Is religion dangerous?

Question

Gott Mit Uns (God is with us) proclaimed the belt buckles of the Nazi SS storm troopers. Of course, every religion makes the same claim. The way the believer justifies the exercise is that God is in on his side, and needs his efforts to see that God's work is done.

But it doesn't stop there. When you figure God is on your side, you can believe almost anything. Including the notion that you're one of "God's chosen." Here the unspoken implication is that if you're of of God's chosen, the other fellow ISN'T, and that you're somehow therefore better.

Another notion common to believers is that they are somehow less vulnerable to the vicissitudes of life. :) sorry, I just chuckled.

Course the most damaging thing is believers justify hatred. The idea that God hates the same people you do is particularly gratifying in that it makes the indulgence in hatred not only acceptable, but somehow approved and even encouraged by God.

Same question then... is religion dangerous?

Answer 1

i think there's clear evidence of that fact.

look at just one -- christianity.

look at all the hating and killing they do.

dangerous? of course.

Answer 2

Religion is inherently lethal. We have seen it throughout history.
The Aztecs, the early Catholics, the Romans and Greeks. All religions began in turmoil and wrought violence.
Aztecs were into blood sacrifice as were the others listed. The blood of the lamb and crucifixion
Any belief that is related remotely to the One God teaches hatred jealousy and distrust. all inherently lethal teachings.
The reason I say lethal is really easy to understand. Look at the twin towers. Extremism, terror for faith. The Catholics had the Crusades, The Inquisition.( blessed be Mel Brooks).
Any time you are toying with the spirits of men you create an opportunity for danger.
For instance. Lets say I am the great Potato salad (sorry to make a food a god but they are alike)
I see that people are not following my rules to eat me and grow.
I send messengers down. The Great turnip of everlasting hope (you can be him. I have a job) The message i send is that I will poison those that eat lettuce and tomatoes for they are evil and I am the great potato salad. You tell folks.
There it is!
That seed of racism jealousy and hatred.
Tomatoes and lettuce are in deep doo doo. They become hated and despised because I as the great potato salad said I would poison the eaters. I said the eaters were evil, not the tomato or the lettuce.
Now the Eaters go around saying "I eat potato salad because it is my god, you don't, you eat bananas, so you are evil" and it goes on for centuries. Hatred built from jealousy.
Jealousy builds hatred and racism and distrust. It builds a holier than thou community. It makes some people right and most others wrong. "Potato salad is MY god. not yours"
Religions that teach ANY EVIL are doomed by the evil they teach. They are dangerous and they are lethal.

Answer 3

Any religion with demogogry in it with the idea that it is destined to rule others by sharia law is dangerous to a freedom loving people. But why paint all religions with the same big brush. You are not a demagog are you ???

Hitler was a satanist, not a christian as some people believe;

Actually, he rejected Christianity. Read the Book, "Hitler's Secret Conversations 1941-1944." Here are his quotes from the book:

Night of 11th-12th July, 1941:


National Socialism and religion cannot exist together.... The heaviest blow that ever struck humanity was the coming of Christianity. Bolshevism is Christianity's illegitimate child. Both are inventions of the Jew. The deliberate lie in the matter of religion was introduced into the world by Christianity.... Let it not be said that Christianity brought man the life of the soul, for that evolution was in the natural order of things. (p 6 & 7)

10th October, 1941, midday:


Christianity is a rebellion against natural law, a protest against nature. Taken to its logical extreme, Christianity would mean the systematic cultivation of the human failure. (p 43)

14th October, 1941, midday:


The best thing is to let Christianity die a natural death.... When understanding of the universe has become widespread... Christian doctrine will be convicted of absurdity.... Christianity has reached the peak of absurdity.... And that's why someday its structure will collapse.... ...the only way to get rid of Christianity is to allow it to die little by little.... Christianity the liar.... We'll see to it that the Churches cannot spread abroad teachings in conflict with the interests of the State. (p 49-52)

Answer 4

Wow it takes a true nonbeliever to ask this question. The truth of the matter is that religion is dangerous in the hands of false leaders that are extremely talented in the art of persuasion. Ones that can manipulate someone new to faith or on the last hope into following a cult, or lead them into a suicide mission. If you are God's chosen you pray that the other person will reach enlightenment and become one of God's chosen, it is only our human faults that allow us to hate not religion. Those that use religion as a shield to pierce someone with the sword of hate is not following a religious path they are following their own human path.
The Nazi SS storm troopers were following Hitler because he gave them a scapegoat for the economic state that Germany was in. When in fact the economic state was cause by the over printing of marcs that could not be covered by what was present in the German government's vault. However, most people were willing to believe anything that was said by Hitler and his military leaders. They were desperate to believe anything including that it was all the Easter Bunny's fault. They believed that God was on their side because Hitler, a very persuasive speaker, told them. Not to mention that it was either join the military, and you have no choice in what goes on your uniform, or they went to the camps.
May you find God's true enlightenment.

Answer 5

Only if it is based on an outdated,painfully long, self contradictory rule book that man, given his predisposition to be self-serving, can interpret freely to his own ends. If that were to happen, you'd have a couple hundred different religions all claiming to be the 'real' one and, in some cases, granting themselves god's permission to murder those who somehow interpreted the same book 'wrong'. Yeah, in a situation like that; religion would be inherently dangerous. Fortunately our god is smarter than that. Oops, sorry, I just woke up. I must have been dreaming again.

Answer 6

Religions can indeed be dangerous. That's why it's important to follow the Bible rather than one specific religion. The gift of salvation is so simple. Men - religions - try to make it complicated. The Bible says that we each must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. To me that means that there is not one denomination or doctrine that is right for every person.

There are very specific verses in the Bible that indicate that the Jews are God's chosen people. That is why even though the Nazi's falsely believed that God was on their side they are no longer in existence. God will not allow people to continually torture and kill his people. The Gentiles, of which I am one, are now God's people because God allowed the gift of the sacrifice of Jesus to cover the sins of ALL people when the Jews refused to accept Him. I do not consider myself to be better than or worse than any other person. The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons. We are all equal in His eyes.

God does not hate anybody. God hates sin. He hates that we choose to continually commit sin and live a sinful lifestyle when He sent His Son to die so that we didn't have to live that life anymore. He hates that we choose to slap Him in the face while pursuing our own worldly pleasures and touting our intelligence in a futile effort of disproving Him.

That said, religion indeed can be dangerous but a life without God is certainly even more so.

Answer 7

Simple answer. YES! I am a believer. God is a God of true love. We cannot understand it. If God "hates" someone, they are gone. I am not better than you. I had nothing to do with it. God is in controll. By Gods mercy and grace I woke up this morning to yet another day he created. That should humble us, not make us haughty (stuck-up). Religion is dangerous because in it, you can make all sorts of claims and not even believe any of it. That's the way it was in the Bible and Jesus called the religious leaders of the time VIPERS, snakes. Does that tell you that religion is dangerous? It does me.

Answer 8

It all depends upon the religion. Buddism is not dangerous but the Islamic faith is. Muslims are taught hatred and killing by reading the qu'ran's Jihad"s chapters. Not pleasant. Muslims are taught in school to hate Jews calling them pigs, devils, purveyors of evil. Over 250,000,000 people have died because of Christianity. Jesus never wanted it this way, but the people who are involved in Christianity saw it differently. Yes, religion can be evil.

Answer 9

I can only speak for christianity, but for us, the bible does not teach hatred, it teaches love, even for our enemies. The problems set it when idiots try to add-to or take-away from the actual words of the bible. When fools misinterpret it to further their own agendas.

God hates sin, He doesn't hate the sinner, which is the purpose of sending His son to save our stupid selves. Of course, if you didn't actually read the bible, you'd most like misinterpret it, like so many before you. Listening to some tv evangelist isn't gonna teach anyone anything. TV evangelists are the kings of misinterpretation, but they do it with the knowledge that they're leading people astray, because it puts a lot of money in their greedy little pockets. Listening to others interpretations is just lazy and dangerous because others have their own agenda's in mind, not the truth.

Everyone has their own agenda, much like yours in this question, to spread hate toward those with religious faith. Religion isn't the only purpose in spreading hate, just look in the mirror.

Answer 10

Yes, in a way. It has affected the way of our lives. Muslim religion has a belief that if you die, you will enjoy life with many women and you dont go to hell thats why there are a lot of people getting killed.
Christians like to convert people to their customs but thats just the religion and that is a big influence.

Answer 11

Well lets see...the same old point the finger.....and once again you dont see all the good...sounds just like the media.....so did you forget about all the good that the christians and other religious groups do....hospitols....refugee camps...save the children....christian adoption...St Judes hostitol for dying chidren and all the money they spend on for cancer.....why is it that people for get these kinds of things when they spread hate there uneducated hate....remember 93% of the US are religiouspeople...so tell me....how do you justify your hate....what good are you doing by saying things like this....and what hve you done out of love or caring for another person....hhhhmmm...