Who REALLY thinks the world would be better off without religion?

1. 0

   LoliHeyposted 8 years ago

   Who REALLY thinks the world would be better off without religion?
   
   I'm going to argue that Communist societies, which were atheist, and did not allow religion, failed miserably and resulted in a big loss of lives.  I'm also going to argue that EVIL is the reason why the world is the way it is.  We could never agree on everything because we are all different.  If we all looked exactly the same, someone would find SOMETHING to start a war over.  Thoughts?

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2. 70

   Aime Fposted 8 years ago

   I do.
   
   I'd argue that communism was the reason shit went down and not the lack of religion.  I don't think forcing people to believe or not believe things is the answer, so we probably won't ever see a world without religion.  But if it just so happened that one day everyone woke up and had no recollection or concept of religion then I think the world would probably be a lot more peaceful.

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      Austinstarposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      And atheism is not directly related to communism. I don't know why religionists keep trying to equate the two things. But they do seem to have all sorts of misconceptions about atheism.

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      tsadjatkoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Misconception? Appears you are the one entertaining misconception. Are you saying communists like Stalin and Mao who committed mass murder of their own people weren't atheists? Communism implemented rules introducing state atheism.

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      jlparkposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Ah, the thing with that is is the misconception is that th mass murder was committed BECAUSE of Atheism. but the killing was due to their quest for absolute power, not because they were atheists. Eg: atheism is not the cause, but a coincidence

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   4. 70

      Aime Fposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      They also both had dark hair and the letter 'a' in their names.  Are people with dark hair and the letter 'a' in their names more likely to be communists?

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      tsadjatkoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I never said atheism was the reason for their killing.Thanks for putting words in mymouth.But without belief in a higher power,a just God&eternal life after death in heaven or hell on what basis is there to say their murdering wasn't just?

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   6. 70

      Aime Fposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Because people shouldn't need to be threatened with eternal hellfire to be motivated not kill other people. I question anyone's sanity whose only motivation for not killing people is "I don't want to go to hell."

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   7. 66

      tsadjatkoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That doesn't answer my question at all of which your characterization is totally inaccurate. Your position is they are justified to murder because they shouldn't be threatened with punishment? That's what you just said...NUTS

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      Aime Fposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That's not what I said at all.  No one is justified in murdering anyone, but the motivation for not killing people shouldn't come from being afraid of hell.

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      Ericdierkerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Why not? Is your unprovable, unfactual moral code better? Clearly you Believe killing is bad, but there is no empirical evidence that it is bad. Just ethereal notions of right and wrong.

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   10. 70

       Aime Fposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Hard to get into morality in 250 characters. But external motivation (like being afraid of hell) isn't very effective long-term. It's superficial and if the internal motivation isn't there, it's not hard to overpower the fear of punishment.

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   11. 66

       tsadjatkoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       And that's not what I said at all. If that isn't what you said then you haven't answered my question at all. So what is the point, you want to reply to me by not answering my question? Sounds like you just want to rant.

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   12. 70

       Aime Fposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       You said WITHOUT A GOD what basis is there that murdering people was unjust and I'm telling you that the basis comes from morality/internal motivation and doesn't HAVE TO and SHOULDN'T come from not wanting to piss God off. Are you following now?

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       tsadjatkoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       So without God why is your morality any more justified than say Stalin's? If he has no respect for human rights why is that wrong, simply because it's not your morality? Who decides what is right or wrong. Why are you more just than him?

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   14. 70

       Aime Fposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       I don't think anyone decides what's right/wrong, I think it's human nature.  If it's a decision made by someone (or God) then isn't it completely arbitrary?

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       tsadjatkoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       You are right it is completely arbitrary if there is no God,the creator of you&the universe.He would't be a perfect God if he didn't judge right from wrong,sin from holiness,God is never arbitrary without him no one's right can be wrong.

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       Aime Fposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       So how did God decide it was wrong to kill people?

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   17. 52

       Norine Williamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

       Jesus knew (fm begining) He'd have to come to reconcile us to Him for we love sin!
       Gen 9:9-17 "not w/water" for our sins but w/"fire" (2 Pet 3:7)! 
       Anyone who impeded "His coming," was removed (u call it killed; I "HIS WILL") to fulfill WORD!

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3. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 8 years ago

   
   
   Of course the world would be a MUCH BETTER place without religion.  It would also be MORE PROGRESSIVE.  It is religious ideology that divides humans into categories, even dichotomizes them.   Religion is the greatest divider of peoples into respective ingroups(those who have acceptable &/or conforming beliefs) & outgroups(those who have differing, opposing, distinct, & nonconforming beliefs).  People have been persecuted because their ethical, moral, religious, &/or spiritual stance were different, oven opposite of the majority.
   
   Religion also retards people, keeping them in a powerless, even infantile state while giving inordinate power to religious authorities whose only interest is in controlling & exploiting their congregants for the latter's benefit.  For those who have studied history, there is a strong correlation in many cases between high religiosity & the intellectual/cultural backwardness of a culture, society, & civilization.  Highly religious cultures & societies are oftentimes suspicious of scientific advancements because it is believed that since advancements are antithetical to God's plan.  Such cultures & societies are strongly anti-female & anti-LGBT, only emphasizing, even elevating male superiority.   Religion is responsible for the oppressive, even heinous treatment & the devaluing of girls & women, particularly in the area of reproductive choice & sexual roles/ freedoms.
   
   The world for the most part is becoming less & less religious which is good.  Societies & cultures that are less religious are more progressive in terms of female & LGBT rights.  Such societies & cultures are more open to scientific research.  They are also more open in terms of sexual & gender roles.  In such societies & cultures, girls & women obtain a higher level of education than in societies & cultures that are strictly religious where education, except for the most rudimentary, for girls & women are discouraged.  People are realizing that they are powerful in & of themselves & that religion is a superstitious remnant of the past when people were powerless & religion assuaged their sense of powerlessness.

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4. 0

   greeneyedblondieposted 8 years ago

   I don't think it's the religion itself (as in believing in something) being the problem. I think it's the fact when some people believe they're better than others because they are apart of a certain religion. Look, I'm Catholic and whenever I see other Catholics parading around telling others they're "heathens" or "sinners" or whatever it drives me nuts. I get that they want to convert people, but calling them names and degrading them isn't helping the situation.

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5. 52

   peter565posted 8 years ago

   It depends on the religion, some religion could lead to good others lead to evil. For example, the version of Christianity that modern people follow is call "new Christianity" where only certain aspect of the bible is still been followed. Many disturbing teaching, have been widely ignored since the Age of Enlightment, although unfortunetly, there are still some people that follow some of those disturbing teachings.
   
   For example the bible teach
   
   John 4:1-3 [Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.] Thus according to the bible, every person who contradict Christ, not subject to Christ and any teaching not from Christ is the antichrist, which the bible accuse of been evil,lies and demonic, regardless of whether it is other religion, science, medicine, philosophy, history or math. Thus, if I say the earth is over 5000 years old, that make me an antichrist. Unless you went to a Catholic school, then every teacher you ever had, from primary school to high school, to college, is antichrist. But what are so evil/demonic about these thing, that the bible refer to as antichrist and= evil, demonic and lies. There is nothing evil or demonic about it. And they teach the truth.
   
   These bible teaching actually remind me of cults that try to control ur thinking about teaching u all that contradict the cult is evil. It aslo remind me of the cult of Mao, in Communist China, after taking power, the communist force children to follow the cult of Mao in China school and must literally prey to Mao 3 times a day, this started in the 1950s when Mao was still alive!!!  The Cult of Mao also teach, Mao is always right and all that contradict and not subject to Mao, is evil/lies/demonic.
   
   The bible reinforce this evil teaching also by bible passages such as
   
   Proverbs 3:5-6 [ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight] So, according to it, we are not even suppose to sent our kids to school, because it is independent education institution to the church!!!

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      Norine Williamsposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      If u don't have the Holy Spirit, I'd advise u not to "test the spirits" or else it could happen to u (maybe has) as it did in Scripture (Acts 19:15)!!! 
      READ IT!!!

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   2. 52

      peter565posted 8 years agoin reply to this

      The Holy Spirit is nothing more then Voodoo non sense. The bible is non sense evil that teaches evil and lies and then claim itself to be good and accuse everything else not from it, as evil.

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      tsadjatkoposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, we know YOU are THE expert on evil, that much is painfully apparent.

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6. 52

   Norine Williamsposted 8 years ago

   FIRST, one must define "religion" according to Scripture!  Man's definition of "religion" is "...belief in a personal God or gods" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary); whereas the definition in Scripture is found in James 1:27 "...To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."  Are these not things one does in the "physical" realm or a "service?"
   
   This is an "ALL SPIRITUAL" journey!  We are currently under the New Covenant; the Covenant wherein GOD said He would (via the Holy Spirit; John 14:26; 16:13; which came on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:2), "...put his laws in our hearts and minds" {paraphrasing} Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16)! 
   
   Did JESUS use the word "religion" in Scripture?  Did JESUS not  continuously refute "religiosity" (Scribes and Pharisees) in Scripture?  Did they not call JESUS "a devil?"  "Religion" (as is today) is totally against what "The Gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-9) teaches!!!
   
   After JESUS' ascension into heaven, HE used Paul to continue in HIS stead (Acts 9:15), yet "religion" would have MOST believe "Paul wrote his own doctrine!"  Really?  See "religion's" deception (SATAN)?  If JESUS said in Acts 9:15 Paul "...was to be a "vessel" to HIM" {paraphrasing}, do you think he was not?  If JESUS (aka GOD; I Cor 12) said through the Prophet Jeremiah (31:31-33) HE would "put HIS laws in our hearts and minds," do you think HE didn't with Paul as well?  Or did HE lie?   
   
   For this cause, YES, I believe we'd be better off without "religion," for SATAN is using it as "The Greatest Device to Fool Believers" and he's laughing at MOST as they continue to "go along with teachings" and join him (SATAN) in HELL!!!
   
   "My people are destroyed for LACK of KNOWLEDGE..." (Hosea 4:6)!!!  What's really sad, ALL have a Bible as I do, yet won't "Study" (II Timothy 2:15) in "chronological order!"

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