believed in him and elected him.
I think you should respect a believer, no matter what he/she believes in, or no matter how silly it may sound to you.
2006-07-02 18:32:24 · answer #6 · answered by ergometermaniac 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You don't have to believe in anyone's religion, no matter what anybody say say, think, or tell you. But I think you should respect what other people think just to be a good person. Are you going to disrespect your child for having an invisible friend (and no, that is not an analogy to the Christian God or Jesus)? Are you going to tell him that he is stupid for playing with said friend? Please, let people believe what they want to beleive. There is enough hate and anger within religion without having anyone else join the party too.
2006-07-02 23:35:48 · answer #7 · answered by marquise_hari 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
thats the problem with americans, they cant see that they do, in fact, need God.
medical therapy would be useless if God decided it was time for that person to die.
tons of water has been made safe to drink through religion-driven charities.
Sir Issac Newton was a Christian, and Albert Einstein was a jew, so religion is absolutely not for the weak minded
2006-07-02 18:24:11 · answer #8 · answered by stevo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Honestly, I don't care if you respect my beliefs or not (though my "religion" is nothing you have insinuated here... christian/jew/muslim). But again, you can't expect much respect if you aren't willing to give a little as well. If nothing else, common courtesy or tolerance... which would be second cousins to respect itself. Or, at least, respect the right others have to belief in the things they do.
2006-07-02 18:21:11 · answer #9 · answered by Kithy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Science still can't create humans. Science STILL can't claim to know the origin of life or even the world. Science is a product of our minds, our mind is a product of the Creator God.
2006-07-02 18:24:53 · answer #10 · answered by traindead 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋