What is your opinion on religion?

Question

mine is that it tears our population into many different parts. even those of the same religion but different countries use it in favour of them for example; oh god is on my side you're gonna die i will live. but thats my opinion. enough about me what about you?

Answer 1

Even though I consider myself spiritual and religous, I agree absolutely with your sentiments. You are a good person and would not pass judgement on a fellow human? I would not pass moral judgement on ANYONE. Seems to me that most of the conflict on earth is caused by judgemental religous bigots, ane ESPECIALLY look to Iraq. "There's a pair of them at it"?

Answer 2

Pretty much! I am not a fan of most religions.. Buddhism and Wicca are the only two that I think are decent religions.

Christianity and Islam in particular (there are others, I know) have been responsible for so many massacres and murders and hate.. and.. it just sickens me.

I highly doubt god is a fan of most religion, too. No matter what Christians say ("It's in the bible! God told so-and-so to write this... it's in the bible!!") religion is STILL man-made and the bible written by men (no women either, which is sad and also makes Christianity very, very biased).

In my opinion, it makes no difference what religion you are or even if you choose not to be a religion. I'm agnostic but respect atheists and have much respect for those who practice religion peacefully and with love, not hate.

Answer 3

Religion is down to personal choice. I am an Atheist, and that's my choice, same as the people I know chose to be Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist etc. You cannot remove someones ability to choose how they wish to live their lives. People always say about how "banning religion will make the world a better place". No it will not. What about the people who, through their religion, do good?

People claim that terrorism is all religion based, yes? That 9/11 was religiously based, that 7/7 was also. That is correct. But terrorists attempt to prevent people from doing something they disagree with by the use of terror, fear and intimidation. There are many people (including myself) who are opposed to animal testing, and then there are the extremists, who set fire to buildings, and attack scientists who work on those animals. That is also terrorism of a kind, yet it is not based on religion.

Religion is not the problem in this world, humanity is.

Answer 4

I think it holds back science and changes in culture. At the same time it causes Wars and divisions in the world that can never be healed. It discriminates against all kinds of people like women and homosexuals.

On the other hand, it brings faith and hope to people all over the world. Religion gives belief and spiritual guidance to people who need it. Many religions are charitable and support people who truly need it.

So I guess there are good sides and bad sides to religion. Does the good out-weigh the bad?

Answer 5

I think religion is a menace. It has caused wars thoughout the world since they started writing about wars. Religion is brainwashing - especially when you get the extremists. When your are going to die, your going to die - to say that god chooses when is a load of bollox.

The worst for religion and fanatical behaviour, unfortuneatly appears to be the middle east. If religion is so good, why is the world such a rotten place to millions of people. Its really sad.

Answer 6

I think the only problem with religion is fundamentalism. Refusing to interpret holy books, and following EXACTLY as they say. It's things like that that make Christians think that witches should be burned at the stake, and make Muslims believe that dying for the glory of Allah, and taking infidels down with them, would get them seventy-some-odd virgins.

But the cores of all religions teach the same things: kindness to your fellow man, independence from worldly pleasures and greed, etc. And I think that it is only when a group strays from those core ideals of all religion that it causes problems.

Answer 7

It is my firm belief (get it?), that religion is there to provide comfort for all the simple people in the world who suffer from excessive insecurity and turn to religion to provide succour. Men and women who are insecure can be very dangerous and invariably act in an unreasonable way. We need look no further than today's troubles (Israel, Palestine, terrorists, minority groups), all of whom are displaying actions and attitudes as the result of uncontrollable insecurity and all using religion as an excuse. The time will never come when the human race will stop looking over its collective shoulder.

Answer 8

Organized religion has caused many problems (I was brought up a Catholic).

I believe many churches do more good (nowadays) than they do harm. But it is people who declare themselves as religious (See Bush) and then ignore all of that Church's teachings that really cause problems.

I now count myself (still) as a Christian, but by that I mean I try (and fail daily) to follow the teachings of Christ and not of any particular Church.

I do this by reading the Gospels and not listening to other's opinions on them.

I have tried to answer in detail, but if you check my past answers you will see I am no religious nut.

Take care,

Regards.

Answer 9

Religion does nothing but confuse people. There is so much out there, they don"t know what to believe. The main thing knowing is, that you are saved by the Grace of God. Salvation through the Blood of Jesus is what takes you to Heaven. Not religion.

Answer 10

Religion so easily turns people into braying bigots reaching for a rifle. Actually this is only really true of Christians, Muslims and Jews who are all convinced hat they are soooo right. Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs are much more rational and, generally, have no problem with each other.

Answer 11

Religion fills a deep human need, specifically to reassure the believer his/her life has purpose, context and meaning. It helps assuage fear of death, and the corrosive feeling that life generally, and your life in particular, might not have any significance.

Paradigms of the religion provide a frame of reference for decisions and choices, especially moral dilemmas, offering the believer reassurance that his/her decision is correct in the eyes of the deity (or deities), often to fit with some vaguely defined divine plan. This helps the believer's commitment to the decision and, in time, can reinforce the view that making an alternative choice in similar circumstances is incorrect or, indeed, profoundly wrong. Belonging to a community of fellow believers buttress these related feelings and lead to a sense of fealty and even innate superiority amongst the community, their families, culture and society.

Human societies have developed religions from earliest times, all of which are, or have become, entwined with the local culture. It could be argued the major world religions have become successful because of their respective political campaigning - Christianity did not become embedded in Western culture, nor Islam in the East, without bloody battles, political patronage and labyrinthine manoeuvring.

Successful religions need unbelievers, apostates and opponents as much as believers, because religion is at once deeply personal and a seminal component of social / cultural development. Even atheistic political regimes encourage deification of its leaders (Stalin, Mao, Ceacescu, Kim Jong Il, etc.), while many political leaders of (essentially) religious societies claim (or imply) they act in the name of that society's deity (monarchs, prime ministers and presidents up to and including G.W. Bush). Likewise opponents are demonised - events going against the wishes or interests of the believer(s) can be blamed on any combination of devils, imps, malign spirits, challengers, religious ‘deviants’ or different faiths. Sometimes, negative occurrences can be interpreted as retribution by the deity for a lack of faith or adherence by some to recognised tenets of the religion. Pretty much every religion has a tendency to splinter into sectarian groups.

Rejection of religion usually finds the atheist substituting his/her belief in the prevailing orthodoxy with belief (however vaguely) in another abstract - science, humanity, progress, or perhaps nature. Sometimes the fervour associated with religion is directed by atheists against believers. Without some kind of alternative belief system, atheists can become increasingly mired in moral complexities – or just simply indulge atavistic impulses.

Religion does appear to be at the root of most of the world’s conflicts but remember: Enlisting the creator on your side is always a good move politically. God is great for dignifying grabs for money, power or resources. Ruthless exploiters of people, planet and situations are quite probably devout believers; they have to reconcile their actions to themselves and religion is a sure mechanism for doing that, just as it helps people come to terms with grief, fear or guilt. It's an intrinsic part of the human make-up, whether we like it or not.

And if you happen to believe in such a thing as evolution, perhaps you'll agree we’re a long way away from shedding this particular skin.