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Is there a need for religion?

Where Is God

Creator
I was just wondering why religion is still around in the 21st century. Why is it still here? What purpose does it serve? Wouldn't the world be a better place without it?

The sad fact is that it USUALLY brings more bad than good. I am in NO WAY stateing that all religions bring harm and suffering. Many religions, in fact, bring much good. For example, Buddhism, which encourages people to bring love to the world. What does aggravate me is when religion is used as a basis of discrimination, hatred, and racism. The arguement that religion should be used as a foundation for morales is false. If that were true, gays would be killed, women would not be allowed to speak in assembly, and everyone would be damned to hell. The fact is that humans have a natural morale standard just like most animal species. Just wondering what you guys think.

Please be respectful of all religions and beliefs,
Love Brandon. :flirt:
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
A lot of people need it for comfort and reassurance. So it will always be with us in one form or another.
 

thedope

Active Member
There is no need for a new religion. There is need for clearer understanding at large.
The truth sets free.
 

David69

Angel Of The North
A lot of people need it for comfort and reassurance. So it will always be with us in one form or another.
so lucifer doesnt have his day then lol... fall of religion! actually if you take away the evil manipulators of religion, it might be benificial!
 

YmirGF

Bodhisattva in Recovery
A lot of people need it for comfort and reassurance. So it will always be with us in one form or another.
There is small comfort in the natural sedation of delusion, but it only works if you don't think about it too deeply.
 

Riverwolf

Amateur Rambler / Proud Ergi
Premium Member
Politics has caused more harm than good, even moreso than religion. Doesn't change the fact that it remains a necessary evil so that some semblance of order can be maintained.

Religion is an individual thing, and for many individuals like myself, there is very much a need for religion, and politically, we have a right to practice whatever religion we personally follow (or to choose not to.)

I personally need religion for discipline. The religion I follow is not that intrusive, so if it turns out to be phony, I've lost nothing.
 

That Dude

Christian
I was just wondering why religion is still around in the 21st century. Why is it still here? What purpose does it serve? Wouldn't the world be a better place without it?
Please be respectful of all religions and beliefs,
Love Brandon. :flirt:
"In a hundred years, the Bible will be a forgotten book, found only in museums."
Voltaire - 1770

One hundred years later, the home in which Voltaire made that prediction was occupied by the Geneva Bible Society.
 
Religion has created itself a niche through a long-running PR campaign thats convinced a large number of people in the world that its needed. The real breakthrough was the exploitation of peoples natural predisposition to believing in the supernatural which is an unfortunate side-effect of our psychology. This can be somewhat alieviated by an education in critical thinking but such skills are often missing or applied selectively where we wish to maintain a particular position despite a lack of evidence or evidence against it.

Religion used to have something of a monopoly of morality but this has waned somewhat with the reluctant acceptance that you don't need to be religious to be a moral person. Unfortunately there are still plenty religious people who believe that you can't really be moral without religion including those who say can but only say so because they don't want to run counter to prevailing opinion.

Religious isn't actually needed but the perception that its needed will continue as long as people believe in the supernatural which is probably going to be for quite a while.
 

Orias

Left Hand Path
I was just wondering why religion is still around in the 21st century.


Because man likes to taste His own blood.

Why is it still here?

I guess my first answer counts for this One too.

Herd conformity, people like knowing that they too have the same unthoughtout beliefs :rolleyes:

What purpose does it serve?

What purpose doesn't it serve?

Comfort.

Wouldn't the world be a better place without it?

No :D

The world would be a better place without fundamentalists.

Love Brandon. :flirt:


You change your name a lot.

I thought it was Kyle?
 

Erebus

Well-Known Member
1.I was just wondering why religion is still around in the 21st century. 2. Why is it still here? 3.What purpose does it serve? 4.Wouldn't the world be a better place without it?


1. Perhaps humans are naturally inclined toward religious thinking?

2. It can also be incredibly lucrative.

3. That varies between religions. IMO religion should be viewed as nothing more than a tool to help you achieve certain goals.

4. Maybe, it's hard to say. Humans will always treat one another poorly, some religions provide a good excuse or a means to motivate people into committing horrific acts. The opposite is also true of course and different religions tend to be more or less inclined towards violence than others.
 

Quiddity

UndertheInfluenceofGiants
If it's used in the common way of having candles and doing rituals, etc....one could be fine without it. But if you have a more broad definition of it like that of Yi-Fu Tuan:

"All human beings are religious if religion is broadly defined as the impulse for coherence and meaning."

...then that makes just about everybody religious.

G.K. Chesterton said..."man is an animal that creates dogmas"...if dogmas is simply a response of that impluse Yi-Fu Tuan speaks of.
 

ellenjanuary

Well-Known Member
...and a one
I was just wondering why religion is still around in the 21st century. Why is it still here? What purpose does it serve? Wouldn't the world be a better place without it?

The sad fact is that it USUALLY brings more bad than good. I am in NO WAY stateing that all religions bring harm and suffering. Many religions, in fact, bring much good. For example, Buddhism, which encourages people to bring love to the world. What does aggravate me is when religion is used as a basis of discrimination, hatred, and racism. The arguement that religion should be used as a foundation for morales is false. If that were true, gays would be killed, women would not be allowed to speak in assembly, and everyone would be damned to hell. The fact is that humans have a natural morale standard just like most animal species. Just wondering what you guys think.
...and a two
Please be respectful of all religions and beliefs,
Love Brandon. :flirt:
Notice any discrepancies? These occur when politicking is involved, where the politician has a strong opinion resulting in strong emotion, but still wants to look like a nice guy. My advice is to choose one or the other. I did. I'm not a nice guy.

1. Religion, nay; faith, yay.
2. Hell, no. Respect is earned, anything less changes priceless to worthless.
 
Personally I have no use for religion. Though, religion is interesting in how it can make otherwise rational people believe and do crazy things.
 

Where Is God

Creator
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Because man likes to taste His own blood.



I guess my first answer counts for this One too.

Herd conformity, people like knowing that they too have the same unthoughtout beliefs :rolleyes:



What purpose doesn't it serve?

Comfort.



No :D

The world would be a better place without fundamentalists.




You change your name a lot.

I thought it was Kyle?


It has never changed. It's been Brandon as long as I can remember.
 

Where Is God

Creator
...and a one

...and a two

Notice any discrepancies? These occur when politicking is involved, where the politician has a strong opinion resulting in strong emotion, but still wants to look like a nice guy. My advice is to choose one or the other. I did. I'm not a nice guy.

1. Religion, nay; faith, yay.
2. Hell, no. Respect is earned, anything less changes priceless to worthless.

In the first portion I was just telling my opinion of religion in general.
For the second, I was asking everyone to be respectful of others' specific religions.
 
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