Can Someone who Believes in Any Religion Help Me Understand This?

Question

I recently asked a Question About Religion, and the Majority of Responses went something like this.. "If there was No Religion people would Rape, Murder, Steal, etc...),Religion keeps people in check.........So here's my Question

If All that's True, How do you Explain All the Rape, Murder, Thefts,
that happen all the time? AND CRIMES COMMITTED BY RELIGIOUS FIGURES (Priests, Rabbi's, Imans, etc) ???

Answer 1

religion is the biggest cause of all hate in the world i would ban it

Answer 2

THis probably the answer to your previous question...

Have you ever thought that why each day is of 24 hours....Why each year is of 365 days. Why is the sun following a strict path from centuries, why is the moon following a strict protocol. Why werent we alone, why do we have opposite sexes. Why isnt a horse or a cammel or a cow or a donkey carnivorous, why isnt a lion herbivorous.
All this suggest that the world is created and being maintained by some one. Now if you see the society you will find that today or may be generation after bad things produce bad effects and good thing produce good results.
This also suggest the same that there is some one who is controlling every thing ...
Now if he is controlling every thing he must have set a protocol and right path for humans also...
Several people (Prophets) have proposed paths ...
But you must analyze the personality of the person who is claiming to the messenger or prophet... Is he trying to have any personal gains.. how strongly his followers believed in him.. before being prophet what the society thought of him... And has his teachings and protocol been stored in a saf and uncontrovertail way ...

THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION:

My country has made some laws so that people follow the law and things go in harmony... but the police and people both break the law... who are you going to blame... the religion or the followers

Answer 3

I don't think religion has anything to do with keeping people in check. I choose to believe that most people are not sitting around wishing they could rape or murder others and only refrain from doing so because they think their god is watching.

There really is no explaining the atrocities committed by clergy - or by anyone, for that matter. Wearing a particular robe or mouthing the words to prayers and meditations do not automatically exclude people from loss of control or mental illness. There are clergypeople out there who have faked their way into a position of power and authority for the sole purpose of exploiting said power. Again, nothing to do with religion.

Answer 4

People are people and people are imperfect.
I'm going to sound a little cinical but bare with me....

People are often times brutish and stupid and it seems to be in our nature to do things that are, if not horrible, then at least not in our species best interests. religion is not ment as a cure all for societies vices and human impulses. It was intended to provide people with a bunch of guidelines to be less... well brutish and stupid. This is why people believe without it the world would decend into chaos and insanity. But the same argument could be said about a world without laws and governement. With out any rules people (as a whole, not individuals) will tend to follow their needs and desires instead of their morals and compassions. Look at any tragedy in the world. Crime is a part of human nature since the concept of crime and punishment is a creation of humanbeings. An animal has no concept that killing is wrong.... yet people do. Animals feel no shame for being naked yet most poeple do. This is why despite religion and law people commit murder, rape, ect.... because we know that society says they are wrong but the "baser animal" in us makes no distinction between right and wrong.

Answer 5

I don't pretend or imagine to have a reason for all that hate and violence. I can say that the purpose of Religion is not to keep people "in check" but to guide them. To give them choice and a path to walk on. Religion has some answers for your question.

It may be all related to the original sin. You know, man's fall in the garden of Eden, when Sin was introduced into the world.

Or maybe all of that evil in the world exists so that it is harder to believe in Christ and the truth that is in him.

or maybe, just maybe, it exists so that we can see. See that a life in Christ can be a better life, that a life in Christ can be joyous, and even though you may walk through the valley of the shadow of Death you will not fear because you are not alone.

Faith is so dynamic in nature, it is impossible to define or truly understand. That is the long and the sort of it...faith and religion have nothing to do with the answers given here, it is a process of seeking and believing even in the face of such things.

Answer 6

You are asking a very general question.

We are all human and we all make mistakes. Some make much bigger mistakes than others.

I can't speak for any other "religion," I can only speak from Christianity and faith. Christianity isn't about religion, it's about relationship.

With that said, most of us that follow Christianity (followers of Christ) with our faith, stay away from rape, murder and thefts.

It's the non-followers and non-saved folks that partake in the rape, murder and thefts (NOT ALL...but most).

As for Priests (don't know about the Rabbi's) they have walked away from the Lord when they do whatever it is that they do. They are no longer on the path if they are sinning and committing crimes.

Not all Priests do these things. There are righteous people out there spreading the word of God. Teaching us the ways of Christ.

Take a look at John 10:10 "the thief comes but to kill, to steal and to destroy but I have come to give you life and give it more abundantly. ((This is Jesus talking and the thief is also known as Satan, his demons or the enemy.)) He (the enemy) has taken it upon himself to try and destroy us, all of us. That's why there's so much hate, anger and violence in this trouble world.

People that choose not to believe in God or choose not to be in relationship with Jesus have just as many or even more problems than us Christians.

The enemy doesn't give a hoot about you and will heap on as much crap as possible. You are not a force to be reckoned with...you are going to hell with him and he's more than happy to have you there to share eternity with him. This just means that you've bough his lie...and are living your life for yourself (selfish and self-centered). When you give your life to the Lord things changed...

When you are born again or saved...you will now get the attention of the enemy because you are now a threat to his kingdom of darkness. Pretty awesome that changing my life for the better would send shock waves into the spiritual realm. WOW!

You know even Satan in his demons believe in God...and they are all going to hell. It's not all about just believing. It's about having faith.

God said I would be saved if I had faith in Jesus...I do

Answer 7

I disagree with the majority of responses. If there was no religion, people of good will would evolve one, seeking to understand the mysteries of creation and life. Religion is about exploring and explaining mysteries such as life, afterlife, and the nature and existence of our common reality, usually in the context of the existence of one or more Creator God(desse)s.

As for why crimes are committed all the time, often by humans... no human religion appears to disconnect us from our common drives to compete for resources/status within our tribe and procreate, though many try.

Short form of your answer: Whatever we worship, we are all still human, and experience says that we all feel lust, fear, rage, all the primal emotions. These will lead us to sin and crime if not somehow checked; whether we worship a deity or not, we must somehow restrain ourselves. Some will fail the test, even among the "faithful," since worship does not free us of the emotions.

A healthy religion also teaches us to love and respect each other and the Creation; some also teach love of the Creator for having created us. However, the primal emotions are mostly survival-driven, and in non-survival cases, are usually inappropriate. Rage, if indulged leads to crimes of violence; lust leads to many other crimes, and greed is a variation of competitiveness that leads to many kinds of cheating, especially including lying and stealing.

Many of the people who believe in religion think that religion is the only force which teaches other emotions and behaviors. I think this is wrong; philosophy and simple education can teach one to honor Rousseau's "Social Contract" in self-interest; but faith can cause one to behave as though one's conduct is constantly on display before a loving parent.

Answer 8

Personally, I do not believe religion stops that. Instead, it through God that this stops.

Religion is a bunch of traditions and customs handed down over the years. Some of it based upon false gods, other based upon the one True living God. However, just because you are religious does not stop you from committing crimes.

Everyone is born a sinner. We all lie, dishonor are parents, and then blame God for everything. But when we realize who we are, and that the only way we will every change our ways is by accepting the fact that Jesus died on the cross to save us, rose up from the dead by the power of God on the third day, and take him as our Savior, only then will we see a decrease in crimes. I say decrease, because we still try and do our own thing. It is only when Christ comes back to take over the world will crime cease.

For more information go to the Sword of the Cross website at www.katgum.com

Answer 9

Hi,
That is a good question and just so you know there is a place to find very good answers which is the bible. It does seem confusing to many who have not studied to see what God's purposes are and what he is going to accomplish in the future. I am enclosing a copy of some information from www.watchtower.org with scriptures cited that explain what the answers are. Please look them up for your understanding. Good luck, if I can be of any further help or answer any more questions please feel free to contact me thru yahoo.


Jehovah's Witnesses—Who Are They? What Do They Believe?

Questions Often Asked by Interested People
If God is love, why does he permit wickedness?
GOD does permit wickedness, and millions on earth willfully make a practice of it. For instance, they declare wars, drop bombs on children, scorch the earth, and cause famines. Millions smoke and get lung cancer, practice adultery and get sexually transmitted diseases, use alcohol to excess and get cirrhosis of the liver, and so on. Such people do not truly want all wickedness stopped. They only want the penalties for it eliminated. When they reap what they have sown, they cry out, "Why me?" And they blame God, as Proverbs 19:3 says: "A man's own folly wrecks his life, and then he bears a grudge against the LORD." (The New English Bible) And if God stopped their evildoing, they would protest their loss of freedom to do it!
Jehovah's main reason for permitting evil is to answer Satan's challenge. Satan the Devil said that God could not put men on earth who would be true to Him under test. (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-10) Jehovah allows Satan to remain to have opportunity to prove his challenge. (Exodus 9:16) Satan continues to bring woes now, to turn men against God, as he tries to prove his challenge. (Revelation 12:12) However, Job kept integrity. So did Jesus. True Christians do now.—Job 27:5; 31:6; Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Peter 1:6, 7.

Answer 10

Religion keeps the "majority" of people in check. You have to remember they are still human. They can still be tempted. This happens in almost all religions. Some more than others.

Most of the ones in Religious settings may think they can just pray for forgiveness and be fine. But it goes much deper than that. Satan has power here as well. When I was little I used to think he only caused the "bad" feelings. But he can trick us by using "good" feelings as well. Make us think it's not all that bad.

Religion can keep you in check but it can also control you to a point you believe that you no longer need to follow the laws of the land. This is the dark side of some religions. Even though most agree that you need to follow the laws a few people will make thier own interpritations as to what they can do under "gods" law.

These are extremists like the terrorists. Even though their holy book States it is a terrible sin to kill they found a loophole of sorts to "Justify" why they do what they do. They call it a Holy war and say they are allowed to kill under that name. But I really don't think "ALLAH" would really think that way.

Answer 11

Religion does not make the world a better place, we live in a time where sin is the nature of our being and when you do not have the mind of Christ, you will think like the world and you will do what will seems right in your eyes. The bible talks about this, people will say and do things that they do not understands, but, when you make the decision to change your life by allowing Jesus to come into your heart and life, and the Holy Spirit is the one who will leads and guide you unto all truth. So for you to understand what is happening in the world today and even to know what and where the world is heading to, start changing your mind set and start believing in Jesus, for these things must be, and must come to past for he is coming soon.