Atheists? Do you see any use for religion at all?

Answer 1

Yes.

-It comforts people to believe that there is life after death.
-Almost all religions offer some moral guidance that is of some value.
-I've personally witnessed people recover from horrible situations with help from religion.

Religious extremism scares the crap out of me, but I'm sure it does for 90% of religious people as well.

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with religion, but I cannot personally accept anything extraordinary without any proof.

Answer 2

The function of religion is largely social, and as such each church, synagogue, temple, mosque or assembly hall fills in each community a role as the gathering place for people who enjoy being together.

If you ask people what they remember about growing up in church, more often than not you will hear of youth group get-togethers, church suppers, song-fests, and community work projects. If they can recite back one sermon or Sunday school lesson more than a month old, I would be surprised.

But the ready availability of churches to meet this need has limited the call for alternatives in the community. Religion is a great joiner, but it is an even greater divider. There is no more economically or racially segregated time than those moments spent in a church or religious community. It would be better for entire communities to come together around schools, fire halls, recreation centers, senior centers, and day care centers to include all who call a community home, not just the ones who adhere to a particular creed or holy book.

So while Religion has had a use, its use is no longer helpful. We would all be better off to release ourselves from its hold and find better ways to live together and get to really know one another without reliance on make-believe.

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Answer 3

Yes. on the balance, I consider the negatives to outweigh the positives in religion. I will not go through the negatives, but remember that each of the below positives is, I believe, insufficient to justify the continuing use of religion.

-It organizes people. When used for good, this gives a base for doing good works such as creating architectural or artistic works and doing works of charity such as hospitals and donation of food and clothes that physically help others.
- It gives some inspiration to be better people. Though most likely those people would have been better anyway.
- It provides comfort to some and a sense of community.

In order to be against something, I find no need to insist to myself that the thing is entirely awful and bad and without any redeeming qualities whatsoever. By recognizing the positives in religion I believe my opposition to religion is far more credible, mature, and reasoned than it would otherwise be.

Answer 4

Life isn't as black and white as religion portrays. Organized religions never work because people don't always follow everything the holy book of that religion says, meaning there's conflict within the religion. Are only the people who follow the religion exactly, right? Are those who follow it more loosely right?

It cripples us.

Answer 5

No. I get tired of hearing how it brings people comfort, or encourages them to be good, or offers a valuable sense of community. That implies that these things are otherwise absent, when they're not. The evil that religion brings to the world outweighs any good it can claim - which is none at all, because all of its "good" aspects are not aspects of religion at all.

Answer 6

No. It suppresses the growth of knowledge and imposes standards against which to judge others--all the while feeding a monstrous superiority complex. We can definitely do without this.

Answer 7

Religion is the legal opium of the people.

Answer 8

None, unless you want to give mindless masses the idea that their harebrained jihads, crusades, etc., are blessed from upon high. Religion = justification for _____

Answer 9

Controlling the ignorant.

Answer 10

With all due respect, no. I think the planet would be a lot more peaceful, reasonable, without any of it at all.