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Religion - is there any place for it?
Posted by filosofia • 7/14/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: religion, today, world
Does religion have any useful role to play in the world of today?
Or is it just useless and outmoded?
Or, even worse, a dangerous superstition?
What is your opinion?
User Comments
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Oh Goody! Another religion thread!!!! -
Depends on the religion. -
Apparently BC is the place for it... -
This may be interesting. This question has now been up on BC for 30 minutes, and received 3 replies (incidentally, they apparently all arrived in the same minute!), whereas the identical question posted on the Debate Europe Forum has at time of writing received NO replies. Could this mean that Americans are more interested in religion than Europeans? Or at least, in expressing their opinions about it, pro or con?
(Admittedly though, the experiment is not a controlled one since the European question went on the Miscellaneous Forum there, which is not quite the same as the General Discussion Forum here. Most people on there look mostly at the Future of Europe threads. But somehow the question didn't seem apt for the Future of Europe. Any thoughts anyone?)-
I'm English, and F13 is from the Dominican Republic, I think.
We're just fed up with the same questions. -
Agree with Epicharis. Let's not post to this thread anymore and let it die a merciful...and silent...death. -
What's wrong with posting questions? No-one makes you read them or join them. Your reaction seems very strange. Why not just give your opinion, or not bother? The questions I ask are not meant to be heavy or anything, they are meant to be just light-hearted ways of starting off a chat, maybe make some new friends online. What difference does it make whether they are original or not?
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Religion threads turn into religion arguments. ALWAYS. They go on and on and on and spill over into other discussions. They happen so often that those of us who are regulars are thoroughly fed up with them.
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Now that is interesting! Because the discussion in the Europe forum on the same topic has now got going (slowly, I will admit!) and at least so far, it's quite well mannered and sensible lol. The Europeans seem to save all their venom for discussions about the currency (!)
Whereas Americans get hot under the collar about religion. I find this cultural difference fascinating. -
As I already said, we aren't all American.
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I think it might be more accurate to say that the "troubles" associated with "religion threads" are caused not so much by the questions, as by the type of replies that people give to them.
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if people didn't start religion threads people wouldn't be able to give argumentative answers, would they?
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As I said before, my question was meant to be a light-hearted way of kicking off a discussion, and a chat, maybe make some new friends. You are the one who is trying to argue here...
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yeah, and I'm explaining how well religion threads go here. however light-hearted you might want them to be, people take religion seriously and arguments start.
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Well, anyway don't worry about anything, because this is not a "Religion Thread", it's a "Philosophy Thread" which is a different thing entirely.
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It might also be a matter of what time it is in Europe compared to what time it is here...it's about 3 pm here which means it is about 9 pm in London. -
Jaybetee
Bette Midler once said, "When it's three o'clock in New York, it's still 1938 in London." -
if a question is receiving comments then it means people want tot alk about it.. whats there to shy away from...and religion has its place no doubt.. it gives HOPE... i wnt go into the string of giving meaning to life and bla bla nut religion does provide a wayward.
Please check the following poem that I wrote about something similar.
www.writeawriting.com/diary-of-amy-dyslex/poems/ageless-region/ -
No religion is not the cause of any problem or conflict... It is when we become arrogant and cannot see beyond our stuck up believes, then problems rise up. I have got a cat and a dog... they often use to snarl at each other but then I v often seen them huddled together in a single cot. Being humans, we can be more sober , I guess
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Yes, there's a place for it. There's a place for everything people are interested in.-
What would you say to someone who believes religion to be the root cause of most of the world's problems, and to be something that causes arguments and conflict?
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I'd say they were using religion as a scapegoat. Lots of things cause arguments and conflict. Look at what's going on right now in some of the discussions that aren't about religion!
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I blame it on religion... -
Troll!!!
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totally reported
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HaHaHa!
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We all adhere to belief systems which are not grounded entirely in facts. The problem comes in when we try to impose that belief system on others.
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Yes it's annoying when you see that hard sell approach. Actually now I think about it, the hard sell of religion that you see on tv sometimes is not so much annoying as it is comical.
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i am not religious person but i do believe that it has a role in my life. preventing me doing something bad to others and of course myself.
but it depend on the leader of the religion, some has good motive but some..they are focus on making money. That make lot of people feel disappointing about religion.
Auction Site Articles
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Yes that's right. Often the leaders seem to be more interested in making money than anything else.
However, I don't suppose too many people would accuse Jesus, Mohammed, or Buddha of being only in it for the money? So that can't be the whole story.
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Everyone follows a religion - some follow the religion of their own desires, others follow the religion of worshipping money, others follow the religion of a world without God etc, but most follow a religion where God is their creator and are aware, to Him is their return.
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its in you alwayz was and alwayz will be . you just gotta ask. -
In the parallel discussion on the Debate Europe forum, they are saying, among other things, that a distinction has to be made between those religions on the one hand that allow their followers to have a freedom of choice, and those on the other hand that tend to coerce their followers to accept without question.
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I don't mind religion as long as it builds on a realistic philosophy and more specifically (pagan) First philosophy - the science of Being qua Being. However, most religious people are fideists(ie their metaphyisical "knowledge" is grounded entirely on faith).
In the last analysis, the crucial divide is that between idealists and realists (realistic philosophy takes experience through the senses for a starting point)- and most every religious and non religious person gives precedence to ideas over reality. -
I think that the mere fact that people still engage in religion should be a hint. -
Why would religion not have a useful role in the world? -
Church would be a good place to start wouldnt it - and keep it there-
School would be a good place for education, and keep it there.
Don't take any knowledge with you as you leave school for the day and if you happen to have taken some knowledge with you, certainly do not share that knowledge.
Do you really expect those who hold to some kind of religious belief not allow that belief to be a part of their everyday life, to never share that belief with others, to not have it be an actual influence on their life? -
Honestly, I think half of the worlds problems come from Christians taking your advice, or worse, using Christianity as a slogan while not embracing what it means.
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@ jaybetee: It might also be a matter of what time it is in Europe compared to what time it is here...it's about 3 pm here which means it is about 9 pm in London.
For a minute there I thought you were trying to say that European views were more advanced than American ones because they were already six hours in the future, and so had made more progress. This would contradict an opinion which seems to be quite widespread in tth US - that Europe stands for old ideas and America for new ones.
But now it occurs to me that what you mean is that people may have different views on life and the universe depending on whether it's lunchtime or suppertime.
If true, this would seriously affect the parameters of the experiment. Would you perhaps agree then that the next experiment to try would be to ask a question first in the Europe Forum at suppertime, and then ask the same question in BlogCatalog six hours later, when America has reached suppertime?-
I'm pretty sure Jaybetee was saying that the reason you got no comments at first was because you posted at a time when people might not be online in Europe.
and please don't post this question repeatedly at different times of the day. -
@ Epicharis: I'm pretty sure Jaybetee was saying that the reason you got no comments at first was because you posted at a time when people might not be online in Europe.
and please don't post this question repeatedly at different times of the day.
Yes I thought that too, but I just wanted to make a little joke about it.
I suppose because on forums you only have writing to communicate with, and you don't have visual, you sometimes have to announce that you're joking. This is usually done by using LOL but that can be ambiguous as well. Anyway, I really was just joking about the time zones.
Sometimes, Epicharis, it's hard to know whether you yourself are joking or not! You can't seriously be thinking I was considering putting this exact same question at lots of different times of the day on the same forum? -
Round these parts anything is possible...people post the same topic under different categories or just start a new topic on the same subject every time they log in...I wouldn't be surprised if someone tried posting for different time zones...
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Does religion have any useful role to play in the world of today?
It has until recently been the most dangerous tool ever for control and manipulating human beings.
Or is it just useless and outmoded?
It is very outmoded and although God exists (a type of Consciousness) God is not found in religion, religion can point the way to something beautiful and sublime. Religion is useful because it is the very thing that needs to be leap frogged over to find God. It is a reminder to inquire into the core of our being and existence.
Or, even worse, a dangerous superstition?
What is your opinion?
My opinion is irrelevant to anyone else, God is something that cannot be measured, talked about, looked at, God is an experience as well as a process. -
filosofia, you clearly love religion as do I. I myself have a monotheistic view on religion. For me, my belief is not merely a religion that you leave in a church as Sam1982 believes, Religion is a way of life. Everything you do in life, you must know that God is watching you and the Angels are recording every last detail. Knowing this fact will ensure that you enjoin the good and forbid the evil. This is what religion is. If people choose to manipulate religion to suit their needs, that doesn't mean religion in itself is a bad thing. Those people are bad. But many sincere religious people are very peaceful and fear their Lord and yet have hope. For the truly sincere people, it is this fear that prevents them from committing sins and it is the hope that by doing good, they will be rewarded with Paradise.
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I love philosophy, I'm not so sure about religion though. I really liked your comment, thank you for adding it to my little discussion.
My favourite story about religion is one that deals with the hope of Paradise. It's about a monk, called, I think, Brother Laurentio. He found one day that he was very worried, because he had begun to believe that he was not really saved, and that he would not be going to heaven after all. He became so distressed at this that he found it difficult to eat or sleep or concentrate on simple tasks.
Eventually he came to terms with this when he began to realize that what was really important to him was to love God and to serve the Lord Jesus with his whole being in this life, and getting the reward of going to heaven was of very small significance in comparison.
After this he became a serenely happy man. (Later, Laurentio regained his confidence that he would enter Paradise.)
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Religion helps people deal with the uncertainty of life. Most religions offer a promise of an afterlife and a lot of people find comfort in prayer. So as long as religion is not a path to intolerance, i dont see it being harmful. -
Religion is man's attempt to reach up to God. Our creator does not want religion He wants our hearts. I am a follower of Jesus and a true follower does not use religious stuff to try to please God. A true believer is transparent in that he or she acknowledges they cannot be perfect and they do not judge others since they cannot be perfect either. Religion on the most part does play a positive role though in that people try to be better but usually ends in frustration when they aren't.-
Yeah, although you do realize that, to be a Christian, you must be in a congregation. Church is primarilly about the people in it.
I remember I actually had a nightmare last night about being swallowed up by the Arc of the Covenant. The problem is that some religious people put the cart before the horse and think that by making themselves better, they will please God and get closer to him. In fact, it is by being closer to him, understanding him, and loving him, that the commandments are written upon your heart, and then the Holy Spirit, your Helper, compels you to obey them, guides you, and perfects your love.
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I think the world would be a much better place without Religion. Being crazy about religion serves no purpose at all. We don't need a religion in order to be a good human being.-
When you strive to be a better human being, its religion.
"Being crazy about religion serves no purpose at all."
Nobody said that if you are religious you gotta be crazy about your religion.You are talking a bout an extreme here. People who are religious but not overtly so do a lot of good things for humanity.
On the question posed by this thread-
yes I think religion has a place in life.You may think that most of the stuff isn't true but just think about the amount of people who dont do certain wrong things because they have a vision of themselves burning in hell if they do those things.
For example-I would find it a lot easier to stick a knife into an ex-wife if I didnt know that I was breaking God's commandments I would go to hell because of it.
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yes,, just observe what is happening in our world today -
Religion is a method of control, created by MEN and remains a method of mass control today. It also serves the weak who prefer to follow rather than think for themselves and it comforts those who do not want to face death, either their own, or that of a loved one.
It is very dangerous, and I have thousands of years of history to prove my point. Humans need to start believing in themelves if we have any hope as a species.-
Religion is a method of control, created by MEN and remains a method of mass control today. ... Humans need to start believing in themelves if we have any hope as a species.
I agree. The last thing humans need more of is religion. What we all need is to become conscious of our spiritual nature. When we become conscious individuals, we are then capable of becoming more compassionate and cooperative, rather than remaining competitive, controlling, or cowed.
Living consciously may seem like a no-brainer, but it is actually a lifestyle, a skill, and an art that few master. It’s not a one-time event or activity, but a way of life.
The concept is deceptively simple: When we become conscious we think about why we do what we do. We make make conscious choices rather than doing things because religious dogma and doctrine dictates our doings. Becoming conscious means we may be required to “rewire” the way we think.
It is easier to live life on autopilot, and to just keep doing what we always do, simply because that’s what we’re used to doing. Conscious living calls for breaking out of routines that aren’t productive so that we can begin to have the lives we really want. -
Many people would like to become conscious of their spiritual nature, but lack the expertise to do this, or they lack the time or leisure to gain that expertise. And even if they do manage to organise their own spiritual enterprise, the day to day tasks and stresses of life can often make it hard for them to keep it on track.
This is perhaps why a lot of people go to church, because it has its own momentum. It makes it possible for people to keep going in their spiritual progress, at those times when otherwise they might feel like giving it up.
Nor everyone is strong, at least not all the time. -
@MarBrother: Anything people find important is dangerous. The only way to eliminate the danger of anger and hatred is to eliminate all that makes life worth living for, including progress, freedom, ideas, prosperity, ambition,..., all these things have caused wars too! Some of them have even turned in to RELIGIONS (like Marxism) that take a very low view of idolatry brother.
If we had a world as pathetic as the one you ask for, I would nuke it, and I would nuke it and kill it because something that pathetic shouldn't waste the earths resources and at least the cockroaches, good ole timers, will survive.
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Apparently, you may find 'stories' quite interesting and simple to be read. It is up to you, you may this about all the bad side (unbelievers) but how about one day...
Howdy Awesome! What I have done? Religion is true but I don't want to believe it yet till now (but now it is too late)!
DOom for me?! So you better start now, or at least do a readings/everything before jumping into the conclusion about not following... -
Etymologically, religion proceeds from the Latin religere - what unites all men. It is one of seven dimensions which inheres to man, and is to be found in most any culture across time.
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Well, this is my point of view on the subject, but if your not willing to hear a little truth, then do not click on the link below as next you might be saying you were offended.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=27DIST8qO4I-
Pretty much. I wouldn't say Religion has no impact upon the world, but it certainly isn't the right impact, and it certainly doesn't bring humanity closer to God.
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Anything that has a place in the individual lives of billions of people definitely has a place in the world today. It's importance is decided by the individual, and as long as people deem it important it should at the very least be discussed. I love dialoguing about religion, any religion, as long as we can discuss it without the name calling. Although a valid opinion, I see no point in popping up just to say "oh goody, another religion thread". How does this add to the conversation? I ignore the conversation threads like "Could you have sex everyday" or "How many people Use Google Friend Connect?" not because they're pointless but because I don't find them worth talking about. The Spammers for Jesus should stay within the group boards but the discussions on religious issues has as much of a place on the general boards as "would you bare all for cash?", although awkward.
I personally believe the current mode and method of religion is outdated but not entirely useless. Religion satisfies something within the human experience and until there is a replacement or if we learn to grow up and shake off the shackles of religion there will always be a place and a need to discuss it. -
How can you look around the world today and NOT see all the damage that man made religion has caused? How blind a species are we?
Blind Sheep!-
I completely agree! This is exactly why I believe it is important to discuss religious issues instead of brushing them off as a mere nuisance. The lack of applying the foundational principles of all religions, love and respect for your fellow man, along with religion being used as a tribal weapon of destruction against others is a main cause to the damage done in the name of religion. The principles are harmless when understood in their temporal and cultural context, but the dangers begin when they are taken out of context and forced upon others.
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All religions have the right to proclaim the truth of freedom remains a question whether we believe in it. -
without religion there is no life. -
religion sucks.. worser than gravity -
What's your definition of religion? -
Personally, religion has a major rule in my life that I can't and will never deny.
And I think It is not a religion's problem rather than a human's one.
I mean the whole (World conflicts and problems) thing.
Most of the time people use religion as a cover for their own other intentions to do bad stuff even if the religion itself doesn't order them to do it. -
Cell phones, ipods, television, video games, the internet, blogging, pollution, government, materialism, capitalism, doctors, science, etc.... - is there a place for any of it? I am not for sure, but they are all part of our culture.
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