Do you feel religion has played a big part in saving humanity or leading to a self destruction.?

Question

Has humnaity suffered because of religion or do you think it has done us any good.

Answer 1

That's easy. The answer is both.

Answer 2

Considering religion was closely embedded into politics, it played a part in shaping society. However, just like political scandals and other such immorality, the church, like everything else, has participated in derrogatory and self-destructive means.

What is interesting is that any organization that controls or influences society in any way must have a force behind it, and so considering this question is implying that religion has specifically done something, it is not so much significant of whether or not it is good or bad, but the amount of force backing it up. Why it has that much force, how it can be used, and the future destiny of that particular force.

Through my study, I believe that religion can act as a powerful force in either your own personal life, and so the implications it can have on a group or community are equally as life-changing.

The bottom line is, seek a religious practice that fits in with your ability and understanding. There are so many different sects of even Christianity that it seems absurd to say there is only one "true church."

There are many churches, each defined in its own way, leading towards some type of moral guideline or ticket to happiness. Choose wisely, since that is the substance of what all good religions are made of in the first place.

Answer 3

Religion has caused wars. Spirituality gives peace. Let's not confuse the two. While I'm a Christian, I'm non-denominational. I worship God through a personal relationship, not rigid pomp & ceremony. I was raised as a United Methodist, but after leaving the church, I was saved in a Pentacostal church. Now back in my "home" church, I enjoy the new "contemporary" services -- where there's a mixture of old & new music, & a much more informal, laid-back feeling. Religious (& even denominational) differences have had a way of making us want to condemn each other, but w/o a little more tolerance on EVERYONE'S part, what else can be done? In fewer words, I guess my answer would be...BOTH.

Answer 4

I like this question!

Personally, I think that while it has helped people on an individual level, on the whole it has been detrimental. Just look at how many people have been and are being killed in the name of God because religion can't agree. Religions disagreeing with each other has caused the deaths and suffering of millions and the death toll only continues to rise. Religion divides everybody up and causes man to fight against his brother over whose God is "right." It leads to intolerance and prejudice.

But that isn't the religion itself--it is the followers of that religion. The religion itself is just a concept, a book, an idea. It was what people DO with it that becomes dangerous, but still, without religion as the cause, what has been done would have never happened.

Religion has helped people. It has given individuals comfort in times of need and helped them through hard times. It has given individuals hope...but that's just it. It helps INDIVIDUALS, but when you look at the whole world, it has only caused division.

Humanity needs to wake up and realize that we're all one race sharing one planet under One God before we annihilate ourselves. If we continue down the path we're on, we're headed for destruction. The biggest threat to humanity isn't an asteroid, a pandemic, or nuclear weapons. The biggest threat to humanity is its own ignorance and that ignorance is rooted in the misconceptions we have about spirituality.

Answer 5

The world's religions: judaism, christianity, islam, hinduism, buddhism, old paths, new paths, nature, man, society, thousands of years of searching for God has lead humanity nowhere, we are closer to destroying this planet and ourselves in the process than ever before. None of the world religions seems to have helped humanity to avoid self-destruction, to respect other human beings and nature as unique creations. Of course for the individual believers of each faith there is individual hope and individual salvation and individual eternal life. Humanity is doomed, just turn on the news and you will see proof that religion as we know it has failed to save humanity as a whole.

Answer 6

Ultimately we humans are responsible for our own actions. Whether you are killing for religion or killing for fun, you are the one in control. War is simple, it has been the same since the beginning of time. War is fought in order to improve the lives of the victor. Those who are true believers understand that man is destructive and the world is troubled, the salvation God offers is for them to separate them from the world. Anyone that is a true believer could never participate in evil. If they do they are not a true believer. A lot of people say this and that but honestly there are less true believers then people think.

Answer 7

Abit of both - Ultimately it has been a good thing - Early cultures were governed by the morality outlined by religions and it kept those societies together.

I dont think we need religion SO MUCH anymore - I certainly dont think goverments and law etc. should be influenced by them in any way today.

Issues like abortion and homosexuality are cases in point - All religions are looking pretty out-dated and tired now. I dont think we need them any more.

(But I love Budhism and Hiduism if I had pick some to keep)

Answer 8

I answer both yes & no to this question. During some centuries back in time religion really helped mankind to develop itself, unfortunatly religion is too often followed by destruction because out of different beliefs and so on.

Answer 9

Certainly religion provides comfort to many people, and perhaps gets some to behave more ethically than they might otherwise. Religions have inspired many great works of art, architecture, and music. They have sponsored charitable, medical, and educational institutions.

On the other hand, religion is divisive and provides impetus for discrimination, cruelty, family breakup, and persecution toward those of different religion. Religion is a medium for some people's hypocrisy. Even murder and child neglect are sometimes ordered by the god.

People fight and die over religious holy places, some of which are claimed by more than one religion, as in Jerusalem and India.

In some cases religion makes people miserable through arbitrary rules, such as those about divorce, birth control, shunning, and limitations on medical care.

There are also some large-scale horrors to which religion contributed: wars, pogroms, crusades, jihads, persecutions, inquisitions, witch hunts. We have seen these things in old history and some continue today.

Here are just a few of the many examples we have had in very recent times: In the countries of former Yugoslavia, there were Catholic Croats, Orthodox Christian Serbs, and Muslims all at each other. In Lebanon, it was Christian Arabs (supported by Israel) versus Muslim Arabs in a terrible civil war. In India, it is Sikhs and Hindus fighting over a holy place.

Almost every modern religion has at times been the perpetrator and at other times the victim of such evils.

Religion has served as justification, if not the real reason, for slavery, colonialism, and even cruelty to animals.

On another level, it can be argued that religions tend to discourage people from thinking independently and clearly. For religions insist on the Truth of ancient stories and superstitions regardless of any evidence or reasoning that appeared since their origin. The religious mindset of smug rectitude and superiority gets in the way of a mindset toward justice and reason.

“The simple faith of a child”, sometimes glorified by religious people, can be charming in a young child, but is disgraceful in an intelligent adult.


“With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil — but for good people to do evil — that takes religion.” - Steven Weinberg (Nobel laureate in physics)

Answer 10

Religion has played a big part in the suffering of humanity. Many atrocities have been done in the name of this religion or that one.

But Jesus Christ has played the only part in saving humanity. It is by the blood of Jesus that any man can be save. There is no other way.

Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, died on the cross to save us from our sin, rose the third day to conquer death for us, ascended to heaven to prepare a place for us, and is coming back to get all who believe this.
Do you believe this?
Would you like to go with Jesus when He returns?

Answer 11

good question and some good answers here-i will go with both-religion in all its varied forms have giving people a common denominator allowed them to focus their survival efforts together making life much easier at times-the down side is it has divided people often and still does as to which has had the greater influence i have to say the good on an individual basis and the bad on a society basis----just my opinion-smile and enjoy the day