Has religion done more good than harm?

Question

Religions have killed more people than Nazism and Socialism.
They also gave us the middle ages, when they got all the power, and created scientific and economic stagnation. However religion has done lots of good right? Like teaching ethical behaviour and helping the poor. And if we do a careful balance perhaps the good balances the bad or even outweights it. Is this correct?.

Answer 1

Well... no.

If by teaching ethical behavior you mean "mistreating others that don't believe what you do" and by helping the poor you mean "ignore the poor since they are lower class citizens" then yes religion has done more good. But to any normal person, religion has done more harm than anything.

With the fall of the Roman Empire, the librarian of Alexandria was pulled off her carriage and skinned alive. Literacy dropped. Even the Pope had to have the Bible read to him. In the first crusade, Christians killed tens of thousands of people they called "infidels". The Children's Crusade (1212) caused the deaths of nearly 50,000 children. Preachers sentenced to death and executed thousands during the Inquisition (1233-1834) for heresy and witchcraft. There were the Salem witch trials (1692) in America. The 17th Century Thirty Years War (Catholics v. protestants) wiped out tens of millions in Europe. In the Taiping Rebellion in China in the 1850's a Christian cult started a war that resulted in the slaughter of twenty million people. In the Holocaust six million Jews were murdered. Muslims and Christians in Bosnia reached a death toll of over 250,000.

Answer 2

"Religions" as such have indeed done harm throughout the ages. The difference between religion and Christianity is that Christianity is a reality, religion is a concept coming from man, not from God. The interesting thing (for me) is that most of the good that has come from religion originated from Christianity/the Bible. Everything needs some sort of structure and the Bible provides that if the reader takes the time to study and understand with wisdom.

Additionally, most religions have a leader that died and can go to the gravesite etc. to "visit". In Christianity, Jesus was crucified for our sins, but arose on the third day and later went back to heaven to be with the Father. A gravesite will not be found for Him, because he rose from the grave. True, one can go visit the site where he was buried, but one will not find remains in that grave.

As for your conclusion, I think it would be very difficult to weigh one against the other because they both are perceived differently by each of us. For example: what seems "good" to me might not appear the same to you etc.

I don't think you can put all the good and all the bad into a jar and shake it up and come out with a single conclusion on the situation, but good luck to you if you try.

Answer 3

I could agree with the other comment somewhat and say it's mans' behavior. But, then again, it's relative to if you view religion as something man constructed or it really being tangible and there being a supreme being. I guess, if religion has truth in it, there is a supreme being, then religion would have done an equal amount of good and bad, the good due to people being saved and having knowledge and the bad because of all the religious wars and massacres. If there is no supreme being and religion at its' apex is simply a construction of mans' mind, then I would have to say it's done more harm, we could still have morals and ethics without it and all the wars its' wrought upon us. All depends on your views on religion I'd suppose, good question though.

Answer 4

Has religion done more good than harm? Probably, but the world isn't over yet.

For some people, the most vehement believers, the idea of a punishing deity is the only thing that prevents them from doing wrong.

Answer 5

It's hard to say whether religion has done more harm than good or the other way around. I still hope that in the future religion will continue doing good while cutting back on the harm.

Answer 6

The bad far outweighs the good. And even the good things you've listed aren't really all that good. Ethical religious people supported the slave trade, racism, suppression of women, bigotry, and homophobia. None of those are considered good things. And in helping the poor, they all had an ulterior motive.

Answer 7

Are you sure what you say is true? Or are you just aping what someone else alleged?
Also, what do you mean by religion?
Do you mean mankind's impotent attempt to achieve righteousness with God?
Or do you mean the religion of God, whereby He makes sinners into saints through faith in Christ?
I would remind you, it was the religious community that murdered Jesus Christ, betraying Him to the Romans.

Answer 8

A lot more harm than good. Ethics and behavior can be taught with constitutions and family rules of behavior.

Answer 9

I hope you're not suggesting that religion is the only teacher of ethical behavior. In my opinion, it was the ancient Greeks who invented ethical theory.

Answer 10

This is just my own perspective. I am a Chrisitan and I am true believer of God. But I don't believe and have a religion.
I simply call myself a Christian.

Why no religion? Because religion divides people who believe in God. Yes, we might all believe in the same God. Then how come, there's so many sects. There are protestant, baptist, evangelical, methodist, prebysterian, roman catholic, mormons, even muslims or buddhist and many others. All this religious sects tell about one God but each might have the same or different teachings or even biblical interpretation of its existence.

Also read the Bible careful regarding the church, for me the church is not something structural but rather living. The Bible says the church is us when all christians meet to worship God that is the church not some place or structure. During the time of Jesus Christ, the place where christians meet to pray and worship God is called a synagogues. Also in one locality or place there can only be one church. Like in the book of Galatian, it says the church in Galatia; in the book of Thessalonian, the church in Thessalonica; in the book of Philippians say the church in Philippi and many other as in one place there is one church.

So now today, in any one locality, there is so many churches as they called it, there is the roman catholic church, protestant church, methodist church, muslim mosques and many others each representing different religious sects . So where is the oneness of Christian here? Why worship God in different places today and hear different sermons from different priest or religious elders?

Read the Bible, does it says what religion represent that one true church where all christians gathers in one place to pray and worship God? The bible doesn't and never spoke of any one true religion but warns us that there will be many religion as it is now today and many of those religion are false and deceived people. Some may teach and speak of God, but still not the right one. So many religions, so many people who believe in God yet they are never one in mind and in heart.

This is why I don't have a religion or I don't label myself to have one. I never call myself a protestant, a roman catholic or anything else. Religion divides people who believe in God. And while the church or us is divided. Satan will never be judge because it is written in the Bible, it is the CHURCH who will judge Satan.

From here, you can easily make a deduction as to why there is so many religions today, what the purpose of all this religions and who will the one to actually benefit from all this religions.

I am simply a Chrisitan who believe in God.