Why can't people at least appreciate the GOOD things about religion?

Question

All I see is athiests complaining about how much damage religion causes towards society and how it's a bad impact. But honestly, many religions are generally trying to better improve our individual selves and increase morality. I don't hate athiests, I respect their opinions. (the world will never agree on one thing) but I just wish people would appreciate what the churches good intentions are.

Answer 1

I dont belive in god, but I dont hate the idea. I love the idea of God and think He is a good influence. Religion gives people a reason to be good and scares them into behaving. I think war isnt a result of religion, but of intolerance. I love all religions, but i DO NOT LIKE IT when people use religion to descriminate. People use the bible against gay marriage, abortion, other religions and atheists. i think you need to focus on the positive parts of religion, and write off the hateful parts as unimportant. LOVE THY NEIGHBOR!

Answer 2

I do. The foundation of most religions is usually a noble purpose, a reformulation of human understanding or an ethical system designed to improve justice in the world. The biggest problem is that, like any other human institution, political, commercial or fraternal, its priorities shift from saving the world to saving itself. Ideally, a "church" is its people, not its infrastructure. But people change their minds and move around. The foods that keeps a religion alive are money and fresh blood. The radical messages of a religion get sanded down to become more palatable. The less manageable members are ejected. And the goals of the church tend to resemble those of the greatest financial contributors. There may be some charitable window-dressing but the church is no longer interested in making the world over in the image of its original principles.

It IS interested in changing the world into loyal, orderly and contributing members. Being non-worldly, it has a limited selection of persuasive tools. Most commonly the carrot is the eternal embrace of God, while the stick is enldess torment in hell. Note that these are events outside of human experience, off in the "next" world. With few exceptions, sermons are often tailored to address the importance of personal morality to guarantee success in the afterlife, rather than to challenge the injustices of the social and political systems set up around us. Thus a religion become useless, outside of hypothetical, personal self-interest.

If the faith truly motivates people to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, aid the sick, love neighbor and enemy, and fight the powers that impoverish and marginalize human beings for the sake of profit and order, I'm impressed and I'm there supporting it. But it is too often a rare thing to find a religion that continues to listen to its own core message.

Answer 3

Most Christians aren't war-mongers; they are law-abiding individuals who happen to have faith in Christ. Likewise, there are law-abiding Jews who have faith in God.

People like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris seek to eliminate religion from the world as a whole because they attribute it to violence, intolerance, and hate.

However, millions of people have come to know peace and love in religion (depending on what kind of spirituality it is).

CASHMERE: Since when is Dubya a "religious extremist?" If that were the case, then religious minorities would be in concentration camps.

Answer 4

Perhaps because of statements made by followers of a religion such as "it's like [atheists] just don't want to worry about feeling responsible for their wrong doings.. "

Regardless of a church's intentions, if its congregation shows no sign of improving upon humanity with qualities like compassion and understanding, there's a problem.

Answer 5

I was with you on your first sentence, but when I read the ending that killed it.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Seriously, I appreciated the good things about the Methodist Church for the first 18 years of my life, and the Catholic Church for the next 25 years.
And I appreciate all that I learned coming out of them both as well, and I appreciate what I've learned outside of any religion.

Answer 6

Well, I have mixed feelings about that. I don't want to condemn or interfere with religious people doing good things, but I also don't want religion setting society's agenda, even if sometimes it *happens* to be on the right side of something.

It's kind of like trusting the magic 8 ball.

Answer 7

the problem is that people tend only to look at the negative aspects of things they dont understand, and ignore the positive. we are all guilty of this to an extent, but when it comes to religion, that anti-religious people look at all the bad things done in the name of god, and say look how terrible this is. they forget to look at the good things done, and say how wonderful this is. take war for example. it is a nasty business with people on each side trying to kill the people and break the things of the other side. in the middle are the innocent people who get caught up in the fighting, and the casual observer says how terrible. but when a religious charity steps in after the hostilities have ended, and supplies to both sides the things needed to maintain life, and they look on that as, nice but what is their true motive?

Answer 8

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions". That's the problem, one persons good intentions is bad for another. I can say that there are some good things about religions but it seems the bad out weights them.

Answer 9

Unfortunately there aren't churches who just want to help us find our souls and teach us good beliefs without paying them money. There's always that $ thing that will always be the bottom line. Religion need go no further than your own mind and thoughts.

Answer 10

The problem, as I see it, as that the general presumption is that religions, by default, are good. That is why you hear so many atheists denouncing it and seeing its flaws: because it is meant to undermine what they see as the general assumptions that the majority hold toward religion.