Is organised religion/superstition strangling our world's progress do you think?

Answer 1

To some degree religion and superstition are responsible for occluding progress in the world -- the ban on stem cell research is in this country is a prime example. Fundamentalist religions and their practitioners tend to be bound by taboos which are often tribal in nature and obstruct or prevent secular education which might increase a respect for and understanding of scientific theory. In addition, some religions are oppressive of women, even to the point of disallowing females any liberties whatsoever, thereby perpetuating ignorance. Religious prohibitions against the use of artificial means of birth control add to overpopulation and poverty, especially in third world countries, when followed rigorously. Religions often resort to fear tactics to control their constituents; those who are fearful of retribution, either by their leaders or in an afterlife, are less likely to explore the world of ideas and concepts available to them, particularly when the views expressed in literature and texts are considered to be "against" their "beliefs".

Answer 2

Hardly, and the way you've worded the question is very slanted and/or loaded. Faith has been responsible for quite a bit of progress, in fact, if you check your history.

The abolition of slavery owes a lot to people of faith like Wilberforce and others who denounced it.

The scientific revolution that started the Renaissance was initiated by people who believed that God had created an ordered universe that operated by fixed natural laws, and that those laws could be discovered by experimentation and research. Joseph Priestley (the discoverer of oxygen) is an example that comes to mind. Sir Isaac Newton is another. This belief in the ordered nature of the created universe led to research as opposed to, say, alchemy and magical spells.

However, as twenty million others are about to point out, people who have misused their faith or misapplied their faith are also responsible for a lot of dreadful actions in the world. The Inquisition is one example, and 9/11 is another. Note, however, that the faith or the "religion" itself can do nothing one way or the other; it's the followers of it that use it either to do good or to do evil.

Answer 3

Based on your assumption, countries that have attempted to ban religion such as communist russia should be the most progressive in the world.

And it all depends on what you mean by progress. I could easily argue that the falling away of higher values and the progression of people only living for themselves is causing the world to go down the crapper

Answer 4

I do think, a prime example would be stem cell research. Also I met a guy the other day and had a conversation with him about computers. He is extremely christian and explained to me how the first time he searched for something on a file sharing program, the results listed a bunch of porn. He was trying to convince me that computers were evil.

Answer 5

Absolutely not. Buddists carefully adopt their religion to fit with the latest discoveries in physics. They realize that thoughts are not reality. Thoughts are abstract representations of reality.

There is a lot more to the world than can be described by words and religious texts. Buddists are keenly aware of that.

In some ways, I believe that religious practices probably are closer to a truth than the minimalists who define their world to be very limited to realities confirmed by the scientific method.

Answer 6

If we're right? No.

If we're wrong? Still no.

Stop blaming religion for the worlds problems and realize that this world is evil because of the people in it are evil. If everybody did what the Bible taught, then we would all be loving our neighbor and not one person would hurt anybody.

Answer 7

Progress gave us the atom bomb and we can't handle that in this world. Don't get me wrong I love progress too, but if man is not caught up spiritually he can't handle progress because sometimes it like letting the genie out of the bottle. We have irresponsible people in this world who can't keep it in their pants when they should, what makes you think they can keep the bomb in their own back yard.

Answer 8

Only when someone refuses to move forward based on no reason other than some arbitrary or baseless view held by his religion.

Answer 9

Absolutely!

Answer 10

Not in the West but very definately in the Islamic countries.