277 replies to this topic

[Unseelie]

Judge them? Maybe they're being held against their will like you were. Maybe they do believe, but they're not as fanatical as your parents. It's not very nice to have such a superior attitude just because you had bad experiences. Did your religion teach you to turn your nose up at people like that?

Uh, "silently judge them" doesn't mean I have "such a superior attitude", people make character judgements based on another person's life decisions every day. It's not like I go around telling them that they're idiots for being in a religion, they will never know that I am secretly judging them, just like 90% of the people I pass on the sidewalk will never know that I think their shoes are hideous. Who cares.

[Satine]

No, not necessarily. Most religious people see there religion as something personal a way of live. Where almost without exceptions postive elements, norms and values are the most important things of their believes/religion. However when a person becomes an extremist and when a religion is heavy influencing the politics in a country the problems start.

But apart from these extremists that are known to every religion, religions mostly keep big groups of people onder one's thumb. Not literally, though it gives them a lot of guidance about the norms and values they should have. Some people would be completely out of control if it wasn't for the influence that religion has. This way religion is able to keep people in order. And protect them from the burden of the big questions about life.

Personally I am an ateist by heart, however I am not able to say that every person would be better of without religion in any form. Not everybody is able to deal with it; taking full responsibility for your own life. That's the reason that a lot of people who don't believe in any type of God, are still looking for something "bigger" that might give them some explanation for things the human mind can't possibly explain. Looking for that something that brings logic in the world.

For most part I think religion is usefull because it keeps a lot of people from suffering from insomnia trying to explain the world

[jinq]

I have never been religious but I know someone people are devote ___. That's fine as long as they don't try to enforce their views on others. That's when religious problems occur.

[deloxon]

I recently broke up with my girlfriend because of religion..

[kok123]

Nope, I need to know that theres something after life.

[Sweeney]

Nope, I need to know that theres something after life.

But... you don't.

[bunnykd]

Even though I am religious, I do think the world would be better off without religion. I think religion is good but people just take it too far to the point where they use it as an excuse to hate other people.

[locust]

I think it would be better off without, but I can't deny the importance of religion to people who need it most. There's a reason why belief in a god/afterlife falls when standards of living rise, and I think it's just tied to people having a basic level of comfort that they don't have to hold out for in the afterlife.

[Demothesis]

I have been brought up as a Catholic and have believed it all my life, but honestly, it's hard to deny that the world would probably be a better place if religion was never created. Wars would not have been fought, and maybe right now there would be peace in the religion-run country with all the extremists.

[luvsmyncis]

I have been brought up as a Catholic and have believed it all my life, but honestly, it's hard to deny that the world would probably be a better place if religion was never created. Wars would not have been fought, and maybe right now there would be peace in the religion-run country with all the extremists.

Not all wars are fought over religion. There wouldn't be peace. Without god, we'd still always find something else to fight each other about, like who has the better skin color.

[Sweeney]

Not all wars are fought over religion. There wouldn't be peace. Without god, we'd still always find something else to fight each other about, like who has the better skin color.

 

But having fewer reasons is better than having more reasons

[LoktarXero]

Im not one to believe in any type, but I see it as a strandered of how people should be.

Do something Wrong? You'll dead down below

Do something Right? Welcome to the Top

 

With that not really sitting on the back of most peoples minds, they wouldnt feel all that bad to do what they do. "Ill go do this. Sure, Ill get in trouble, but I dont care". I know a lot of people think this, but then you have those people that go "Well, IF I do this, Ill for sure THERE. I dont want to be there for eternity!"

 

All in all, I dont like it, but I would say that its good to have around.  (For the most part)

[kloun]

 I think the world would be better with religion. Sure, it causes fights and arguments, but it also brings people together. People all over meet up in church and temple to support their beliefs. There has been religion ever since there was man, and taking it away would be like taking away a part of what it means to be human. Also, people need someone to blame for when crap happens, i.e God. It stops a lot of people from committing crimes and stuff, too, like if they think God is watching over them and will send them to hell or something. I'm an atheist myself, but that's just my two cents.

[anewvision]

I think religion can be a very beneficial thing for certain people, the mind is an amazing thing and can do wonders with what you believe, but I think religion is something that should be kept to yourself in every way. You do no preach to people, you do not share your beliefs, you just keep your mouth shut to avoid problems and believe whatever you want to believe and whatever makes you happy like I do

And you don't have to follow any one religion... make one up that makes sense to you. Because if there is an ultimate creator, he is not going to care what rule book you follow, they most likely wouldn't even understand what it is to be human, you would be perfect in the eyes of your creator and loved regardless of your actions in our narrow little slice of time we have here called life.

[Remiix]

I say better. Extremists give religion a bad rap but if you remove them from the equation it's a harmless way of life for the people who choose it.

[soundrecorder]

> Is the world better with or without religion?

 

First, in my mind "religion" =/= "spiritualism." A belief in the existence of God/Allah/Spaghetti Monster/Higher Power is not in an of its self a good or bad thing, in fact, it is amoral. Acting upon those beliefs creates morality, a morality which is often imposed on others through organized "religious" organizations.

 

Yes, a world without organized religion is a "better" world. Religious organization have significant power over its followers and in some cases attempts to coerce the followers into imposed their brand of morality on others. Morality is mostly relative; anyone/anything proposing a single "perfect" set of moral codes doesn't have a place in this world. 

[winkent]

i think the world needs religion. religion learns us the basics of life and how to live with other people (love them, don't kill them etc.). everyone has learned this rules when they were young. 

the creation of an all knowing being who judges us and decides about hell and heaven is a good tool to make dumb people not violate those rules (i use dumb people to refer to people who lived thousands of years ago)

 

in these modern times i think religion and the existence of a god is less necessary then before. everyone, religious or not, is being taught these rules and values, but we're smarter now and can think for ourselves if these rules are good or not , we don't need a judging being anymore.

 

it's too bad that the radical religious people, are not evolved enough to see the true purpose of religion.

you must never forget that the holy books were written by normal people with problems and insecurities, who lived thousands of years ago. their words are not necessarily the truth.

[Valmont0621]

I think the world is better with religion.  Mainly citing this because of the people that have it have faith in something and that alone truly makes them happy.  A discussion about a religion or cultural differences that stirs debate to me is often something that's just used as an excuse as anything else.  If people didn't fight about religion then they would something else.  I think as everyone evolves in life as a person, more often then not the gain faith in a God and that becomes a focal point of life.  From most of you, i'm not really surprised at all that many don't believe in anything and think the world would be better without religion but I think roughly half will change their opinion throughout the course of life.

[Frizzle]

Sigh....let's just accept that you're all wrong. 

[zandra]

Most religion have a karma system, this gives "good" people reason to believe that the world isn't such a sadistic place after all, that those that sin would get punished, whether or not they will be able to see with their own eyes. In some sense, hope.

 

Religion gives people a guideline to the basic principals. Things that are generally accepted as good and bad.

 

Religion gives people a sense of purpose. Without religion, you probably wont believe in afterlife, (I said probably). It creates the idea that you wont just disappear when you die, or when your relatives or love ones die. Yes, you could say that it is lying to ourselves, but it is an avenue and excuse that we could use. it provided me with a lot of relief when my dad pass away. The idea of him being in heaven, or in a better place is better then the sad possibility that he just, vanished.

 

While I am not a religious person, i believe the world is better with it.

[Ninjahappenings]

I think it would be better without religion but I also thought about how it would be impossible for there to be a centered world without religion (atleast for as long as we can't show people in front of their eyes that there is life like that somewhere in the universe). History would have to be rewritten, which has been done before *cough* the bible *cough* and if people can believe in a world where a man walked on water than I believe in a world with love and peace that isn't centered around loving a God who we assume is real within our own thoughts of conciousness. Although, not all of us believe in that specifically. Anyways, to answer your question; I'm really not sure mostly because it would totally change the course of the way things went in humanity and as I said before it is an 'unknown' or rather history would have to be rewritten.

[krislox]

I believe religion teaches people the basics in morality.

Be good to others.

Don't be bad.

Etc.

 

It's just that practices are getting out of hand sometimes, to the point of using religion as a reason to make actions.

[Systematic]

As much as I would like to that the world would be better without religion, I can't. So much of our culture has been shaped around it and for so long that it's hard to imagine what society would be like without it. There's a lot of technological and medical advances too that have been spread across the world due to various religious secs. Sure, less people would have died from religious intolerance and the Crusades and things like that, but there is also good in religion too. A lot of people have been saved by it - though in my opinion, only mentally & emotionally, not physically. Someone might undergo trauma, and need religion as an explanation as to why it happened to them, and to try and come to terms with it so that they may move past it. Some people might just simply have a natural inclination to know their purpose in the universe. Others might also feel they have to be directed, and need rules to govern their lives. Religion comforts people. It's something that they can hold on to in times of strife and in times where they need guidance. Though there are other methods too, it also teaches moral balance and ethics when it's taught the right way.

 

People should be allowed their beliefs as long as it doesn't harm or bother others. You can't generalize all the religions of the world just because of some of the misguided practitioners and extremists out there.

 

The only thing I really wish for is that there was actual separation between church and state in America.....

[Grandmaster]

Actually, religious and philosophy doctorines forms the fundamental principles for the laws that we have today. If there is no belief of Gods or whatsoever in the first place, laws may not have existed in the first place and you can see the chaos in the whole world. Everyone will be free to do what they want and there would be no fear of punishment and eventual judgement. You would not see criminals turn over a new leaf and they would only blame their capture as unlucky.

[Frizzle]

So what you're saying is, that people who have no religious influence, will have no moral influence? That all moralistic and socialistic ideals, values and morals comes directly from religion?