What are the pros and cons of organized religion?

Question

And please list your religion or lack of.

Answer 1

pros:
religion provides people with answers to things they can't understand (death, loss, pain)
gives people a support system (a network of people who believe the same things they do)
churches do a lot of charity work

cons:
religion promotes intolerance toward people who don't believe the same things they do
religion starts wars
religion causes people to try to take away other peoples rights
religion inhibits progress (think how much farther we would have come with scientific discovery and technology if religion didn't keep trying to set us back)
religion scares people into conforming to a certain faith by threatening them with hell
religion promotes ignorance by advocating things like abstinence education- something that would make STD's and teen pregnancy rates skyrocket
religion pressures people to get married way too early by prohibiting premarital sex, this is why Christian divorce rates are higher than non-theist divorce rates
they say abortion is a sin even though there are too many kids already without loving parents to take care of them

and probably many others than I can't think of right now

Answer 2

Cons: Being labelled, stereotyped, badmouthed, and insulted by others because of my religion.

Pros: The purposes / activities of the church should be: (1) teaching Biblical doctrine, (2) providing a place of fellowship for believers, (3) observing the Lord’s supper, and (4) praying. The church is to be about the business of ministering to those who are in need, both spiritually and physically. All these help to build my faith.

When a person trusts Jesus Christ for salvation, he or she is made a member of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). For a church body to function properly, all of its "body parts" need to be present (1 Corinthians 12:14-20). Likewise, a believer will never reach full spiritual maturity without the assistance and encouragement of other believers (1 Corinthians 12:21-26). For these reasons, church attendance, participation, and fellowship should be regular aspects of a believer's life. Weekly church attendance is not required for believers, but someone who has trusted Christ should have a desire to worship God, be taught His Word, and fellowship with other believers.

My religion is Christian... my DENOMINATION is Lutheran.

Have a blessed day.

Answer 3

First of all, I believe that the benefits of religion can best be seen in play in a society where the right to worship freely is recognized. The darker side of religion can best be seen in authoritarian societies that recognize one sect or religion and suppress all others.

It is not fair to indict modern Christianity in free societies with the crimes of the religion in the authoritarian empires of the past. In our world today, we can see the dark side of Islam as it is practiced in the theocracies of Saudi and Iran or Afghanistan under the Taliban. Absent the freedom to interpret Islam and freely practice it as one chooses, this religion has been fertile ground for a movement that threatens civil society everywhere.

That being said, I believe that under the best of conditions, in a free society, religion offers a moral guide, a basis for family stability in a unpredictable economy and a channel for helping those in need. Yet religion in America does have a dark side, and that is the Christian Right and the evangelical Protestant movement. Their political agenda threatens science education and research. The more radical members of the movement believe that American foreign policy should be guided by Biblical prophecy, which could take the world to the brink of disaster.

- me? A skeptical agnostic and spiritual pilgrim.

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Answer 4

Even though there is much I don't like about "organized religions", there is still many things that has been good about it.

Through the different "organized religions", we have had doors opened within our own Country as well as other countries that a single individual or a scatterring of people could not have made possible....and whatever their problems, they have been an asset in providing shelters, resource centers, thrift shops, food programs, after school programs, etc.,. that we wouldn't have if not for any of them.... even some of our major colleges, hospitals, social programs, relief centers, red cross, etc.,. would not have been introduced when they were without their influence.

The basic concept of organized religion is wonderful...

However, the same power which made them "good" can also be considered to have gone to their heads and found that "power" could also be used within society in anything they so deemed possible to be involved in....and many have used it beyond anything that could be called "Godly"... money and power overridiing anything that could safely be said was NOT "of God".

The "idea" of a church where believers may fellowship and grow within their faith and the Holy Spirit,and to worship God & Jesus, is something I myself would love to believe in...a place of knowledge, safety, love, blessings, healings, joy, etc.,.

Unfortunately, I don't see that...so, I am without a church, fellowshipping with whomever I meet within my path whom is a believer...even here on the internet.

Peace be with you all. (reborn, Sprit filled, tongue speaking, child of God and sister in Christ)

Answer 5

I'm a Roman Catholic. One of the big pros, to me, is being able to congregate with other people who believe as I do. It gives me a chance to worship God with others of a like mind. Another huge benefit is that the church does what a single person cannot. The church raises thousands upon thousands of dollars for charity and helps the poor in ways that a single person couldn't manage. By banding together, we become more efficient at showing the love and charity of Christ to our fellow man. In general, I feel that all organized religion, not just mine, certainly has its advantages.

As for the cons, there is the potential for blind dogmatism, corruption, intellectual isolation, clannishness, and the possibility of the organization turning into a cult of personality rather than simply focusing on spirituality.

Answer 6

i've got self assurance there are the two, yet for me in my opinion, the pro's outweigh the cons. i provides you you an basic professional. For each and every little thing that is noted there's a reason to computer screen it. i'm Baptist, and the symbolism of the grape juice and bread is symbolism of Jesus' final supper. Now, you have probable heard "out of sight, out of ideas." In our residences, if we're not into prepared faith we will not particularly set aside a time to mirror on the flaws that happend in Jesus' time. the clarification that that is substantial that prepared faith has maximum of rituals, is to place you in ideas of the sacrifices that have been made for us. yet another professional is the consistent and consistent coaching. you are able to no longer learn in case you do no longer circulate to type :)

Answer 7

Pros of religion is that you have an extended family. You are surrounded by tons of friends. Some one to lean on when in need. It helps keep your faith. You have to have faith in something.
Cons: I ran into this recently, twisting words in the bible to "fit" to that religion. I was sitting in church and what the Bishop was preaching was not completely true to the word. They were trying to force people to speak in tongues.

I am born, raised and baptized Pentecostal

Answer 8

Pros: Some hospitals were built because of religion. It provides some people solace. Some religious charities do solid work.

Cons: It isn't true, it's a mental disease, it factors into the decision making of electorates, it's gotten a lot of people killed, it provides false solace and most importantly, it slows down science.

Atheist.

Answer 9

Pro's
1. you have a lot of other people who agree with your views regardless of how crazy they are.

2. You always have something to do on Sunday morning that doesn't include nursing a hangover.

3. You believe when you die you'll go to this magically fairy tale land of love and happiness.

Con's

1. Even when its freezing cold out you gotta drag your butt outta bed to go to church.

2. you have to give up 10 percent of your income to the lunatic minister/priest/rev.

3. You have to buy an entire special wardrobe just for church so your clothes can be better than the preachers wives.

no religion.

Answer 10

religion promotes ignorance by advocating things like abstinence education- something that would make STD's and teen pregnancy rates skyrocket