How can we save people who believe in God?

Question

I know there are many nice people who believe in God, and they wouldn’t intentionally harm anyone. I suspect they would be just as nice if they didn’t believe in God, it’s just how their biological model works for them.

The real evil amongst us, is the vast majority of religious followers and believers who have clearly shown over time to be the major instigators of wars, violence, abuse, greed and practically everything evil on our planet.

How can we stop innocent young lives, especially from birth, from being sucked into this evil religious trap. Doesn’t humanity deserve at least an effort being made in this direction rather than just watching religion and the so-called do goody goody followers corrupting our world with evil.

Answer 1

All we can do is teach people how to think rationally. Sadly, that is the only true defense.

Answer 2

I don't know on what you base your claim that the majoritty of religious followers and believers are the major instigators of war, violence, abuse, greed, etc., but even if that is true, there is a basic flaw in your logic.

That is like saying that because the majority of people drink water, water is the cause of wars, violence, abuse, greed, etc. If it seems that most bad things in the world are done by religious people, that would be because most people in the world follow a religion. There is no causal connection.

Many horrible things happened in Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia, and Communist China, North Korea, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq, and those are all non-religious systems in countries with billions of people.

In places where religious people have power, there is a good chance that those religious people will do evil things with their power. In places where non-religious people have power, there is a good chance that those non-religious people will do evil things.

One could argue that without religion, there would be just as much evil, and no hope for progress. Evil cannot be vanquished if people don't believe in a concept of right and wrong, and in every society that concept starts within the religious system. Without religion, there would still be evil, because violence, war, and the struggle for power are part of human nature. The only difference is that without religion, it would not be called evil, because nobody would be capable of thinking that such things are wrong.

Answer 3

"How can we stop innocent young lives, especially from birth, from being sucked into this evil religious trap."

There is no way unless you want to adopt a Soviet Union-style government. The government would have to be the kind that claims the state knows better than any parent, that parenthood is a privilege, children are wards of the state from birth. Essentially you'd have bureaucrats deciding who is atheistic enough to raise their own children, and who isn't.

And of course, it would have to be world-wide, or you'd have places where wars are encouraged and others where the peaceful people do not prepare for war anymore.

Since you're not going to achieve this without war, and war is bad, you cannot achieve the ends you seek without betraying the very principles you claim to be supporting.


"Doesn’t humanity deserve at least an effort being made in this direction rather than just watching religion and the so-called do goody goody followers corrupting our world with evil."

Parts of humanity -are- making an effort to curb war, bigotry, hatred, and all the other evils of life. Some are religious, some are not. Some are Christian, some are not.

But a world of peace cannot be enforced upon a reluctant minority, let alone a reluctant majority. Peace comes when each one of us decides to stop hating, stop hurting one another, start listening, learning, understanding, recognizing we're all works-in-progress and never finished products.

Each one of us doing this brings that much more peace to the world. When all of us are secure enough, we will all be doing this, and you have world peace.

But as long as there is fear, there will be evil. For those most frightened are willing to do anything, without regard for reality or respect for others.

When we accept responsibility for ourselves, and recognize that at best we can inspire/assist others to grow, we begin to shed our fear and bring peace to the world.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Substitute the word God with religion. Religion can bring you close to God but too much can also draw you away from God. If you look at what happened to Jesus when crucified, Romans didn't want to kill him, poor Jews didn't want to kill him (or at least the ones that really knew him). It was the religious leaders who saw him as a threat to their power and source of money. The only way to know God and do his will is to have a personal relationship with him, not a religious relationship with ceremonies etc. You can't save anyone from believing in God because ultimately everyone will have an opportunity to hear and believe, the great thing about God is he doesn't force you (like religion usually does). You make your own decision to either follow him or not. I know over 20 years ago I asked exactly the same question "How can we save people from God". If you really want to know who God is don't go to a religious church, go to a Christian non-denominal church.

Answer 5

There's more to it than that. They are downright dangerous. Christian Dominionists have largely usurped the local level political apparatus of the Republican Party, and are engaged in a sub rosa process to politically motivate moderate Christians under the false cover of religious issues such as morality and family values. The goal is nothing less than the takeover of all elective offices in the USA.

Their doctrine comes from the Bible, starting with the term 'dominion' at Genesis 1:28... “And God said unto them, [Adam and Eve] Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have DOMINION… over every living thing.” They interpret DOMINION as: “... a supremacy in determining and directing the actions of others or in governing politically, socially, or personally.”

They want to remake the USA as a theocracy... and they are succeeding.

Wake up. Take a stand. Do something... for we are sowing the seeds of our own destruction, while these religious nut-jobs are awaiting God's demolition job.

Answer 6

Religion overall is less of a force than it was a hundred years ago, and that was less than five hundred years ago. Think about the ratio of religious people to free thinkers 5oo years ago, or a hundred.

Also, with the burst of technology in the last fifty years, which will only increase exponentially, it allows us contact with the entire world.
Believers have the same technology to use as well (and use it they do), but we have, common sense, logic, reason, empirical proof and good old science.

Someday these gods will be remembered the same way as Zeus, Ra and the rest

Answer 7

Save us from heaven? I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's hopeless. Sorry.

There has been a lot of trouble caused by religious groups through the years, including and in some cases especially Christianity. But people are corrupt. Also, people will fight for causes they believe in. A lot of violence was also caused by Hitler, and he was fighting for his cause.

Also, if they claim to be part of a religious group and are corrupt, they get more attention because they are hypocrytes. Everyone is human, and we make mistakes. You just notice a bigger splash when supposedly better people fall, because they have created higher heights for themselves.

Answer 8

That's why I'm here.

Quite a few other atheists on YA will tell you the same thing. This is the best outlet I've found to get the word out to people, and get them to start thinking.

Whether they like it or not, one of these days, an atheist's question is going to make them think. And before they realize it, that thought will wake them up, and cause them to ask other questions of their own.

It takes a long time, but we'll jar their brains eventually.

Check out http://www.samharris.org , btw. His book is all about the dangers you mentioned, and why it so important for us to get out and get these people educated!

Answer 9

Christians aren't trying to start any war. Believe it or not being a Christian is all about love. Sorry you've got the wrong idea about it, I hope you'll give it another chance. One day you will see that the only peace in this world comes from God. Peace be with you

Answer 10

F*ck 'em. Save yourself. They already mistakenly think they are the only ones to be saved, so let them perish in their own ignorance.

Seriously, the only way to stop it is by proving once and for all that all religion is BS. However, that will never happen, as the Vatican has already destroyed all the evidence there was proving that the cruciFICTION was just that..... fiction...

Answer 11

Nice people are not always intelligent people. Look, they elected G. Bush!

It is we athists who need to be saved from a world full of these religious nuts. I say let them kill each other and leave the remainder of humanity to thrive without them.