Are all organised religions wrong in trying to control societies?

Answer 1

Well, that's what they are organised FOR, in the first place. But of course that's wrong, because we live in countries where there is freedom of religion. That doesn't just mean that you get to pray to the god you want, or to do the rituals that correspond to your faith (or that you get not to pray at all or keep any rituals, if you are an unbeliever). Freedom of religion also means we should get the chance not to live according to religious principles. I won't go to the extent of rejecting everything religions stand for. I mean, killing is a sin, and I don't kill. But I don't kill because I think that's wrong, regardless of what the church says. I'm against killing for my own reasons.

Anyway, we should get the chance to have a life that is free from religious influence, and that's why it's wrong that organised religions are trying to control societies.

Answer 2

Organised religions were designed to control societies.

Man invented religion only when he started having time to do so, when not all his time was spent on trying to survive, when he started getting together and living with fellow man, and societies started to develop.

There must have been some structure and laws within these societies at the start, but might was most likely right.

When man had the free time, he started wondering about things he couldn't understand, try to explain them, and the good or bad things that happened in his life. Hence the emergence of religion.

Once food was not that much of a problem, people could specialise in being religious men, relying onothers to be fed, and some realised that saying:'If you kill your brother Big Chief will kill you' was less awe inspiring than 'if you kill your brother, The Great Spirit that sees all will hunt you down and pursue you to a horrible death'. The power of religion to control behaviour was born.

Was it bad then? No. Society needed rules, and enforcement via religion was much better; religious laws were the common law.

Different religious groups evolved across the world, and people chose whether forcibly or not which religion to adopt, and whose laws to obey. Remember that during the late Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was THE power in Europe, the Kings had administrative power, but were still beholden to the Church.

However, as life became more complex, and diverse, then the amount of work required as 'administrative power' grew, and this accelerated as society started changing faster and faster, new things which did not exist at the beginnings of the religions started coming up faster and faster, growing the need for administrative power, lessening the overwhelming-all-applying power of the organised religions.

This is the natural evolution of man. Most organised religions tend to be rooted in their origins, or change slowly (reofrmation movements have hit most organised religions, with varying degrees of success, and mainly causing splits). The current world is far form the one the organised religions were designed to clearly 'legislate', 'control'. And it will only go further.

Hence you have people trying to interpret the organised religions so as to cover more of the contemporary world, trying to reinvent the religion in a more subtle way so as to retain control, decrease the need for administrative laws, to use religious ones instead. This is their way to survive.

Is it wrong?

I guess it depends on your point of view. From that of people inside the organised religions, and from those who are deeply religious, it is not wrong. But from the pointo f view of less religious people, it is stretching it too far.

Unless new prophets appear to refresh the older organised religions, I think they will keep losing their relevance as a source of control, but not necessarily as a moral and behavioural compass.

I think religions should become more of ways or life, philosophies that guide, rather than a set of rules we have to obey. We have the legal system to change and adapt as society changes, we obey that, but religions should guide us, not control us.

Answer 3

This is only a theory . after the death of Christ , the Romans rewrote the Scriptures designing it to suit their needs . They censored the parts that were not appropriate to the message that they were trying to convey . For example , where is the book of Thomas . It was not appropriate to the content so it was disregarded .
The Roman Catholics like many empires before and after , inflicted cultural genocide across the known world , In the name of the Father the Son , and the Holy ghost . After the death of Christ , men have distorted the truth , and thrown it in a waist paper basket .
The European empires did the same .
There is no true religion , Only what men want us to believe to reach a means to an end .
Christianity was obsolete before it began . it is wrong to associate Christians to Christ , they are not one in the same .
Men control society religion is a tool

Answer 4

the more the religions try to control societies the more people are gowing to hate the will come a time that no one will go to the churches and it will serve the right for all the mind control thay are forcing on this planet the world is better off without religions

Answer 5

all religions THAT try to control societies are wrong. Most organized religion is corrupt anyway. Unfortunately its the most corrupt violent organized religon that will atempt to ruin the world. What is this organized religion? I don't know :)

Answer 6

Religions are all based on a false premise and allowing them to control societies always leads to trouble. A little bit of religion is like a little bit of syphilis, unless eradicated it always gets worse.

Answer 7

Well, that's kinda how societies were organized in the first place. Do we need them to oversee societies now? Nah, not unless the society in question is so copletely underdeveloped to the point of not having any structure/civil society whatsoever.

Answer 8

Religion in itself is wrong-Man making his own rules and regulations.

FAITH in Jesus Christ is the Only civilized life style ever known to man.
I dear you to read Jesus teachings and find one that would not cause
mankind to live together in love.Just think what this world would be like
if mankind just did one thing that Jesus taught his true disciples to
do "Treat other people the same way you want to be treated "
In Christ in Love,
TJ57

Answer 9

All organized religions were created with the sole purpose of controlling societies.

That is their only 'truth'.

Answer 10

They mean well. The whole thing just does'nt work out in real life. Work with me here, ok, consider the lily....