does reliigion have any place in a free, enlightened society?

Question

i know we have the freedom to worship....bla, blah, blah, all i have to say is all monotheisitc religions call for killngs in the name of...........all of them, bible, koran torah....now we know god orders killings all the time, usually against what the religion doesnt understand, cant control, or just to prove its control.

no matter how you view the subject, you must see the danger in religious zealots, of all faiths. is it to the point where religion has become a cancer on "enlightened" society, one to be cut out? b/c we know christans cannot co exist with others that want their freedom.,,,,women who dont want a baby at 18 and gays who wantr to be bound by holy matrimony. also free speech takes a bump when the people demand filth leave our homes...come on, a war that was started on lies, has been kept going my a religious hatred of a different culture......

i personally think religions and their zealots will probably bring down free thinking societies....thoughts?

Answer 1

if it wasnt religion it would be politics.... there will ALWAYS be something people will disagree on....

and i really think you are generalizing here... you automatically assume that everyone who belongs to a religion is a fanatic... mean how many millions of people belong to a religion? how many actually carry it too far? i would think the % would be very small.... in every group there is always going to be a crazy.

also belonging to a religion doesnt mean your stupid or something. i mean who the heck says you cant be enlightened and religious?

Answer 2

The Bible says, "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

Did God purpose for free will to be without limits? Imagine a busy city without any traffic laws, where everybody could drive in any direction at any speed. Would you want to drive under those conditions? No, that would be traffic anarchy and would surely result in many accidents.

It's the same with God's gift of free will. Unlimited freedom would mean anarchy in society. There have to be laws to guide human activities. God's Word says: "Behave like free men, and never use your freedom as an excuse for wickedness." (1 Peter 2:16 Jerusalem Bible) God wants free will to be regulated for the common good. He purposed for us to have, not total freedom, but relative freedom, subject to the rule of law.

Also, read 1John 5:3. If you truly love God, you would keep his commandments and obedience would be a non-issue -even in a godless society.

Answer 3

sure, I do, and yet i imagine some human beings derive their reason to stay from faith, and so i will not say that our society may be completely a similar, with more beneficial useful medical remedies, were faith to not in any respect have existed. i imagine now, when we are on the extent the position faith is now no longer required to describe the unexplained nature of particular issues, the chains of backward wondering may be forged away and our society as an finished can emerge, secular, and enlightened. It received't ensue, yet would not that's fantastic.

Answer 4

Your displeasure is apparant (freedom to worship...bla bla bla), but you are jumping to an incorrect assumption about religious persons by considering dangerous elements without considering the majority of persons of faith.

One could easily argue the same, for instance, about political fanatics - those whose politics are motivated by sheer ideology (since an ideology can be just as fanatical as a devotion to faith, just as irrational, just as dangerous, and pay no homage to pantheon or monotheistic deity).

What we've found (we being Americans) in this short history of the democratic republic is that there will always be fringe elements that border on (and sometimes cross) the lines of rational behavior, but that when there is opportunity for ideologically-motivated persons to state their piece and be included in the democratic process, to air their grievances and address the perceived wrongs in society, then the republic becomes much stronger.

Consider the unrest fomenting dangerously in the oppressive societies in some developing nations (Sudan and Egypt), as well as in some more developed nations (Saudi Arabia) where anger over some incents the people to riot. Consider again the reaction in the U.S. where protests, while loud and sometimes obnoxious, are generally peaceful.

It is precisely because the citizens of the US have the freedoms to follow their faith (whether you or anyone else believes it to be legitimate is not relevant; the believer is entitled to believe what he or she wishes, and to exercise their belief within law) that ideas both moderate and radical are allowed to be aired and tossed into the marketplace of ideas to be accepted, refined, or rejected as untrue.

Indeed, I can hardly imagine a society to be "enlightened" without the presence of dissenting opinions - especially without those opinions that some (such as yourself, apparantly) may not deem to be enlightened.

You argue that religious thought and zealotry is antithetical to a free-thinking society, but in reality is not censorship all the more lethal?

One last note - there are many, many Christians who believe the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan is immoral for many reasons. Look at Pax Christi to find such as these.

Answer 5

Most wars have been started by religious zealots, but true Christians that follow Jesus Christ's teachings are not zealots, but peole who are obeying God and trying to get others to see "th light". Religionists can believe anything and as long as they don't keep me from believing and doing what I think is right, it's their choice!

Answer 6

Religion has no place in any reasonable person's mind. Once you start accepting as absolute truth things for which there is no evidence of any kind, reason is gone and that person's ability to make critical decisions based on facts and evidence is severely compromised. People who believe mythical, superstitious nonsense are not reasonable, thinking people -- and can't be trusted to make reasonable, thoughtful decisions....they've already shown they do not possess critical thinking skills.

Peace.

Answer 7

I understand. The democrats unprovoked attack on Kosovo was appalling! The democrats quest to ban certain video games (censorship) is also appalling!

Oh, wait... you were hoping that liberal mistakes against a "free, enlightened society" would not be mentioned weren't you?

Answer 8

When a society takes on the likeness of Christ you would have a truly free and perfect world.

Answer 9

Without Jesus you are not enlightened. Jesus is the light of the wworld.