It fascinates me to read the Q & A in the R & S section of this site. I see all manner of religious beliefs displayed and explained here.
Religion, regardless of it's details is vital for human existence. I think that it doesn't matter what your religion is, but it's important to life to have the ability and desire to believe in SOMETHING. People must have hope. Without that, there is nothing.
My question is: if you are on this site to shout that yours is the only "right" religion, or if you are on here to shout that "there is no God", what is your purpose? What will you gain by doing this?
2007-11-13 04:49:21 · 35 answers · asked by Dustelightful 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Six minutes in and I love all these answers! Very intuitive, great thinkers!
2007-11-13 04:57:39 · update #1
BTW, perhaps I should have used the term "belief structure" rather than "religion". Would that make a difference in answers?
2007-11-13 05:03:49 · update #2
First of all, believe in yourself--those of us who do not follow a religion also do not find the need for "hope" we live our lives as decent people. Those of us who believe in something--we live our lives as decent people, but frankly, religion in its current day form does not enter into it. The main issue here discussed besides the is there a God, and is one chosing the "correct one", some of the biggest issues here are discussions of essentially "intelligent" creation via the big bang and evolution--or the "snapping His fingers" mode of creation. Philosophically, while one may believe in a creator the two positions are diametrically opposed. As in any healthy debate-the pro's and con's of those positions are debated. Belief in a creator is a faith based assumption, belief in no creator is a faith based assumption. Neither position can be proved. For a religious philosophy to be personally self satisfying-it needs to be logically sound--the debate typically explores the logic of these two positions. If one's faith in their original assumption is sufficenty strong--then since the original assumption for or against is unprovable--then no one's religion will be destroyed--if the logic of a particulr creation position sways another's belief in their creation position--it simply says that the person was orginally unsure of his philosophical position and accepted the arguement. Healthy debate is good for relgion-even with an atheist--you can't "convert" anyone without a good understanding of the philosophical underpinnings of your religion--questions in a conversion process may be asked you-and the person asking the question may not accept --cause it said so-as an answer. Therefore this healthy debate in here simply strengthens ones own philosophical understanding of one's own religion.
2007-11-13 05:03:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Imagine in the very lean , poor Medieval days , how much better off the people would have been without religion . People worked from daylight 'till dark in the fields , and many hours in the house after dark , just to get by . They were skin and bones, - - - and super religious .
Their huts were hardly enough to keep out much of the cold and rain , but they worked hard to build big beautiful stone churches . In most villages , the church was worth more than all the rest of the houses together .
Imagine how much more could have been done with the money to support the church , and the time wasted praying .
You say that people must have hope . Hope for what ? The impossible ? The fairy-tale ?
Sorry , I do not believe that religion is necessary to humanity . After all we are all just part of nature , we , the animals , the fish , the plants , bugs , germs , everything. A strong person realizes this and has absolutely no fear of the natural end of life .
You ask why people shout that there is no god . The shouting and show of people claiming there is a god is many many times more noticeable . What do they gain by doing this ?
2007-11-13 05:22:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Prove that religion is "vital" for human existence. Why is it that people "must" have hope.
I don't subscribe to such silly notions. People need food, shelter, companionship, and social order. Religion is regimenting everyone to one person's personal belief about something that has no proof. It is totally unnecessary for mankind to exist and live a happy fulfilling life. Hope in a make believe afterlife is not needed. To try and convince everyone that such a make believe afterlife exists to give them hope of some fairytale existence after death is cruel and sadistic.
People should live in the real world, the world that really is, not some make believe myth made up by bronze age goat herders.
2007-11-13 04:59:37 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't believe in a god or gods, but I have things I believe in. I believe in the ability of humans to enjoy their lives. I believe in the capacity for human beings to do amazing things for the rest of us.
And I have hope. I have hope that one day, people can realize that a happy life without religion is not only possible, but fulfilling. I have hope that people can realize the potential of mankind in the absence of religion.
Most importantly, I believe that our purpose in life is to enjoy what you do, struggle through the bad times, and be the best person you can be. Life is entertainment, and it's one hell of a ride.
People who don't adhere to the tenets established by religion are not trying to destroy it. Simply because someone believes that you can live a good life without belief in a god or gods, it doesn't mean they actively seek to subvert it.
2007-11-13 05:04:50 · answer #4 · answered by Mr. Saturday 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Religion has a history of being tremendously harmful to mankind.
You have been brought up to believe that it is mostly beneficial, and just a belief system that people lean on for support. The truth is that religion is used to justify war, family break up, and stopping human education and progress.
It is historically dangerous for mankind.
I would prefer a world for my children that didn't include religion, then they wouldn't have to worry about people flying planes into buildings because they believed God wanted them too. They wouldn't have to worry about marrying a girl who's family shuns them because they are of a different denomination. They wouldn't have to worry about charitable giving that is used for mortgage payments and electricity bills instead of tangibly helping the poor.
If you think about your religious beliefs, they are not vital for human existence at all. Seeking knowlege is ingrained in our makeup, but it only beneficial when the truth is sought, not created.
If I am successful in convincing someone to rely on fact and reality instead of faith for belief, I have succeeded in tremendously helping them in this life, and have succeeded in making the world a better place for my children.
When a religious person succeeds in converting someone, they make that person more prone to violent defense of an emotional based belief, and give them hope in an eternal life that has no real basis beyond faith for existence.
Should I feel happy about convincing you that Leprechauns exist and want to give you a pot of Gold if you just chase the end of the rainbow?
2007-11-13 04:51:53 · answer #5 · answered by ɹɐǝɟsuɐs Blessed Cheese Maker 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
The blind belief of a person provokes him to talk against other religion. As you rightly said it is important to believe in something !But unfortunately we are not respecting the other religion and all religious leaders wants their religion to survive.
The real Dharma is that which is known to a small child.
Whichever may be the religion ,it is just for identification but it is purely fictitious
2007-11-13 05:01:22 · answer #6 · answered by shree 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What is the point of standing up for any truth at all according to this philosophy? What about all the great heroes of history who stood up for truth and declared it to be the only truth, even against the grain of popular opinion? Where would we be today if people like Martin Luther King Jr - and Martin Luther for that matter - remained silent simply in an effort to conform to the rest of the world and avoid conflict?
2007-11-13 04:54:06 · answer #7 · answered by whitehorse456 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Your reasoning is flawed. I have no interest in false hope. If you were dying of cancer, would you want to be lied to and told you'd live another 40 years? Wouldn't that be cruel? Same thing here: we're ALL going to die. That sucks, but to lie to people and tell them they'll still be alive somewhere after they're dead is cruel. They believed in a lie, they had hope for something that was never going to happen. I prefer not to delude myself. I'm OK with not knowing the answer; it's better than believing in something I know isn't true.
2007-11-13 04:56:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Religion demands faith.
Faith is the antithesis of reason.
Religion says, "stop questioning"
Atheism says, "Question everything"
Religion is holding back enlightenment, science, philosophy, and life.
To simply "BE" is far more honorable than to simply "BELIEVE"
Rationality is the inevitable outcome of an evolved people. Religion will soon wither as a footnote in history.
2007-11-13 05:00:00 · answer #9 · answered by John Galt 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes it is to save the individual. One girl on here once said she wanted to be a race car driver but punished herself for thinking that because her father said it is not what Jesus would want, Jesus wants her to be a housewife.
In these cases it is better the person weren't religious at all.
I don't see why religion is vital. I cope without it. I think relgion was invented to answer what was unanswerable at the time
2007-11-13 04:55:37 · answer #10 · answered by Pope Barley 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋