Do you think religion hinders people from growing mentally?

Question

by that I mean because different religions have different do's/don'ts; do you think by people following things so closely hinders them from growing in ways that might grow if they just lived to be good people and not to be a good person in the eye of their belief?
*Hope that explination makes sense.... I know what I am trrying to ask but not sure if I am saying it in the right way.

I guess I shold have alos asked WHY do you believe it does or does not hinder ones potential growth process?

Answer 1

no, i think it actually helps inspire most of us to begin our spiritual journeys. what hinders growth is when people get caught up in the dogma of their particular faith or stop searching because it's easier to believe that their god doesn't want them to look anywhere for answers besides their church/temple and it's leaders.

Answer 2

I grew up with religion until i was about 13 , and from there onwards i made my own choices . I feel that alot of what i grew up ( religious teachings ) with is today very controversial to some of what i believe in , BUT there are some teachings that i still uphold in my day to day routines . That said I am definitely more spiritual than religious , but have very strong respect for ALL religions present amongst man kind , and would never condemn one for the other . I am grateful that my early life was guided by religion no matter how it is i feel about religion at present . It manifested at an early age that there was the need to differenciate between right and wrong , and now as an adult i can do that based on my own concious .

Answer 3

A lot of things have different do's and don'ts.

The secular law, for instance, has a lot of them -- it has far more do's and don'ts than any religion does.

So do workplaces -- lots of company policies, lots of do's and don'ts.

But I don't see anyone suggesting that secular laws, or workplace policies, hinder people from growing mentally.

"Be a good person" and "be a good person in the eye of their belief" need not be exclusive. Nor is the former automatically better, or less restrictive, than the latter.

Before I became a "serious Catholic" five years ago, I was what most people would call a "good person."

But now, to be honest, I think I am even more of a "good person."

Not to mention, the purpose of Catholicism is not, at the end of the day, to make somebody a better person -- although that naturally happens anyway, if one takes the faith seriously enough.

Rather, the purpose of Catholicism, at the end of the day, is to help us get to Heaven after we die. That's the ultimate purpose of just about any religion.

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Answer 4

Sadly, this is probably true. That's why it becomes the responsibility of those who recognize this reality to decide for themselves that God exists and find out what He wants them to do.

I come from a religion that is heavily criticized for this. But I follow it because when I ask God, He is the one that confirms that it's right. When I worry about what He wants then that's a much better motive for me than simply pleasing other people in my church. Although I don't mind trying to make them happy too.

Answer 5

it depends on your religion. some r so restrictive that u have 2 suppress who u r. others only ask that u dont hurt anyone (including youself). as long as u do that, u can do what u want! also, 1 of the responses says that faith means believing & not asking questions. i strongly disagree w/ that. i believe that in order 2 find what u TRUELY believe in, u must ask questions. i love my religion, but eveyone who practices it, can practice any way they want & will give u different answers 2 the same question. it all comes down 2 what works 4 u.

Answer 6

If religion speaks of the end of the world all the time and if religions always talk about anyone going to hell if he makes wrong then those who believe may shut their minds to think freely for themselves. Those religion that insists on the divine plan that God moves you like a chess pawn that you have no others choice but His then your free will is stagnated.

Answer 7

No, I believe that a person's mentality can be sharpened if religion is lead by spirituality. I know the idea of being "liberal" creatures is a lovely one but I believe that just as Henry David Thoreau had to conform to the laws of life and nature, people must also conform to the spiritual laws (not saying they are equal) while gaining knowledge and advanced mentality, just as he did.

Answer 8

no it doesnt. faith and beliefs does not prevent people from learning. i dont know of any religion that says for followers to never learn. many people have the misconception that if a person believes in god they are unintelligent because they refuse to think. i think that is utterly ridiculous. believing in a higher being has no correlation to education and knowledge. religious or not, a person chooses if they want to progress mentally or not.

Answer 9

No, not always. Growing mentally has caused me to view my faith and what my faith means to me in new ways. New ideas help me as a Christian to grow in what I believe. Religion and science can coexist until man proves how everything came out of nothing without a higher power.
Fanatic and stubborn people bring about the thought that religion is unaccepting, not the religon itself.

Answer 10

Depends on the religion (for example, Wicca promotes and supports learning in all its forms) but for, the most part, yes.

Most religions teach that you shouldn't learn more. Look at Christianity. One of the very first things in the bible is a woman eating from the tree of knowledge. Almost immediately that religion makes knowledge into the enemy.

Other religions are the same but not so blatant.

Its very sad and frightening. I've even seen many Christians actually deny the chance to learn something new because it might conflict with their bible or make them doubt their god.