Do you agree that religion was created out of fear?

Question

Would you agree that the people who created religion, had a strong fear of death, knew that everyone else feared it too....and took that fear to their advantage so that they could have order? Think about it. When there was no religion around, people must've driven themselves crazy fearing their deaths. So, they imagined a "creator". One that loved them. They imagined a heaven, where you would go when you die (but only if you follow certain rules). If you didn't follow those rules, you'd go to a different place where you'd suffer for all eternity.
Just the story sounds to me like religion was created to make order and control people. What better way to control people, than their fears?

Jack, you're calling me a fool, when your thoughts following the insult are simply incoherent ramblings of crap that nobody but yourself can understand? So many typos, grammar errors, and punctuation errors....I have no idea what you have said.

Answer 1

It has been theorized that religions were created partially to ease people's worries about afterlife, but it was also created to explain things that couldn't be explained. (even though logically it made no sense) "Why does the sun rise? An invisible man with unlimited power makes the sun rise & fall."

Over time religion USED fear to gain more followers. I mean, how can you say no to a group of people demanding you convert or you they will torture you, kill you & when you die you'll go to hell? (spanish inquisition)

I believe religion was created to supply comfort for those who lack the confidence in themselves to know the way they wish to travel.

Where is the adventure in life when a religion tells you where to go & what you can't do when you get there?

Edit: I love it when some christian comes on spouting about how the "proof" of god's existence is all around us. Yeah ok! That's sufficient evidence even though the "creator" hasn't ever shown himself to anyone except the fanatic believers who stand outside staring into the sun trying to see him.... and after hours in the heat they do see him..... or a flying pink elephant! It varies from person to person!

p.s. to the Weazel above me..... How do you figure man was created to worship? There was no religion in the days of the caveman! Religion is a MAN MADE idea. Worshipping is what egotistical kings demand from their servants & subjects. Not for a creator to demand from his "children."

Answer 2

Most people against religion say it was created to explain away where we all came from but some people try to say it was created to explain where we will go or to control us. You will believe what you want to believe but the Bible tells us that 'religion' was created in the Garden of Eden and it was a relationship between God and His first created humans. It was really about love and a respectful fear.

Honestly if there was no religion do you think people wouldn't try to find a way to create order and control others or be afraid in any way? There are plenty of things to fear in this world and there are ways to create order and control others (society/government) without faith in the mix so there must be more to religion than what your question boils it down to don't you think?

Answer 3

I personally think that religion was created to explain things that people of the day could not explain. People needed to believe in a higher being and needed an explanation about why we are here and where we came from. Religions are outliving their purpose because we now try to explain things with reason and science(which in my opinion is a good thing).
Religion has been used to control people though. Just look back at Europe in the middle ages and times around that and you will see the early Christian church controlling the whole population.

Answer 4

YES- I do beleive that religion was created out of fear- but not so much a fear of death- (although I believe that has a part in it) I believe organized religion was created as a way to have power over society and keep the people under control.
Look back over history at what the Catholic Church did during the Crusades and even into the dark ages. There have been many, many, horrible things done to mankind in the name of God. Not so much because of what God has done to us, but because of what man has done in His name.
Yes- mankind has always had a fear of death but I feel that God, not "religion" has given us the hope of life after death as a comfort- not to control our every thought.

Answer 5

No. As to the comment about "keeping uppity Jews in line" most of the first christians were Jews, so that totally doesn't make any sense at all. Jesus himself was Jewish.

I think the questioner maybe has had a bad time with organized religion, or whatever. It's ok if you don't believe in God, or a certain religion, but to say that everyone who does believe only believes because they're afraid is just wrong.

Answer 6

Religion is mans search for God, but CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A RELIGION. Following Jesus is all about having a PERSONAL relationship with God the Father through His only Son Jesus Christ with help and guidance through the Holy Spirit.

You must have faith, and stop being deceived by the ways of the society that you were brought up in. Do you really know who controls society. Read your Bible and find out.

Jesus loves you. All He wants you to do is repent of all your sins and receive the Holy Spirit. When you do then you will be accepted into the Kingdom of God. Jesus is alive now.

Jesus loves you unconditionally. He is waiting for you to call on Him and be saved.

Answer 7

A lot of what the early religions were like were based around fear, primarily the Catholic Church putting the idea of a "one true god" into the hearts and minds of people everywhere. Priests, Bishops and even the Popes used the idea of 'hell' to control people into living a better life and doing what is right by other people.

I could point out the example of court cases, where you are asked to pace your hand on a bible and swear during your testimony, most people are so afraid of giving false evidence after they swore because they have been told they would go to hell because of it.

Answer 8

No...
Man was created to worship...
How can there not be a designer or a God. The proof of his existence is all around us in the sun, moon, grass, stars, sky, plants, animals and all the things around us. In the earth, which is the right size, the perfect distance from the sun, has the perfect tilt, mixture of gases to support life, and a life cycle. We have brains and a nerve center that store knowledge and memories plus it tell us when we are in pain. We have ears that we can hear just the right amount not to little so we could hear others talk and not too much we can hear air molecules passing through our ears. We have eyes to see plant and animals and all creation. We have a heart to pump blood throughout are body. We have lungs to breathe in air.
Every part of our body has a purpose and was designed perfectly. Look at a cell! How much information is in something so small. God has given us more proof for him in his creation.
So No it was not created out of fear but out of LOGIC.

Answer 9

Fear, Wonder. Love, Expectation, Enticement, Comfort, Satisfaction, A sense of Calm, Edification;
So many religions, so many ways.
There are probably many negative reasons that people created elements of religions, but I suspect that for every negative reason, there is at least one positive.
I have spoken with people who were around a family member in a hospital when the family member wasa there and dying from Mesothelioma... a horrible way to do, but the man dying was at peace; he was not heavily medicated, but he was seemingly at peace, Calm, and able to talk well, and told them of his love for them, and the love for the higher power he worshipped, and when he passed away, all there felt a sense of calm.
Sometimes this is not the case, and some die in fear. Many times, things are what you make of them. But after having spoken with many hospice workers, I think that the feeling of peace at the time of death is very common .... even when the person dying passes in great fear of what is to come.

so, Many emotions create religions... its not just a case of rampant fear. I think those closer to the start of life and the end of life know more peaceful reasons for faith; and those in the middle seem to be so dead set on creating a power base set in fear, loathing and hatred...

Answer 10

almost. It's the unknown. Why did this year's crops fail? God, he didn't like last year's Bacchanal. Religion was science for a long time and science abhors the unknown. Back around the time of writing (date varies by culture) religion stopped developing and science marched forward. Science still abhors the unknown, religion considers it it's domain and therefore wishes to maximize the amount of possible knowledge be considered controversial (even if things are only seemingly controversial, religion gets its toe in the door).