Question for everyone in R+S?

Question

From what you see in the Religion and Spirituality section, would you say that different religious beliefs cause a bigger rift between people, or strengthen bonds between people with the same beliefs?

If you think both, which do you think is the bigger impact on R+S as a whole?

Y!A is just a small sample of the world.

Apply your same conclusion to the world. Thoughts?

Yes Scott, it does strengthen bonds. I have made many atheistic and agnostic friends through here, but I have also seperated myself from others with different beliefs because they didn't agree with what I believe in. It causes both the rift and the acceptance sadly enough.

Answer 1

I think it causes a big rift, especially because human pride won't let some of us (from all viewpoints)see things from another's POV and accept their religious choices. The first step towards anything is mutual respect.

Answer 2

Religion has caused all of this world's wars, or has been called the cause of the wars. The wars maybe actually caused by some of the sins; envy, greed, sloth, etc... I would say here in Yahoo Answers the rift is widening because neither side of the issue wants to acknowledge reality as it is...Both sides need eachother: Atheists need the idea of God so that they can not believe in it/Him. Our early "monkey-minds" had to place a reason on our existence so they came up with God...like that "Pink Elephant" in the corner of the room, exists even if it does not.

I think that Americans are trying to protect their right to sloth (through cheaper oil) and the peoples of the Middle East hold a lot of envy for that sort of life and therefore desire vengeance upon us American sinners. Sounds like business, but I guess it could just be family...Maybe it's a race thing.

To answer the question succinctly:Bigger rift.

Answer 3

It's not the beliefs that foul things up, it's the labels that your leaders (spiritual and otherwise) have attached to people. If you put a Jew and an Arab in a room together with no way to tell and let them have a normal conversation without religious prejudice for a couple of days, they wouldn't be cutting each other open. If being a Jew or being an Arab, or being a Buddhist, or Christian or anything else was just bad, you wouldn't need these morons that you let run the show continually telling you how bad they are. Just because someone stands up and says, "I've studied my religion and it says we have to hate this group or that group." doesn't make it so. Even the jokebook called the bible doesn't encourage persons to act maliciously. Remember "He who is without sin should cast the first stone....". I'd say, the sooner the general members of the world's population decide that their leaders are morons who want nothing more than to throw explosives at each other, the sooner we can stop this idiotic fighting over nothing and get to a place where we get along.

Answer 4

Y!A is a different sort of place. It gets tough to sort out the trolls and people looking for a fight from those who are mere zealots. But that being said I've found people here from a variety of belief systems that I consider great human beings.

Then in the face to face world I have found that religion/spirituality can be a real unifying factor. I'm a member of a group of people that get together and discuss religion. We're a pretty eclectic group (Christians, Buddhists, Pagans, a mystical atheist, and a Muslim). We all respect each other and encourage other and sometimes we get into some really cool debates. It is all good.

Answer 5

It should strengthen bonds between others. We all have the freedom to believe and worship how where and what we may. There are a great number of simularities between all religions. Instead of focusing on the negative differences(which is the prevelant practice) we should look at and build on the positives and respect others' views and beliefs. We should share information so all can arrive at the truth at some point.

Answer 6

I think it does both. The funny thing is that there seems to be daily trends. Like today there seems to be more rifts than bonds, even between those of similar religion.

But for the truly open minded, it has educated us about the "other side", and caused us to rethink our own prejudices.

Answer 7

Excelletn question.

I firmly beelive that Religion accomplishes both - one at the expense of another.

Religion definitly serves to strengthen bonds between its adherants. However, its greater strength lies in dividing those that beleive one form against those that beleive another form (or dont beleive at all.)

Application to the world? Just look at the middle east today...

Answer 8

This forum is full of people who LOVE to paste their opinions all over everything.

It would be a serious mistake to equate the goings-on here with anything that goes on society as a whole

EXCEPT...

that there is a similar effect in society where the people with the strongest opinions have a way of making their voices heard....

so whatever!

Answer 9

I see it as a deeply divisive thing.

Let's oversimplify for the sake of clear example. You have two groups -- Theists and Atheists (agnostics, please don't take this as a slight, I admitted the oversimplification).

Now, the Theists say, "There IS a deity or deities," and the atheists say, "Nope, no deity at all." Reasons or proofs don't matter.

On the theist side, you have this split -- "There is only One God," and "there are many gods." The atheists look at this and go -- "oh, okay, cool. We still say zero."

The monotheists say, "The one God has Moses as a prophet," "Jesus was God himself," "Allah is the one God and Muhammad is his prophet." The polytheists say, "Our pantheon is founded upon Gaia and Uranus," or "Our ancestors become the gods," "Brahman is many." The atheists say, "Oh, okay, cool. We still say zero."

The Jesus followers begin to argue over interpretation until there are over 30,000 registered denominations of their branch in the USA alone (by registered, I mean IRS registered as non-profit and/or church organizations). The atheists say, "Oh, okay, cool. We still say zero."

Which one seems to be the most divisive, between theism and atheism?

Answer 10

I am an Atheist, but I believe that religion would've been created by Satan if he did exist. Nothing in this world causes more conflict and wars. Not even land was this bad.