What would you do if you found out tomorrow that your religion was a lie, and you're actually hurting people?

Question

What if you found out tomorrow that your religion was falsely based on an old egyptian religion and their religion didn't say anything about separating religions, that all religions were equally valid? What if you found out your holy texts were edited by the transcribers to fit their own personal beliefs? What if you found out that your religion was as morally bankrupt as the people you currently believe you are superior to?

Demosthenes&Locke's: It will take me time to figure out what you're saying, but thanks for answering all aspects of my question, interesting source answers of yours.
P2of9:It is valid, because it applies to more than Christianity, Judaism and Muslim beliefs are centered on texts with similar backgrounds, it's only slanted if you don't want to answer for your own beliefs.
anygramma's:opinions hurt, therefore opinions inspired by religion hurt, therefore religions do cause pain, though it is enacted by people.
buttercup:thank you
nora22000:yes many individuals who are in the priesthood realize they were led to believe something that wasn't true, they stay on in spite of that to help others realize the wisdom hidden inside the lies, yes there are dead sea scrolls by Jesus of Nazareth, but the church refuses to recognize them as valid.
BeReal:Even if you avoid the truth until you die, you will realize it when you are judged by your god.

cj justme:your beliefs may not hurt anyone unless you are subconsciously influenced to look down on other people when they choose to not call their god by "God" but instead call their god "Yaweh" or "Allah". Then you hurt them while believing you are not.
Yo Yo mama:You are a good person, it is not your fault you were taught that. You should try to find ways to help others believe in a god without organized religion.
Marty:No, I am asking about several religions. I believe a god exists.
Epona Willow:I did not say that religion was hurting people, I asked if you found out you were hurting people, many religions advocate judgement of others.
Everyone:The last part of my question was tricky, I did not say the people you believed you were superior to were actually morally bankrupt, but rather, the religion you were in was as morally bankrupt as the people you believe yourself to be superior to, which could be 'not at all'.

fresch2:Which part of the scriptures are right? The ones they chose to put in the bible or the ones they chose to leave out? I do not believe the scriptures are wrong, I believe they are written by men, and that some men chose to leave some of them out. If you choose to ignore some of your texts but not all of them, then you are one step closer to being a truly good person, drop the rest of it and live by the golden rule and love your god, everything else is an attempt to persuade you to follow corrupt mens beliefs, you can choose to see them all as metaphors rather than literal translations of your gods words.
irongrama:you did catch a bit of what I was saying, but you didn't exactly understand. It was a question that really cancelled itself out. Religion cannot be morally bankrupt with the exception of hating others, only people can, and the people looked down upon hate others as well, so both are equally moral and amoral. It was designed to be a trick question, but you can see that.

Terell:True, but a religion is nothing without people enacting it, so people who have beliefs and try to influence others with those beliefs sometimes hurt others just by having those beliefs. Religion as an idea is ideal and hurts no one, religion as a belief in action hurts people who choose to not believe in the same way. There are many subtleties to the human mind such as the subconscious, and diverging viewpoints cause discomfort, and discomfort breeds predjudiced treatment.

Epona Willow:Isn't it sad that we are raised socially and sometimes religiously to believe others are less than us because they choose to see things differently? I believe that religion shouldn't dictate morals or ethics simply because organized religions are typically based on their leaders desires, not the desire to actually help mankind. I am glad you are kind enough to try and correct pain you even accidentally inflict. If everyone were like you the world would be a better place.
Demosthenes&Locke:Your beliefs appear to be very similar to mine, after following your links to your previous answers and reading through them, I think you have the right idea about religion, at least, it is almost identical to mine.

Answer 1

Actually, I did find that out when I learned my previous religion, Catholicism/Christianity, was based on scrolls like the dead sea scrolls, but they decided not to include all of the scrolls because it would have meant they had less control over the population.

I do believe Christianity is based on an old Egyptian religion, and Egyptians did not have holy wars, many religions lived alongside each other in peace.

I did find out that certain words and phrases were changed in the translation of the bible, hence the ever so popular "King James" version.

I do not think religion is morally bankrupt though, because it helps people understand the concept of good and evil, even if it is only propagated so it controls the masses and influences them into giving money to churches for the churches profit.

If I found out tomorrow, taking away that I previously knew this, I believe I would react the same way I did when I found out. I began studying all religions and understanding the good they can achieve, while also figuring out why they are so harmful and what I can do to counteract that harm.

Faith allows miracles to occur which fly in the face of current medical science, so religion is a good thing. Organized religion on the other hand enforces hatred by teaching that other religions are wrong and people of other religions are evil because they do not to choose to call their god by the former religion's choice of a name.

In short if I found out tomorrow, I would try to influence people to believe in any god, but to not take the word of their leaders as the way that their god believes, instead understand their god through other examples their god has left us in the natural way of things and scientific laws that cannot be perverted by corrupt leaders greed and desire for control.

1 plus 1 equals 2, 2 is greater than 1. One person can work with another to become greater than oneself, all other conflicting viewpoints can be set aside to accomplish greater things and make our gods smile at us because we choose to be good and kind rather than ignorant and cruel.

Answer 2

I will attempt to answer each of your questions.

What would you do if you found out tomorrow that your religion was a lie, and you're actually hurting people?
Maybe I am being closed minded, but I do not see how my religion could possibly hurt others. People hurt people.

What if you found out tomorrow that your religion was falsely based on an old Egyptian religion and their religion didn't say anything about separating religions, that all religions were equally valid?
I do belief that all religions are equally valid.

What if you found out your holy texts were edited by the transcribers to fit their own personal beliefs?
My religion has no sacred text.

What if you found out that your religion was as morally bankrupt as the people you currently believe you are superior to?
I do not believe I am superior to anyone. I do not believe that religion necessarily dictates ones morals and ethics.

Blessings )O(

Edit: You are correct, I did not pay attention.
My religion teaches us not to judge others. It is a full time job just keeping myself in check. I have just always figured if I practiced as much tolerance as I expected to be shown my part of the world would be a brighter place. If I hurt others, even unintentionally, I do what it takes to correct the situation.

Answer 3

I would continue to live the way I do now. Always trying my best to be polite and compassionate toward ALL others, forgiving others even those who hurt or abuse me, helping people in need, kind of following the "golden rule".

Following Jesus' advice I don't believe in violence, not even in selfdefence, not anymore anyway.

How would that hurt anybody even if my religion is found wrong?

What if you found out that the scriptures were right all along and you are hurting yourself by doubting?

Love, as in understanding, compassion and forgiveness is been taught in a number of "Religions".

Just imagine! If all Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Sihks and Jews would willingly (not because they have been told) act out of compassion toward the "others" (as they were taught!) there truly would be peace on Earth!

If the "scriptures" should be found faulty it doesn't mean that the teaching are wrong.

As someone put it: " Love (I don't mean sex) is the answer - whatever the question".

Try it! And judge by the results. You may get to like it!

Answer 4

I did find that out after I passed on the falsehoods I'd been taught to so many, and even taught them apologetics so they could resist reason. Many of those people are still wasting their lives and treasure in pursuit of religious nonsense, sitting around waiting for a parousia that isn't coming and a Jewish itinerant rabbi that died 2000 years ago and is still dead. I've tried in vain to undo the damage, but I trained them all too well. But it was never about moral superiority. That conceit never entered my mind. I simply thought I had found the solution to everything and wanted others to have the same benefit. I'd never preached or taught other than a grace message, or singled out any sin or group above others. You can be wildly wrong in the things you believe and still act from compassion as many wrong people do on this very board.

Answer 5

Religious extremists just would refuse to believe it. I only take exception to you saying that the people looked down upon are as morally bankrupt as the fanatics persecuting them.

Answer 6

I found out that very thing in fourth year Latin class. We were applying the historical tests to determine if Julius Caesar had ever existed, and he passed with flying colors. There were writings of his, he appeared in other writings by others in the same period and later, his birth and death places, times and conditions could be verified.

Then we tried to apply the same tests to Jesus. It turned into a hopeless mess. The priest teaching the class finally concluded that Jesus was a matter of 'faith' because by any means we could try, it was obvious that he had never existed.

First, there were no writings of his, ever.

Second, the gospels are not corroborated by any contemporaneous writings at all.

Third, there is no record of his birth (the famous 'census' mentioned in the nativity story never took place).

Fourth, there is no record of his death (no transcript of his trial, no acknowledgment of his arrival in Jerusalem, no astronomers noted darkness on any day in Jerusalem as described in the gospels, etc.)

Fifth, the town he supposedly grew up in was a burial ground until well after the first century A.D.

Mythical figures have backgrounds like this, but not literal people who walked the earth. If nobody ever wrote about, noted the existence of, or acknowledged the birth, death, or living place of a person, historians are fairly comfortable assigning that person to the halls of mythology. I agree.

Answer 7

Let me guess, you are asking about christianity.

I'll play your game, the only thing that I could do would be to search for the truth.

What would you do if you were shown that God really exists?

Answer 8

I don't believe I'm superior to anyone, but how is my belief hurting anyone? I know some people disagree that theirs is the only "true" religion, but I believe as long as we worship the same God, how we do it is unimportant. It's just one of the things that make all of us different, the same as our different personalities, hair color, skin color, and on and on.

Answer 9

I do not believe that God is a liar, I believe we are led by the Holy Spirit, I believe that God will deliver me from temptation, He is in control, He knows our hearts,and our thoughts, we have guidelines and boundaries that are healthy and benevolent. That is why it requires faith, by faith we are saved, not by works so we cannot take credit.

Answer 10

If I found that out I would leave the religion...