Green Gaia
Veteran Member
Well, does it?
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Nope. Where is the fun in that?Sunstone said:Maize,
Don't you believe in asking any easy questions?
Do you not think these people who show kindness to others do so only because of their religion? Are there not many people who are kind and compassionate, who do not profess a certain religion?I think much of the good done by religions is done quietly, by individuals, or by individual congregations. It largely escapes our notice. For instance there's a soup kitchen here in town run by a Catholic charity. It feeds about 500 people each day. It's been quietly doing that for years. Then, there are the pastors who visit sick people. And so forth. To answer your question accurately, wouldn't we have to take into account all the simple, quiet acts of decency and kindness that are facilitated by religions?
Curtis said:sisjadie, You quoted from, The Promulgation of Universal Peace. Concerning your statement, ". . . . .that God has sent religion for the purpose of establishing fellowship is founded upon the love of humanity." God did not send religion into the world. He sent His son Jesus Christ into the world to die on the cross for sinners, (Galatians 1:4, 1st Timothy 1:15, John 3:17-18) NASB(New American Standard Bible). Second, you believe that religion was sent to facilitate "fellowship among mankind". Here are a few words from Jesus Christ concerning the attitude the world would have towards those who seek to follow Him. Jesus said to His disciples, "If the world hates you remember that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were not of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, I chose you out of the world, because of this, the world hates you" (John 15:18-19). Jesus Christ also said, "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division:" (Luke 12:51). Jesus made the profound statement that has caused people to divide to this day. He said of Himself, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" (John 14:6). I do agree with you on the point of loving humanity. Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).
Why do people when they refer to Christ or talk about the character or attributes of God only talk about His Love? You never hear anything about His other attributes like Holiness, Wrath, Justice, Aseity, Omniscience,
Omnipotence, Immutability, etc.
Some people refer to satanism as a religion. If God sent religion for the purpose fellowship among humankind, the 1st Letter of John records a very interesting verse of scripture. It states, 'The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil' (John 3:9). What fellowship does darkness have with light?
Nga_Believe said:Organized religion is one of the most horrible things established by mankind. Yes, churches feed the hungry and help the sick, but as you've all stated, that doesn't really count. Plenty of groups not religiously affiliated help the hungry. Besides, I think that such actions are totally outweighed by the disservices organized religions do for their followers, especially in Chrisitanity(all forms of it). Over the past 2000 years, the teachings of Christ have been slowly but surely diluted by man and its imperfection and arrogance to think that we as humans are capable of interpreting God's word and knowing what he intended for us.
Look at history. Organized religion has got people thinking that its okay to KILL other people in the name of God or Allah or whomever. We have people fasting on holy days because the Vatican said to(don't eat mean on fridays during lent because its a sacrifice because jesus died on the cross for us, psst..that was actually started just to help the fishing industry). Catholic priests can't get married, not because they're "devoting their life to God" but because the church was filled with corrupt priests who gave the church's land to their sons and established a heirarchy in the church. We all like to think that the Bible is a collection of the teachings of God and Jesus, but especially in the New Testament, the Bible is an incomplete compiling of just what the church wants us to know. Why are those numerous other gospels written about Christ kept on the downlow?
Bottom Line: Organized religion leads to belief in things that aren't true, and blind faith, and these things lead to such travesties as the Inquisition and the Crusades.
Irenicas said:Religion causes trouble in anything larger than one mind.
Do you have references?Reverend Jeremiah said:The small percentage of religious people who do humanitarian good are very small in percentage compared to the mass majority of beleivers who do not
Same reaction as Pah!Reverend Jeremiah said:The small percentage of religious people who do humanitarian good are very small in percentage compared to the mass majority of beleivers who do not
All I can say is that you must have been incredibly unfortunate in what you have experienced.Reverend Jeremiah said:I speak only of personal experience. Perhaps I should have made that note on my original post.