Is Religion a Solution or a Problem?

Answer 1

Definitely a problem, I think - because so many see it as a solution. Amongst other things it often prevents believers from seeing what the problem is. And that's no way to find solutions. Especially when different camps are so convinced they have all the answers by the throat (along with any who disagree with them, given half a chance and a bigger bomb).

Answer 2

During 1800s, Anthropologists had a problem as to
how to classify human beings. One researcher
proposed the expression "intelligent animal".
After advanced studies on monkeys, it was dropped.
Another researcher proposed "tool using animal".
After observing some animals making wooden tools
and sharpening them with knife like stones, it was
dropped. Another researcher proposed "weapon using
animal". A decade ago, a rare film was shot by an
amateur in an African forest. One short monkey was
hit very badly by a big monkey. The short monkey
prepared a wooden knife using stones and hid it on
the top of a tree. After some days, when the big
monkey came to attack the short monkey, it ran up
to the tree for the weapon it has hid and killed
the big monkey. The one thing that the
anthropologists found with any group of human
beings, even if they did not have contacts with
the out side world for thousands of years, has
spirituality with some form of religion. So, man
is a "spiritual animal" if you want to call him
that way.

The Upanishads say that "Manush" (human) was so
named because he has "Manas" a mind higher than
that of the animals which realizes the divinity in
creation. It was present since the creation of
human beings. Religion is the characteristic
feature of most of the human beings. It was not
attained through reasoning using mind. Illiterate
tribes located in inaccessible forests also have
religion. It is as eternal and and as unchanging
as the Almighty. Disbelief by a few will not
affect it.

"The percentage of atheists in the world is less
than 5%"

http://www.positiveatheism.org/india/s1990c48a.htm

"Atheists are all scientists" ?

http://www.non-religious.com/statistics.html

Religion is not a blind following. It is a sub-consciously driven
group ritual. It calms the 'collective unconscious' mind. The
religious culture brings unity and belongedness among the followers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_unconscious

" Are Atheists More Depressed than Religious People?

In recent years, the view that religious belief and
participation in religious acts of worship has a positive
effect upon the well-being of man..."

http://www.secularhumanism.org/index.php

"Is a Belief in God Beneficial? Or, What's an Atheist to Do?

1) Religious attendance is correlated with longevity.
2) Religious belief has been associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms.
3) Religious beliefs may help with addiction.
4) Religious attendance is correlated with lower blood pressure.

http://jewishatheist.blogspot.com/2006/01/is-belief-in-god-beneficial-or-whats.html

Answer 3

It can be either one.

REligion is a problem when it hinders people, or contains people that hurt others. Religion is also a solution when it brings solace, comfort and direction to people.

So, what is the deciding factor? It's the people involved in the religions or in atheism. We've probably all met those people who motivate us and help us to be greater than what we have been before and seek to comfort and help us when we need it who are good people from different faiths. And we've met those people who turn us away from those same religions - usually because the person was acting on their own initiative or were self-seeking.

Answer 4

Any time you have groups of people who think they are #1 just because of what they were programmed to think, it is a problem.
Any time you have people setting themselves up as gatekeepers to heaven, and you have to do everything "their way" exactly, then you have a problem.
Any time you have a group of people being pitted against everyone else, and demanding supremacy, based on a flimsy, and not very well thought-out belief system, then you have a problem.
When you have people who are being told to kill and die for their beliefs, and those beliefs are mostly heresay, then there is a problem.
When those beliefs advocate violence against people who don't go along with those beliefs, then there is a problem.
When those beliefs do not allow for freedom of thought, or freedom of interpretation, there is definitely a problem.
When those beliefs are at odds with harmonious function within society as a whole, I would say that is a problem.
When a religion actively keeps 1/2 or more of its people in a form of slavery with few if any rights, yeah, that is a problem.
When a religion takes teaches children that they are bad to begin with, and tries to take away people's direct line of connection with God... that is the biggest problem.

Did you ever see the movie "Dogma"? The apostle Rufus said that we don't need beliefs, because beliefs cannot evolve or change... but ideas are a good thing because you can build upon them and they can evolve.

Answer 5

The human life is to make a solution of all the problems of life. The real problem is birth, death, old age and disease. All other problems, they are secondary. Lord Jesus Christ or Buddha or Lord Caitanya or Lors Krishna, or anyone you take, nobody says that "You make adjustment here and live peacefully in this world." Nobody says. So religious means to know that this is not the place to live happily. This is the principle aim of teaching religion.

Answer 6

God the solution but religion is the problem.

Answer 7

"Religion" can be a problem. However a true relationship with Christ is a solution to our sinful living. With religion, man tries to reach God. With Christianity- God reaches down to man in the person of Christ. God never tells us to be religious. The most religious people , the Pharisees, in the NT were called hypocrites in the Bible.
Christ is the answer. man is the problem

Answer 8

I asked this question about a month ago and wasn't satified with my answers...

I don't think religion is a solution or a problem. Depending on how it's viewed I suppose it would be both, but I don't see it that way.

Everyone has questions and everyone will interpret the answers they get and mesh it in with their life experiences to achieve the desired set of "codes" whether they are faith based or not. We all live by our "code". All in all, it's all religion isn't it?

blessings ((((((sail)))))))
did you get that heineken?

Answer 9

Unfortunately, religion is more of a problem than a solution.

People who are "believers" of a religious system seem to have no ability to think in terms other than what their religious faith teaches.

Anytime people are unable or unwilling to exercise their brains and think and reason logically, there is likely to be a total breakdown of any communicative process.

One sees it all the time in the R&S anwers and questions. Questions become statements of opinion, not an honest attempt to understand others or seek knowledge.

Answer 10

Problem