Do people hide behind religion....?

Question

With all the crap that is going on in this world, do you think people are hiding behind their faiths , the reason i ask this is because i am a non believer i mean look in the olden days , romans, saxons etc these ppl worshipped bronze statues, whats that all about. I dont want to offend anyone , but it just seems that when ever there is a tragedy or similar in any walk of life....ppl start spoutin off religion, or is this because they need to have something else to occupy their lives....? maybe I'm being ignorant and if so will admit to it......

Answer 1

I understand what you're trying to say, buddy. But sometimes, isn't it so that atheists (pardon me if it sounds offensive to you) like to hide behind science as well. Like, atheists don't believe in Adam or Eve, they believe in apes. Atheists try to imply that there's no God or angels and this universe came into being through evolution. They have presented Big Bang Theory and Strings Theory etc. that I have faint knowledge of. But can you imagine an illiterate man who couldn't read nor write, telling his friends and followers that this universe started from a small point. Or that an embryo is leech-like in its initial stages and clings to the mother's womb like a leech.

Just imagine, who would know that 1400 years ago. But that's what Prophet Mohammad (SAW) told Muslims, as told to him by Allah. If you don't believe me, just send me a mail and I'll send you the verse in which that leech or big bang theory things were revealed. You can buy a copy of Holy Quran from anywhere in the world, there's no difference. Then you can find that verse yourself if you think I'm lying.

As for hiding behind religion, I totally agree with you. There are clerics in every religion who have hijacked that religion for their own benefits, either Molvis in Islam, Padre in Christian or Pandits in Hindu, a few black sheep among them have moulded the basic teachings to their own benefits.

Answer 2

I admire your honesty and bravery in asking this question. As I have said on here before unless you do have a faith, unless you do believe in something beyond this life, you can never truly understand it. I'm not saying I look down on people without faith, quite the opposite in fact - I respect that choice. However I believe that religion will always exist simply because for a large number of people it is too depressing a though to think that this life is all there is. If that was the case then one might ask what is the point?

To me, the thing that is more important than religion is having a good set of moral - having a clear idea of what is right and wrong. Killing, stealing, hurting, should not be justifiable, whether one is religious or not.

Perhaps there have been times when certain individuals are hid behind religion, or used it as an excuse, however the large majority do not, and just as non-religious people can be moral or immoral, so to can those who have a faith.

One thing I will say however, is that when I talk to a Christian about their faith or life in general, they always talk with a certain happiness and optimism that I have just never seen in other people. Whether they might be naive or ignorant they are the most happy and content people I know. Whether God exists or not, surely that is the most important thing in life?

Answer 3

Yes, some people do hide behind religion. God gives us free will. Wars and terrorism are man-created not God created. Then it seems that people cry to God to clean up the mess we've made! I keep it simple. Have I been kind and loving today? Have I been selfless rather than selfish, did I make someone smile or laugh, help someone get over a hurt, did I make certain to the best of my ability that I caused no harm? Faith without works is dead. I do my small part every day. That is what it is about for me.

Answer 4

yeah it is true, ppl do hide under the cover of religion, this i know for sure, that is way i do it my way.
I am a believer (christian) because that was the way i was raised. I don't let ppl tell me "how to be a christian", i read the bible and meditate on the message.
In church, there are certain things i question, certain that i don't believe it is the way it should be. I am frowned upon but hey, i believe i am entitled to give my opinion.
You need to look within yourself and not at what ppl do because there are many false religious ppl out there.

Answer 5

Yes they do... they use it as an excuse for their non-reactions to insults.

It is our faith and beliefs that keep us from blowing off your heads with a canon. No this is not a thread it is a true fact that if it wasn't for our belief, we would be just like the rest of the world and this world would've come to an end much sooner than it is taking to end.

Think about it.......

There are enough idiots in this world that do violent things and the many millions of Christians are a kind of balance because as I said, if it weren't for our belief..... well enough said. I think it don't matter if you got my point or not but I be a few that read this will.

Peace.

Answer 6

I think people do it so they can put their mind in park. Life is hard and tough and religon lets them put the blinders on so they dont get spooked by the harshness of life. I aways thought it was a cop out but I can kind of understand it. Still it gets on my nerves sometimes. People have invented gods ever since we became people. I just wish they would think more with an open mind. When the bible was written people thought the world was flat and because people get lost in that book many think the world is still flat. They are not open to new ideas or discoveries and prefer to keep their heads in the sand saying no to anything that is not in that book. It sometimes makes me want to scream.

Answer 7

We all hide behind our bodily conceptions of life - like actors on a stage. We don't realize it because we are so conditioned to think and act in terms of the body. But the body is just a machine, like a car, and we are the driver. The real purpose of religion is to realize that I am not this body made of blood, bones, flesh, hair, mucus and stool, that I am an eternal spiritual soul, part and parcel of God, and to reawaken our love for God. To remove the mask we are hiding behind, to throw away our material crutches and confront the self - that takes guts. Most religionists prefer to hide behind their religious masks than take up the real task of self realization.

Answer 8

People use religion as a crutch to excuse or condemn actions depending on their viewpoint. Faith can be a wonderful thing, a guidepost for how to live your life. Unfortunately religions become corrupted by zealots who interpret religious teaching in the most extreme ways. It is also true that most religions believe they are the one true religion, and anyone who believes different is just a heretic doomed to whatever hell that religion envisions. For me I just choose to live my life by my own moral code. It is actually a very good one. Does anybody remember "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you"? I also refrain from judging others based solely on their beliefs. It is the content of your character, and the value of your actions that really matters.

Answer 9

Don't worry about being ignorant, you are not although many people will not like the fact that you don't believe in God.

Some people in power tend to use religion to demonstrate their power. Knowing God is supporting them, they think they are in fact God. During the Crusades in 1100, the cross was already used as a symbol to destroy the heidens. Raping, torture, killing, complete massacres in the name of Christ and it was justified because they were non-believers who should be punished for their ignorance. It has been this way for centuries and I don't have the feeling things have changed much, do you?

Few of the many examples:

missteps during WWII, the church was involved in deporting Jews
the Spanish Inquisition
the vatican scandle with the Mafia - they were involved in money laundering, we are talking about millions

Answer 10

some people do indeed hide behind religion because of their insecure life but most are genuine about their beliefs and are entitled to their opinions just like anyone else but it's when hypocrisy overtakes that belief ; and indeed if the teachings from elders or religious leaders , take us away from the 'big' picture ; then obviously it sets a bad example which turn leads to distrust