why religion?

Question

so many people have different religions but almost every1 believes that their god promotes peace and harmony and no violence should take place. so then why is there so much war over religion. doesnt this completely contradict every1 who is fighting and the terrorists who are bombing and killing so many people. and the suicide bombers who kill them selves because they believe they are going to a better place but how can this be so if they have caused so much death and destruction surely that is not what their god wants so they would go to 'hell'??

Answer 1

Yes, it's very strange isn't it? I puzzled over this since I was a child and I still don't get it.

Now I am thinking that it is not about religion at all. As religion gets passed down through the generations its not about love, peace and harmony. It becomes a issue of them versus us. We have all kinds of divisions as human beings and religion is one of them. Just the same way some 'racial' groups think that other groups are lesser than they are and do not deserve life it is the same way that religion works. It's politics as well. Everyone believes that there way is the only right way and that if 'you are not with us, you are against us'.

In the end it all has to do with our everyday concerns of status, power and control over others. And if you look further you will see that even when people of one religious faith live in a community they will divide again into different factions and start all out war with each other.

It's nothing to do with God, it is all about humans and our capacity for hate. We all think we are good while others are evil, we are deserving and others are not. And almost every religion does it. If they haven't yet they will eventually. I cannot forget my bitter disappointment when I learnt what the Christians got up to hundreds of years ago as they tried to stamp out other religions.

There is nothing peaceful loving and kind about religion and many of the kindest people tend to be spiritual rather than religious. Religion makes people hard and cruel.

And would you believe it? I think I am absolutely right about this! ;-)

Answer 2

Every war that has been fought has has god on its side.
Almost every religion says don't kill!
So i agree it all a load of nonsense. The so called religious people might start living it instead of preaching it and repeating what others have said, which is meaningless.
You will always have insane fanatics.
If there is a god or goddess it certainly does not belong to any particular group or organisation, which most modern religions are.
You simply cannot divide something that is whole in nature.
But they have and they fight over it, that has nothing to do with the religious mind.
The religious mind is yet to manifest on this planet.
If and when it does it will combine the scientific with the religious.
It calls for a new mind and a new way of thinking.

Answer 3

your question argues different thoughts my friend, does everyone believe that their god promotes peace and harmony and violence shouldn't take place? what do u mean by religion, the three well known one which have had the most conflict with each other, or do u for instance include atheism a religion? and contradiction of war and suicide bombing? and etc.
but answering why is there is so much war over religion... i should say that for religious wars, through out history, religion has been more of a mean than the purpose of war which was/has being used wisely by religious/political leaders to increase power of religion or government itself... for example many historical wars between Muslims and Christians was actually a way of those religions to weaken the other one and take over the political and economical benefit of it (other than making "god" happy, god is the motive for poor soldiers)... the other thing is that because religions are very old... it is possible and easy to interpret them in different ways and adapt them to suite your economical or political desire to war...

Answer 4

Why not religion? Atheistic communism has had its share of genocide. This is human nature and religion or irreligion are just diversions from the true problem that besets humanity: greed and its attendant injustice. This problem will never go away unless millions of westerners are willing to give up their selfish, comfortable lifestyles. Until then we will just keep on sucking the lifeblood from poorer nations, most of us none the wiser, and creating a ever-spiralling problem of violence and unrest in the third world. That is, until the inhabitants of the third world decide to fight back (arguably this has already begun). So, no, presumably God does not want people blowing themselves up. However neither does S/He want such a perversely inequitous world. I don't know which is worse.

Answer 5

I am sure the makers of religion right at the starting , had no other aim but just to make people think of God, be thankful to God , and feel pure somewhere inside.........also a bit of fear which could stop people from committing bad deeds.

But with time the meaning of religion changed, Selfish people started to brainwash innocent people in the name of religion. politicians started to use this weak point to gain power, and the hatred grew so deep that today we see completely different world. World which has no peace at all, world full of pain and misery, sin and impurity all over , and it is so shameful that base of this disharmony today is nothing else but religion.........this is why many people have now a days stopped believing in any religion, and that is better.............

Answer 6

I think you have known about religion in a sketchy way or you have known only religions you've decribed. I'm a buddhism. Buddha have never assured that every buddhism will go to harmony. If you want to harmony, you must try. He only showed the way and if you do sth well, good things will happen to you. If you do sth bad, bad things will happen to you. But, some people say they are very unfortunate without doing anything wrong. This is because they did sth bad in the previous lives. Either good or bad things happen to the world and people are because of their actions and I think everyone can accept this.

Answer 7

How empty their life's must be to kill themselves for the hope of a better one in a so called after life. Until this is understood and addressed, people will kill in the name of their religion. I notice the likes of Bin Laden who is a multi millionaire does not strap on the suicide belt, but leaves that to the brainwashed people who fall for all this religious brain washing.

Answer 8

Religion is just a chance for a better life but it cannot assure it. Many people think they act correct, but seen from another point of view it is mistaken. Somebody who really loves life has greater chance to find the right religion.

Answer 9

People construct a religion for social cohesion..trouble is, my social cohesion may be your electonic tag.
Jusus, Buddha, etc, didn't start a religion, they started a way to bring people to the truth...In fact, they were rebelling against the established religions of the time.
How about this...? 'And when a man sees that the God in himself is the same in all that is, he hurts not himself by hurting others: then he goes indeed to the highest Path' Baghavad Gita, XIII. 28
(I know some may not like the masculine 'he', but let's assume it includes everybody)
Then there's the one we always ignore, the one about loving thy neighbour as thyself!!

Answer 10

Jehovah Witnesses do not war or promote violence no matter what the cause because they are people from all nations of Earth. Many religions have excuses for their followers to fight either for reasons of offence or defence and their religious leaders even bless them on the battlefield and call on God to be with them.
But 2Corinthians 10:4 states: "For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful by God for overturning strongly entrenched things." A true christian doesn't fight fleshly battles but a spiritual battle against Satan.
1Corinthians 10:20 "but I say that the things which the nations sacrifice they sacrifice to demons, and not to God"

People say that Israellites in ancient times battled but Israel was God's people at that time. But after Jesus was crucified by the will of the Jews, Israel is no longer God's favoured people instead there is a spiritual Israel of true christians from all nations.
(Matthew 28:18-20) No physical nation is superior to God than another. Even in Israels wars in ancient times the hand of God did the slaying of their enemies, Israelittes didn't die in such battles of war except when they disobeyed God and fought wars that didn't have God's approval to their detriment.
Patriotism is idolatory and is the cause of wars as much as religion. True christians promote peace to all men and love their neighbours and their enemies. They do not go with the spirit of the world but seperate themselves and take to heart the commandment in Acts 5:20 "We must obey God as ruler rather than men."
The kingdoms of the world will pass away and a new kingdom will rule one that will never pass (Revelation 11:15).
The way the world as it is today is going to be swept away forever and instead only one king is going to rule over it - Jesus Christ.
Why would a true christian fight for nations and it's rulers who are all going to be done away with when God's will is done on Earth?(Psalm 104:5)
True christians looks to the future when this wicked sytem of things is done away with and so doesn't get involved with the politics and wars of the world as it will not last but be done away with. Jesus told his followers to be no part of the world. Going into fleshly war against other nations is hardly obeying that command.
When the earth is restored to a paradise the the former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart(Isaiah 65:17)