How can governments discourage superstition and religious worship?

Question

Great Meg...another one with the victim complex. I said discourage not purge.

Answer 1

Whatever they do, actual direct suppression is out. Religions flourish in such environments, it's clear.

My own suggestion would be:

o Tax 'em - squeeze 'em *hard*: all the buildings, all the assets, the whole thing.
o No more charitable status: the churches themselves should have the status of both an elite club and a company, with the members all shareholders. More tax!
o No default freebies for public gatherings, etc. Any public displays would have the status of advertising, and charged accordingly. Any public rabble rousing viewed no different from, say, a KKK rally.
o Children expressly excluded from all religious activity until, say, sixteen.
o Massive programs - ideally funded by local taxes on religions to apportion the money where it's needed - to introduce serious science in school and TV, with an emphasis on the real explanations for things like cosmogony, abiogenesis, evolution and psychology of crowds.

Etc. - wean the dupes off this stuff and into thinking for themselves.

CD

Answer 2

Governments do not discourage superstition and religious worship; however, when people tend to go fanatical and step on the thin red line the government has the right to discourage 'extreme' forms of superstition and worship that are a disturbance to society.

Answer 3

I am not sure if you are asking for personal curiosity or to find out what can you do to succeed in a such Enterprise. I am from an ex-communist country so I can tell you right away:
1. Make the religious leaders look stupid and evil: give the impression that they are all gay, thieves, brain washers, etc.
2. Take all the church proprieties and put buildings on those lands. If you can build tall buildings AROUND the church, so it will looks very small
3. Put the religious leaders in jails for invented crimes
4. Do not permit to political leaders to participate to religious ceremoniess.
5. Take out the religion from schools. Put sciences instead and criticize religion on those classes.
6. If to night is some grand religious festival give free entrance in clubs and bars to everybody and keep it open until the ceremonie is over.

That is just for start...i have more if you want to know

Answer 4

Why do you want to discourage superstition and religious worship?
Do you want to take away peoples right to believe, their free will and speech?
What would you do if someone took something away from you that made you feel safe?
Just because you don't believe in these things does not give you the right to take them away.

If you want to make a better world why not ask: "How can we dicourage the corruptness of the politicians?" The lying backstabbing, tax raising, superficial, nasty, selfish, cowardly people..

Answer 5

They shouldn't. America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and because the founding fathers so understood the need for these principles to properly govern they became the basis for our ideals and laws.
Worshiping the God who created us is a good thing, superstition on the other hand should be avoided at all costs.
Take away these beliefs that America was founded on, you will then see our society plunge into darkness and chaos with rampant crime, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, out of control teenagers, pornography, low morals, low self-esteem, school shooting and the list goes on and on; come to think of it America is already at that point.
Read your bible and see what it says versus what the world is telling you, you might just get some insight on the benefits of worshipping your maker.

Answer 6

The only thing the government is working on is religious worship by trying to do away with it. The ACLU is the Devils Advocate being his little trouble makers and causing all kinds of headaches, BUT Judgment day IS coming and I hope that God will let His Children sit and watch the Court Proceedings. Bet Satan WILL NOT be there defending them, right???

Answer 7

Why would they want to do that? That would only serve to breed more crime because it would force believers, most of whom never commit a crime, to become criminals to worship.

Non-believers need to worry more about those criminals with no faith out there than Christians. Having an empty soul is much more dangerous than having one filled with the Holy Spirit.

Answer 8

They do it all of the time in this day and age. The United States is doing everything it can to abolish Christianity with the likes of the ACLU and by giving special rights to "minority" groups and religions.

You don't have to worry about how they can do it. They are and will do it! The Bible clearly says so!

Look at that, again many claim to not believe, but yet they always follow The Bible to a "T".

Answer 9

By not allowing schools to teach soft science, that way billions of people won't be told Pluto is a planet when everyone knows it's not!

Answer 10

What do you think that did to the society?
The government wouldn't really do anything unless it causes harm. Not only Islam, but there have been Christian terrorists too.