Is religion the most polarizing force on the planet? Why do you think that is?

Question

Plenty of examples on Y/A show that nothing can make a person angrier or more resolved than religious beliefs. Why can't devout religious believers accept non-believers for who they are? Why can't atheists let religious believers shout what they believe as loud as they want? I'm not sitting on the fence, as a liberal Catholic, my faith is personal and not something to share with others. I hope tolerance prevails someday...

Answer 1

Yes, it is. Religion accentuates "group-think". It creates the ultimate us vs them mentality. Although you can debate about the percentage of wars caused by religion, it is certainly true that it has made most of them worse.

The only thing that comes close to religion in promoting blind group think is nationalism.

And to answer your last question, atheists wouldn't mind if religious people just shouted about their beliefs. It is when they pass repressive laws, promote bigotry and chauvinism, discourage rational thought, promote their superstitions over science especially to non-religious children, blow themselves and other people up, torture people, and do other vile things that we start to really dislike religion. Religious superstition does a lot of harm to society and has little redeeming value.

Answer 2

First off, as an atheist, for all I care you can shout your beleifs all you want - just dont try to legislate them into laws that will govern ME. Thats the only time I shout back...

Religion is a polarizing force. It is interesting - it makes people simultaneously humble and self-centered. "I am nothing but a horrrible sinner in the eyes of God." on one hand, and "My religion is the one true religion" & "God answered my prayers when I won the pie eating contest." on the other hand both demonstrate how this is. Fascinates me, personally... especially because most religious people only see the humble part, not the self-centered part.

Answer 3

It's because the world is obsessed with everybody else, everyone has to care what everyone else thinks, everyone has to tell them their opinion. Why is America in Iraq, why did the Crudades happen? Why was Jesus crucified? Because nobody could just not care. Why? Why do we need to care so much? Because we are pathetic creatures wo could find nothing else to have a conversation about except about other people. Because we think we need to make a difference, because we think someone wants us to "help". No one ever asks them, they just do it because it's obvious they have problems thought processing or just don't realize they have problems. That is a load of crap. Leave people alone, whether or not they believe in what you believe won't really matter when they die, Heaven or no Heaven.

Answer 4

I don't think any one thing stands out as "the most polarizing force on the planet." The genocides in Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Darfur are largely not about religion, for example. The Holocaust was not primarily about religion (Hitler was against Jews as a race, not a religious group).

Answer 5

It's like my mama always told me: Some people just can't see past the end of their own nose. I don't think it's religion in and of itself, but rather human nature. It's the same with politics, cultures -- anything that's fundamentally one thing, but with two or more divisions. You'll always get people who think their branch of that particular tree is the best and the only right one. Why? Because it's the one they're on!

Answer 6

It's up there, but I think that what the Globalists are doing (turning Americans against eachother through propaganda) is a more powerful polarizing force. Remember when We The People could work TOGETHER?

Answer 7

Religion is a word that I don't associate with because to me it means dogma, doctrine, form and ceremony without the life that come through a relationship with God. So to be honest, from that perspective it may be polarizing because it is just one more system of beliefs and actions and attitudes.

Christianity stands alone as a relationship with God that is vitally alive and glorious! It transcends religion because it has doctrine but also has love that encompasses all humans of any belief. Tolerating what others believe is easy, but to love them in spite of their slander, mockery and abuse of you and what you believe is much more difficult. However, Christ said we are to "Love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us and pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us." Only those who truly love the Lord and choose to obey Him in all things can do that, and it is not easy for them because they live in a fleshly body like everyone else and have a sin nature like everyone else. It is much easier for them though than for anyone else - and I am speaking of "loving them" not putting up with them.

There are a lot of people who do good things in life and many in the name of religion, but true love can only come through God's work in our lives. Any other love is a cheap substitute for Agape love which loves no matter what. Humans can get this love, but not before they are saved and God does the work in their hearts and lives to make it possible. We just don't have it in ourselves.

Answer 8

I can't agree with that. If it were true, the prospect of religious conversion would be non-existent, which is what EVERY religion craves. Sure, being disrespectful of anyone's beliefs it going to piss them off, but some people aren't as polarized as all that.

Answer 9

LOL Tolerance from a Liberal RIIIIIGHT! Sorry, but religion isn't quite as divisive as politics. Liberals simply assume that they are right and everyone else is wrong. That blinds them to much of the real world.

Answer 10

I don't really mind if someone wants to believe what I consider to be foolishness, I just don't want their foolishness to become the law of the land. America seems to be in grave danger of becoming a theocratic state, and anything that can undermine that effort by fundamentalists is a good thing.

http://www.theocracywatch.org