Is It The Religion Or The Ritual That Breeds Violence.

[modeller]

Is it the strong private faith or the communal ritual that bonds people together whilst alienating them from others who don't share that ritual.

[sandyRoe]

And the Sally Ann. They seem to be the embodiment of what religion should be about.

[Old_Geezer]

I'd disagree religion's all ritual. It is a way to view spiritual matters so beneath the display there has to be a core of belief to build on. But yes, if convinced you are right then you do get pushed into enlightening others so they can benefit in the "afterlife" even if it means abusing them in the here & now. After all, it's for their own ultimate good; apparently. So tolerance is a bad thing then, as one needs "tough love"

[modeller]

sandy They are not different religions . They all preach Christianity .

[modeller]

OG //I'd disagree religion's all ritual. // Quite right they have to find time to wage violence, which can last decades. Some would say it never stops.

[modeller]

sandy // And the Sally Ann. They seem to be the embodiment of what religion should be about. //
I admire the SA for the work they do , as I know from my army days.

[idiosyncrasy]

Vulcan@
Why should religions promote violence? Good question. Why? If they were following the Bible they wouldn't. Jesus said that "by their fruits you will know they are my disciples". Jesus did not advocate violence. Remember when he was being arrested and his disciple cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. Jesus said that he who uses the sword will die by the sword - meaning that there should be no violence among his followers.
I can understand why many are put of religion because of the violence they advocate - for example, Ireland, Rwanda, Serbia etc, all through religious intolerance.

[vulcan42]

And therein lies the problem with religions. They cannot follow the bible in it's entirety because it's full of contradictions, so they choose the parts that suit them. When violence is used in the name of religion it's because the followers have chosen to do so and ignored the parts in the bible that promotes peace. This "picking & mixing" actually makes the bible redundant and as religion is based on the bible then it follows that religion is redundant as well.

[naomi24]

idiosyncrasy //Jesus did not advocate violence….. Jesus said that he who uses the sword will die by the sword - meaning that there should be no violence among his followers.//

…. but Jesus also told his disciples to sell their coats to buy swords, so the claim that he didn’t advocate violence is questionable to say the least. I don’t believe he was who – or what - you think he was.