Better world without religion?

[_C r y s t a l_RB]

I was watching the National Geographic documentary on 9-11, because I just love reliving that day, and it comfirmed why I don't practice a religion. Why I think there is no god. After watching the first of the two-disk set I learned the actual reason Osama Bin Ladin is pissed of and hates the U.S. You see back when Saddam invaded Kuwait, Saudi Arabia was also being threatened. Osama, being a big time war hero, offered his services to protect the "holy land". He stated that only holy warriors should protect the holy land. At the same time the United States offered its services. Since the U.S. had a much bigger army, and was a big military power, Saudi Arabia declined Osama's offer and accepted the U.S.'s. This hurt Osama's pride, and ever since then he's vowed to get back at the infidels who dared set up camp on holy soil.

Besides the fact that Osama is an immature crybaby, it's become apparent that religion is the enemy. The islamic radicals/extremists, HATE all jews and christians. They want to exterminate them. Why? Because of some religious squabble they had forever ago. It's true what the one image I have rotating in my siggy says "Religion stops a thinking mind." This blind faith in Allah, although I'm aware that he's not supposed to be an evil god, and even the other gods is causing more problems than it's worth. Call me crazy, but I think the world would be a better, more peaceful place without religion period.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on that? I'd love to hear them. heart  

[Redem]

The world would probably be a more reasonable place without religion.

It's been said far to often to have the same impact it first had on me, but still.

"Without religion, good people will do good and evil people will do evil; but it takes religion to make a good person do evil."

A little unfair, perhaps, but it states the point well enough.  

[caustic 0_0]

Alot of things can make a 'good' person do 'evil'. Greed, fear, lust, and so on. No one is inherently good and incapable of what one might consider evil.


Anyways, I think it's very hard to write off everything that's happened in their history as due to 'some religious squabble.' It's not a simple issue by any means and they have been fighting in the middle east for a long time.

And religious wars are not usually entirely based on religion. There's alot of greed and hypocrisy involved. In other words, they would still have happened but with a different cover perhaps. Religion itself is not a bad thing at all. The problems come from the humans involved and without religion you are still left with the humans involved and thus still left with plenty of problems. What I'm trying to say is that if human nature remains unchanged then by removing religion you won't necessarily improve anything. Change does not mean improvement.

Even if you argue that without religion Osama would not have had his motivation for his extremism, you're left with the fact that there's no way to predict how the same man with the same genes would have ended up if religion had never existed. Also, you can't forget that there are still important cultural differences which would persist even without religion so the US would still be an outsider getting involved where he didn't want them to be involved. Maybe he would still be the same but with more openly secular ideals to fight for.

There's so many possibilities and variables that there's just no way you can really say for sure that a world without religion would have been better.  

[MinaTheRomanticNeko]

Some people just cannot think for themselves. They need something 'divine' to believe in, so that they do not have to take responsibility for things that happen to them. Things like death, that they dont want to have to understand or explain, so they say that 'god did it.'

I pity people like this, because they just cant accept things that happen in life. Why would you want to put your life in the hands of an imaginary person in the sky? It's insanity. Any god. It just sounds wierd to me.

I think that if religion were to completely dissapear, people would be so confused because everything they've been taught is a complete lie. It's sort of funny, though, because the answers are available to them...real answers. God did not make the sky blue. There are so many answers to questions people have about the world, but religious people choose not to seek these answers...they just make stuff up about thier god to fill in the blanks.  

[_C r y s t a l_RB]

[.caustic.]

Alot of things can make a 'good' person do 'evil'. Greed, fear, lust, and so on. No one is inherently good and incapable of what one might consider evil.


Anyways, I think it's very hard to write off everything that's happened in their history as due to 'some religious squabble.' It's not a simple issue by any means and they have been fighting in the middle east for a long time.

And religious wars are not usually entirely based on religion. There's alot of greed and hypocrisy involved. In other words, they would still have happened but with a different cover perhaps. Religion itself is not a bad thing at all. The problems come from the humans involved and without religion you are still left with the humans involved and thus still left with plenty of problems. What I'm trying to say is that if human nature remains unchanged then by removing religion you won't necessarily improve anything. Change does not mean improvement.

Even if you argue that without religion Osama would not have had his motivation for his extremism, you're left with the fact that there's no way to predict how the same man with the same genes would have ended up if religion had never existed. Also, you can't forget that there are still important cultural differences which would persist even without religion so the US would still be an outsider getting involved where he didn't want them to be involved. Maybe he would still be the same but with more openly secular ideals to fight for.

There's so many possibilities and variables that there's just no way you can really say for sure that a world without religion would have been better.

Very good points. I'm sure the middle east would have found something else to wage war over. While the U.S. is camping out on holy land in Saudi Arabia, it's clear that Osama cares a lot about his pride. We hurt that, so I'm sure he'd hate us soley because of that fact if religion weren't in the picture. I just wonder if he'd be so mad as to carry out 9-11.  

[Orson Welles]

The world would surely be a better place without religion. I always win my religious debates with people by asking them to name at least one good thing relgion has done to help this world. They never respond to that one. wink Religion has actually made the world a more violent and hatred filled place.  

[Redem]

I wasn't try to suggest that religion causes all the worlds problems.
However the basic point remans. Religion causes many more problems than it solves. And as such it's elimination would eliminate one source of human misery.

A good thing all told.  

[Amphex]

I agree, ridding the world of religion would be good, but people will fight over other things as well. Like land, resources, power, greed, etc. We humans are a violent race at heart. Civilization has helped somewhat to limit our own madness.  

[LB-chan]

Amphex

I agree, ridding the world of religion would be good, but people will fight over other things as well. Like land, resources, power, greed, etc. We humans are a violent race at heart. Civilization has helped somewhat to limit our own madness.

Agreed. Even without religion people will find something else to fight about. Fighting helps you gain power, and humans are power hungry, amoung other things.

 

[iMito]

Getting rid of religion in the world would be a step towards peace, but even the godless fight over stuff. Conservatives vs democrats is an example of a fight that is essentially free of religion.  

[Amphex]

SPMito

Getting rid of religion in the world would be a step towards peace, but even the godless fight over stuff. Conservatives vs democrats is an example of a fight that is essentially free of religion.

I don't know about that, conservatives do love that religion...  

[iMito]

Amphex

SPMito

Getting rid of religion in the world would be a step towards peace, but even the godless fight over stuff. Conservatives vs democrats is an example of a fight that is essentially free of religion.

I don't know about that, conservatives do love that religion...

There's a difference between conservative ideologies and Republicans.

True conservatism is based on economics.  

[Redem]

Without religion we are still humans, conflict is a part of our nature.

Removing one source of conflict, however, would be a good thing.

Especially as religious conflicts are some of the bloodiest, with both sides less likely to compromise.

Even when such a compromise could be as little as allowing everyone to have, and to act upon, their own thoughts in religious matters.  

[MinaTheRomanticNeko]

[Satan] 2.0

The world would surely be a better place without religion. I always win my religious debates with people by asking them to name at least one good thing relgion has done to help this world. They never respond to that one. wink Religion has actually made the world a more violent and hatred filled place.

The only good thing religion has ever done is affect people on a personal level. It gives them rules, stability, and something to believe in, because they cant rely on themselves to be independant and stable. Some people are only 'good people' because of thier religion, and not because of thier personal morals and standards.  

[Pistil]

Most of the time religion is used as a cover.
As a reason.
To make something just.

But rarely is it the singular reason for a fight to break out.
It may contribute.
But unlikely to be the soul cause.

Therefore, if there was no religion.
Many wars would now seem unjust.
And the true reasons for many squabblings would be uncovered.

Animals don't have a religion.
Yet they'll still wage war against each other.