Considering their bloody histories, the major religions deserve scorn,not respect. Do you know why?

Question

Turn on your TV. See Lebanon? See N. Ireland? See Iraq? See Afganistan? See Serbia?See Kashmir? See all the religious wackos killing each other the world over yesterday,today, and tomorrow.

I respect your Right to believe but, to me ,your beliefs are a plague, a parasitic, contagious madness that threatens once again to destroy civilization and inflict misery and death thereupon. I am nauseated by your hypocrisy and bloodthrist.

WHATS TO RESPECT? SHOULD I RESPECT A MURDERERS BELIEFS?

Answer 1

Look, religion has always been a point of pride and arrogance with people all over the world for as long as the first caveman made a stone idol and then ran a spear through the head of a rival tribesman who chose to worship another idol.
The Crusades, the Spanish Conquistadores, the rivalry over trade in Japan with the Dutch, the English and the Portugese all killing one another and sending missionary after missionary in to 'convert" the 'heathens'.
Now granted you don't see the pope threatening rulers with excommunication because they won't mass armies to go fight but you can see the Middle east (which has always been a hotbed) is up to it's ears in the religious aspect of the war.
The Irish too as you pointed out, although this wasn't officially sanctioned by the church they combatants still based their killing on it. Oh...and the British only because they felt they were under the thumb of the crown too.
But that aside, look up the lyrics to Woody Guthrie's song "God on Our Side". Excellent song. Sort of a backhanded comment about religion and killing.

Answer 2

Most of the religious wars in history have been fought by fringe groups that were condemned by their orthodox church. Sure the Crusades were an exception, but as they say, "The exception proves the rule".

Do you honestly believe that most devote religious people condone violence in the name of God? Of course not! God doesn't need people to make war for Him.

Also, do you believe that religion is the real reason for most of the violence in the world? Or isn't it more likely conflicts around the world are caused by a simple lack of resources or desired land?

I agree that the beliefs of someone who is willingly to kill should be examined and maybe respected in a minor way, but do not associate the beliefs of a radical group with the beliefs of a peaceful one. You should respect the beliefs of anyone who believes that peace is preferably to war and that doing good is better than doing evil.

So now the real question you have to ask yourself is: "How can I be better than the people who disrespect others if I disrespect others myself? How can I expect people to understand me if I do not attempt to understand them?"

Hope that helps

Answer 3

These wars, which have been going on for a very long time, are for power and land. They are clashes between cultures and people groups who have had hatred between them for many years, religion really has little to do with it. Of course, I would add a caveat concerning the Islamofascist who blow themselves up along with others in the name of Allah, but that is another issue all together. I assume you are an atheist, so do you think the atheist belief system has clean hands?
Stalin(atheist) - over 60 million of his own citizens murdered, including over 20 million he starved to death in the Ukraine
Hitler(atheist) - Over 6 million Jews, Christians, gypsies and others tortured and murdered.
Pol Pot(Atheist) - Murdered over 2 million Cambodians (the Killing Fields), Close to half of the population of his country.
Shall I continue?

Answer 4

You're going to get a lot of answers about "free will," and how no religion endorses violence, and some other excuses. This has been going on forever. They can say whatever they want, but when the day is done there are millions of people, all over the world, at war because they think it's their "god-given right" to exterminate the enemy.

"My god is bigger than your god" leaves bloody craters. When will it end?

Answer 5

Do not confuse major religions with their followers who claim to act on their behalf. Honestly, if there was no religion there would be another aspect people would fight over, ethnicity, governments, culture, language etc. Also, many wars may seem to be coordinated with religions but often this is just a cover for resource grabs, vendettas, territorial sovereignty. Do not blame the worlds religions for our ills, blame those who abuse and twist religion to their own selfish goals.

Answer 6

From the time the the concept of God came in to this world from the Greeks (Zeus) there has been war in the name of God - apart from that the humans have been stupid enough to fight in the name of the same God - Unbelievable.

Only the Hindu's live a peaceful life and believe in Gods - May be because it is influenced by Brahmanism and Buddhism.

Actually you cant blame God - can't blame someone who doesn't exist can we? It is some of the stupid priests that should be hung.

Answer 7

properly religious wars are additionally tied into politics. The muslim extremists as we communicate are actually not doing this for islam they're doing it for ability. The muslim and hindu conflicts have been modern-day even in the past the chop up of the country into India and Pakistan. The conflict exchange into no longer completely political. You cant use faith to choose a human beings because of the fact faith does no longer make you evil. human beings even with the undeniable fact that, could make faith evil.

Answer 8

Good for you! make up your own mind. That's what agnostics and atheists do every day
Edit: No Body, Northern Ireland has NO muslims, its the protestants trying to force their will on the Catholics. Hmm , sound kind of familiar? A lot like America right now? but nice try!

Answer 9

There's an excellent interview with Karen Armstrong at http://www.salon.com/books/int/2006/05/30/armstrong/print.html

Here's a snippet (it's deep so please read carefully):

"Secular fundamentalists have as bigoted a view of religion as some religious fundamentalists have of secularism. When you hate religion, it's also very easy to hate the people who practice it. Fundamentalism has developed in every single one of the major traditions as a response to secularism that has been dismissive or even cruel. If you repress the sexual instinct and try to tamp it down, it's likely to develop all kinds of perverse and twisted forms. And religion's the same. "

Answer 10

... and just who do you target as the perpetrators of these "religeons" ? there are many Christians for example, that dont associate with any "religeon" proper .... the ideas that drove some of the wars like the crusades i dont back and im a christian ....so thinking like urs is dangerous, ur trying to label a group of people as being responsible based on a general descriptive term of their belief ... and the bottom line is that madmen throughout history have come to your enlightened revelation and commenced genocide and atrocities of unimaginable proportions ... i see a belief like urs in about the same way as i see a white supremists beliefs ... uninformed, uneducated, and dangerous to everyone.