So, you hate organized religion....?

Question

What specificallly do you see in it that the world would be better off without it? Just about every accusation I read is true, to some degree, but I tend to believe these are features, not bugs.

Don: Hi
Pineapple: WHAT faults?
Ally: Why is a religion created by one person inherently superior to one created by a group? If someone is unable to form a coherent, moral, theologically consistent worldview for themselves, what harm is there in providing them with one?
phal: Why is controlling your followers a bad thing? If part of that code is a moral framework, how is that bad?
gorgeous: They're called Unitarian/Universalists, or UU's for short. But if that's the answer, why aren't they the largest church, and growing?
Santa: See Ally's note.

Answer 1

I don't necessarily hate organized religion. I think it's fine so long as it's not telling people that they are d***ed for all eternity if they happen to believe something else but are essentially good people who contribute to their community and don't harm others for the pleasure or the feeling of superiority. I also think that the organized religion that encourages its followers to believe blindly is on the wrong path because I believe that everyone should have a good strong control over their spiritual journeys no matter what religion they believe in. Organized religions are, after all, created by humans, even if they may or may not be divinely inspired. Thus, they are as subject to corruption as any other human endeavor and not to be fully trusted, in my eyes, as the source of an unshakable truth. Instead, I prefer to glean whatever wisdom I can from them and leave them at a far distance from myself otherwise.

You asked what the harm is in providing people with a worldview. I don't think that there is any harm in that. I just think that the harm comes when you say that it is the only viable worldview and that people will have unspeakable things happen to them in this life and whatever comes next if they don't believe in that worldview. That's called manipulation. There's no reason to manipulate someone into believing what you believe unless you're not looking for those with the same views of the world but instead are looking for people to have power and control over.

I also don't think that the individual worldview is any better or worse than a group worldview. However, someone came up with each religion individually at some point and managed to convince others. The only thing that would concern me is how those others were convinced. If it was because of the good they could perceive in that religion, great. If it was because of fear, I DO NOT think that is a good thing. I myself was not convinced of my religion (which is sort of an unorganized organized religion--I'm Wiccan) through fear but rather through agreement with its principles and a growing belief that it was the correct way for me to see the world. I simply feel sorry for those who don't have such an opportunity because someone else (including groups) wanted to be a gloryhound and show the world that they were "right." Since right can't be proven, I think that religions should be there for spiritual guidance on an individual basis, as in each individual deciding for him or herself (as we all must do eventually) what is right for him or herself, not for proving who's right and wrong and lording it over those with a smaller following or attempting to change people's minds through insults and fear.

Answer 2

If you want to know the effect of religion on the world , just look at the Middle East. The major religions are knocking seven kinds of sh*t out of each other and this is the way it has been for centuries. It's just one damn think after another with religious people while innocents suffer.

Answer 3

Gee, let's see - there's the 3 major monotheistic religions that clash in Jerusulem causing deaths every year. Oh, and pretty much all of the middle east issues can be traced to religious-grassroots issues. (Well, that and Britain made a large mistake after WWI). We now have two major religious groups clashing in Iraq.

Here in North America, we have prejudice against homosexuals for no better reason than "the Bible says so", we have anti-scientific notions that cells that could save living people's lives are "people" so it's immoral to use them for medical purposes, people that vote according to beliefs that enforce "biblical beliefs" which includes beliefs that condoms shouldn't be sent to AIDS-riddled Africa, promotion of abstinence-only education in schools (which has been shown to be ineffective), and the inclusion of religion in the affairs of state to the exclusion of other faiths.

Do you need a few more?

Religion is anti-intellectual, anti-science, bigoted, racist, facist, and prejudiced.

Answer 4

It is a common belief to us Catholics that since we were created in the likeness of God, it is inherent to us people, no matter what faith we belong to, the goodness in us. It is my belief that whether we have or we don't have an organize religion, antagonism will stay because despite of the goodness in us, the animal side of us will be manifested if we sense threat. And it is also my belief that, that is the purpose of religion to curtail the animal side of us people. And it is only through religion that we can refine our behavior as man. But not to intimidate others, animosity and antagonism gains to grow, because of self interest. We do not give much attention to the interest of the many and the deprived. In rhetoric's we do, but not in practice. In our daily existence we can hear people saying, especially our leaders, " We do this because it is for the interest of the ********." Or, "We do this for the benefit or freedom of the people of ****** and OUR INTEREST.

Answer 5

There are many good and honorable organized religions. I can't say the world would be better off without it. I can say that there will always be problems and strife among man and removing religion would not solve anything. Like any orgainized group it has its problems. But it always come back to the same reason. Man

Answer 6

Any belief that excludes all other beliefs as those who are going to hell is dangerous. If we could all just accept that we worship the same God, just in different ways, and with different names, the world would not always be at war somewhere. Show me an organized religion that accepts Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, Pagans, and Atheists as all equal and not evil than I might be interested in checking it out.

To Phalsephasod. I gave you a thumbs down by accident. I agree with you totally.

Answer 7

Hate is a very strong expression, but i surly don't like it, religion is a very privet matter of every individual and has nothing what so ever, to have in manipulating the others, or even it shouldn't be allowed in politic.

Answer 8

I have looked at many different religions, this is what I have found:
they all have similarities, I believe that these are from spiritual truths which are within us all.
what religion is is man taking these truths and adding his own crap to them, usually in order to control the followers.
if you look at history then you will see that more people have been killed in the name of religion than all other things combined, the crusades, the spanish inquisition, hell, even the US invasion of the middle east is believed by many to be in the name of religion.

Answer 9

If organized religion would let the bible interpret itself that is find collaborating scripture to define or shed more light on the subject I could give them a whole hearted Amen. But - - - - - -

Answer 10

I believe you must first start with a relationship with Jesus. Then you can handle all the faults with yourself and with others. Then we can look past the defects of organized religion and focus on what really matters, Jesus. :)