Peace and Religion?

Question

After looking at a handful of the most popular religions in today's world, they all contain similar concepts. Life is sacrad. Every person is important. Killing a person is wrong. Hate is ignorant, a sin, evil, whatever. So forth and so forth.

If so many religions SAY this, why do veyr few people follow this mandate. I don't think i've seen any religious text that justifies collateral damage, and none that justifies mass killing of people.

No matter what religion you belong to, this applies. Some religions more than others, but all the same, it applies. Religious war and hate and conflict spreads like wildfire, but by doing so, you are defyign your own religion.

Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and all other religions, you teach peace, love, understanding and joy, then why do you not follow such an example.

I am tired of all the people who have been killed in the name of religion, why can't we stop it here, forever?

Vinslave: I consider myself Buddhist, and although many Buddhists, especially the social stereotype, is based on peace and nonviolence, that is not to say that Buddhism is not affected by misinterpretation as well. I believe it is better than most, probably out of a slight biasis, but I included Buddhism because many people believe that all Buddhists are peaceful and nonviolent, which is not necessarily true.

Answer 1

Religion, if it is just a system of beliefs, practices and teaching, does not change the selfish nature of the human heart, even if the beliefs are true and the teachings encourage good behaviour.

Or take something else, Education say. If education makes people more enlightened, why is it that educated people design weapons of mass destruction, or burn away vast tracts of rainforest to plant cash crops, or drive un-economical gas-guzzling atmosphere polluting cars, or start unnecessary and unjustified wars, or conduct businesses that exploit the poor to enrich the rich?

The fact is that whilst education, religion, politics, healthcare, whatever, whilst these things have their uses, they are powerless to change the human heart, to make its motives altruistic instead of selfish. They do in many cases limit the more obvious expressions of the selfish nature and perhaps can encourage an outward correctness of behaviour for reasons of social standing or self esteem, but the moral twistedness remains like a disease that never goes away, and when conditions are right, it breaks out and manifests itself.

You are right, people whose religion teaches peace and non-violence (and not every religion does as we can see from posts in these forums) but who monger war are going against their religion. It is in spite of their religion.

You ask, "why can't we stop it here, forever?" The answer is that we might like to stop it, but we can't. We should certainly try. And out efforts may produce worthwhile if temporary and localised successes, but there will always be problems because of human nature, and so evil will keep coming back, like the monsters in horror movies that never die.

The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart, and the only solution is to change it. Not all religions are the same. Some are purely human creations, and others are to varying extents inspired by God. Purely human religions are seldom of any value and can sometimes be downright harmful. Religions that God has had a hand in on the other hand, tend to produce more good, because God can use them to a greater degree (though having said that, God being God, he is clever enough to use anything to bring about what he wants to. In all things God works for good, even using things that are themselves bad), and God can do what is impossible with man - he can change the human heart, make its motives loving and altruistic.

Even Godly religions can be corrupted however, and also not everyone who claims allegiance to them lets God work in their lives.

So, whilst religion as a human endeavour does not solve the problem, religion that has God in it does point people to the cure and thus enable them to be changed or "converted". The cure is God.

God created man perfect, in his image, to represent him on earth, to be like God. Because man rebelled, the image of God has been defaced in man. Man is malfunctioning and no longer fulfilling his purpose. But God wants to restore man to perfection, and to restore his image in man. Because God wants friends and not robots with no free will, he does not force fallen man to accept him. The choice is ours. Some will choose God, and some will not.

God is very patient with sinful man. He is giving everyone a chance to make his decision. But a time will come when God will say enough is enough, everyone has had enough time, and he will intervene to, as you say, "stop it here forever". On that day, sin and sinners will be destroyed, never more to cause suffering in the universe, and those who have decided to take up God's offer of salvation will be changed, fully restored to perfection, to live with God forever in a new and perfect world, just as God intended man to be.

So, religion can be and often is a good thing (though not always). When God works through it, it does change people's lives for the better, and it does produce good results. But at the end of the day, success will come from God and what God does.

Answer 2

If Christians were at war because someone did not believe the way they do, I consider that wrong.

However if Christians are at war to rid the world of destructive people who are menaces to society, then I agree with it.

One religion beheading another religion's adherents is an abomination.

Armies, whose purpose is to destroy those that commit violence is not wrong in my opinion.

Sorry about the collateral damage, that is something that cannot be helped when the terrorists mix into the general population. Their reason for doing that is to raise public ire against their enemies.

grace2u

Answer 3

Like all religions, they have some followers who are purely evil people who think that they can use religion as an excuse for their actions. Islam is not the only religion where this has happened, ever hear about the crusades? Christianity there makes the Muslim extremists actions look kinda tame really

Answer 4

Um... Buddhism has never waged wars in the name of the Buddha. PEOPLE are the problem, not necessarily the RELIGIONS. PEOPLE use religion as an excuse to further their own self-serving agendas, or people heading religious organizations. Don't blame EVERY relgion on the acts of a few idiots please.

_()_

Answer 5

It will never stop as long as mankind has religion. The sole answer is that they are so many different religions because people believe different things, as long as we cannot all agree on something there will always be conflict. It's called human nature.

Answer 6

Ever since there has been the concept of "one true god", there has been killing in his name. One of the smartest statements in the movie most religious people hate, The DaVinci Code.

Can't get any simpler than that.

Answer 7

Ecc..3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Answer 8

Because people always find an excuse. We're still animals, regardless of what people like to claim.

Answer 9

Peace and Religion?

there is NO correlation!

Answer 10

Yeah (peace-and-religion), that's an oxymoron.