A better place

[LeedsRhinos]

Would the world be a better place without any Religion

[Theland]

If religion can be defined to some extent by what we worship, then Naziism was a religion. Nowadays I believe there is a worldly denomination called, "Consumerism," that worships in the great halls of the supermarkets and furniture stores. Sacrifices are made, (credit), and people work like crazy to appease the gods of materialism.
It's even mystical, lokking for, "Luck," to buy a lotto ticket, and wondering, "How am I gonna pay for this lot?"

[Theland]

Relevant to my previous post:-
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Society-and-Cul ture/Question475762.html

[andy-hughes]

There is a wonderful line in the film 'Angelheart' -

"There is just enough religion in the world to make men hate each other, but not quite enough to make them love each other ..."

The fact that the line is spoken by Lucifer in human form is an irony that should not be understated.

[Theland]

Satan LOVES religion!

[mibn2cweus]

For as long as there are people in search of a loop-hole around the absolute of personal responsibility for ones own beliefs, actions and the attainment of happiness in ones own life here on this earth, for as long as there are those who offer them the promise of such a loop-hole around the absolute of reality in exchange for their allegiance, for as long as such practices are not only deemed as acceptable but are frequently encouraged and rewarded, religions, built on the belief of the existence of God, will in all likelihood remain as a predominant manifestation of this most insidious form of attack on the only proven means to achieve personal responsibility, the pursuit of and reliance on humanities defining quality, reason. Provided with and falling willingly into such imaginary loop-holes around the requirement to understand and conform to reality, war is just one inevitable consequence whereby those seeking to evade personal responsibility end up hanging themselves from their own rope.

The world becomes a better place in proportion to how widely reason is acknowledged as the better way.

[JockSporran]

Here in Scotland if a person doesn't believe in God, they usually have no problem with people who do. We live and let live up here. This fashionable (and disturbing) idea that NOBODY should harbour religious opinions and that the world would be better off without any religious or spiritual philosophy seems to be a particularly English phenomenon.

I suppose it's because London is a target for Muslim extremists, you have a gripe with the C of E, and RE is compulsory in schools.

[sukkie]

Hi Leeds,
My answer to that is no and yes. All religions have structure and most ordinary people who bring up their children within a religion find they are better behaved and more respectful. The problems with all religion is that some people take the extremist religious views of their religion and it is this that causes wars and strife.

[chakka35]

jno, you are evading the issue regarding Chesterton's assertion, which I have demonstrated to be completely untrue. As well as my list of things I don't believe in, I don't believe in the things on your new list either.
Now start a new subject if you like, but honesty must to compel you to admit that Chesterton was talking rubbish.

Let's go on from there.

[Theland]

Mibs' god of reason is full of loopholes. If youngsters question authority, to what authority do the Mibs of this world appeal, to illustrate right from wrong?
Anybody aho does not believe in some ultimate authority can appeal to their own reason, and they do, and society is going down the pan fast, because they do.
No entlightened christian church in modern times has had such an awful effect on society as some would make us believe. For Gods' sake, going to church and sending kids to Sunday school and living ones life in accordance with the principles of the New Testament, are hardly going to cause a societal breakdown, rather, these things are the very cement that binds our society together and gives it meaning.

[mibn2cweus]

Theland, I don't know where you went to "Sunday School" but I do not recall anything that I was taught there that is applicable to living a rational responsible life except that I would have to search elsewhere for the required knowledge.

In all fairness I recall very little of what went on there. I do however suffer with the clear recollection of a persistent hypnotic melody that continues to haunt me to this day:

♫ Onward Christian Soldiers ♫♪

There is no choice in the ultimate authority that determines the right and wrong of what we choose to believe and the actions we take following from our chosen beliefs. How our actions play out in the consequences we witness in reality demonstrate the degree of wisdom we possess for guiding our choices. Acknowledging responsibility and enjoying the results of living in agreement with the dictates of reality is its own reward.

[styley]

Oh good nothing yes.

[beso]

I used to think so but have come to realise that the vast majority of humans are greedy and self serving. Without the threat of being punished for wrongdoing or rewarded for good most of these people would have no self control at all.

Unfortunately in many cases these same people managed to get control of the religious philosophy and use it to further their evil doings.

Those of us who don't need God and are happy to be good for the sake of good itself are so outnumbered that we would probably be murdered by the wicked unless they were afraid of what God might do to them. Indeed the sorry state of humanity is reflected in the fact that murdering one's neighbours has been an extraordinarily successful evolutionary strategy. The meek did not inherit the earth, our ancestors killed them long ago.

The only reason altruism genes persists at any level is that even the violent need some moderation to get along with each other.

Esssentially we are damned with religion and damned without it.

[Sen]

No...without religion, the world would just deteriote quicker, as religion brings importance and value in doing whats right and avoid doing whats wrong. Most laws of right and wrong have originated from religious scriptures whom people have been following over the generations, if this is wrong then where did those people get the concepts of right and wrong, from a historical non religious book that we have never heard of. Dont tell me we were just born with knowing whats right and wrong and its in our DNA.

Anyway, if all the religious people became unreligious, they would end up following their own whims and desires (according to what they think is right) along with the ones who are already doing that and the life on this earth would slowly become a mini hell and to be honest i think its already on its way to that! Heh!