Is Religion Generally a Good Thing?

[Excadrill]

In many arguments regarding religion, it's brought as to whether or not religion is good for society. The first part of this is obviously how it makes people behave. Theists sometimes say it gives them hope and makes bad people do good things. I dispute the latter claim. My evidence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UmotTE-VlY&feature=player_embedded

I acknowledge it's very rare for people to think and act like this, but the fact it happens at all is deeply disturbing. And look closely at the video. She doesn't think what she's saying is wrong or mean, she expects the people to be happy. This is an example of a good person corrupted by the cruel intolerance her religion has taught her.

On their own, good people do good things and bad people do bad things. But it takes a religion to make good people do bad things. Except maybe fascist regimes as well, but that still works on the same principle of blind trust.

EDIT: Link goes nowhere anymore.

 

[BattleFanatic14]

Absolutely not. Religion simply makes people dumb. I have to go to a catholic school, and the amount of stupidity there is astounding. The U.S. would be a much better place without it.

 

[Excadrill]

Absolutely not. Religion simply makes people dumb. I have to go to a catholic school, and the amount of stupidity there is astounding. The U.S. would be a much better place without it.

It doesn't make them stupid, it just teaches them the wrong lessons.

 

[houndourm]

It teqxhes them unfair prejiduces against pthers. And brings them together, to hate other people for being different....


And i couldnt even watch that. What a err things i cant say.


EDIT: sorry, i was on my phone
It teaches them unfair prejiduces against others.

 

[GaZsTiC]

All the video shows is that modern day Christian teachings are evil.

 

[Aquanova]

i think it generally makes people think in a way they wouldnt otherwise. Some relegions teach hate against certain groups of people and I dont think thats good. I dont know for that reason i dont really think religion is good

 

[Tim the turtle]

The hivemind seems to think that the woman in the video is a poe. Still, that fact that she's a poe in the first place is indicative of how common such sentiments can be with the uber-religious.

 

[Viscera]

Absolutely not. Religion simply makes people dumb. I have to go to a catholic school, and the amount of stupidity there is astounding. The U.S. would be a much better place without it.

I agree here. In my short lifetime everyone that took religion seriously has had characteristics of being closed-minded, arogant, and bad at science.

It also causes alot of unnecessary changed in society so these people won't be "offended", when a someone is taught something that goes agaisnt a stranger's opinion.

 

[Excadrill]

You might want to look at those squiggly red lines under the words in your posts before saving. Spellcheck, people.

"It teqxhes them unfair prejiduces against pthers"

What the hell??

 

[PokeJustice]

Oh, look, it's another back-patting Christianity-bashing antitheistic circle-jerk thread.

I'm as irreligious as any, but this thread is in its nth edition and is getting old.

 

[Excadrill]

Oh, look, it's another back-patting Christianity-bashing antitheistic circle-jerk thread.

I'm as irreligious as any, but this thread is in its nth edition and is getting old.

I was almost hoping it would be less one-sided, but I guess that means atheists win by default. A hollow victory, really.

 

[Josiah]

In many arguments regarding religion, it's brought as to whether or not religion is good for society. The first part of this is obviously how it makes people behave. Theists sometimes say it gives them hope and makes bad people do good things. I dispute the latter claim. My evidence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UmotTE-VlY&feature=player_embedded

I acknowledge it's very rare for people to think and act like this, but the fact it happens at all is deeply disturbing. And look closely at the video. She doesn't think what she's saying is wrong or mean, she expects the people to be happy. This is an example of a good person corrupted by the cruel intolerance her religion has taught her.

On their own, good people do good things and bad people do bad things. But it takes a religion to make good people do bad things. Except maybe fascist regimes as well, but that still works on the same principle of blind trust.

It's more than a little ridiculous that you think only religion causes people to do bad things. Any social group that pressures people to conform is totally capable of causing people to do evil. Don't pretend that religion has some sort of unique brain washing property.

 

[Excadrill]

It's more than a little ridiculous that you think only religion causes people to do bad things. Any social group that pressures people to conform is totally capable of causing people to do evil. Don't pretend that religion has some sort of unique brain washing property.

The main difference is that religion is mainstream, and encouraged.

 

[Jb]

You guys are stupid, it doesn't teach close mindness or the like. It does nothing of the sort.



It's people like the ones who already posted who think they are right, thats the problem. Most Christian ect stay in their belife group or what ever, it's the one that try to force their faith on others thats the problem.

There is nothing wrong with beliving you be rewarded in the afterlife, if you're good in the present.

 

[Josiah]

The main difference is that religion is mainstream, and encouraged.

And so are high school sports programs. So are businesses. So is facebook. But we're not going to all rally here to complain about high school sports pressuring teens into drinking, or dishonest business owners telling their employees to cheat customers, or kids on facebook ganging up to pick on each other. People are people are people no matter what, and that means they will do bad things to conform with the group.

 

[CombatWombat]

i feel sorry for my friend. he cant even play pokemon without his catholic mom saying its evil. .
anyway religion can be good or bad. it depends on how seriously you take it. and boy were people taking religion seriously in the 16-17 hundreds. beheadings for witches that were just people that didnt do anything. galileo getting jailed by the church just because he said TRUE things about the universe and the solar system. oh and not just back then either. its still going on today. terrorists who think they are doing god's will and burning of sacred objects of other people's beliefs. why should people be punished for having a different view and because they were taught something different from what we did?

 

[FEEPtheFlareon]

Absolutely not. Religion simply makes people dumb. I have to go to a catholic school, and the amount of stupidity there is astounding. The U.S. would be a much better place without it.

Agreed. I was raised Catholic too and turned out to be atheist. I know that people want something to believe in, but freedom means that you don't have the right to take someone's life just b/c they don't believe what you believe. Religion is exhausting.

 

[Vermehlo_Steele]

I agree here. In my short lifetime everyone that took religion seriously has had characteristics of being closed-minded, arogant, and bad at science.

Such win there.

Oh, look, it's another back-patting Christianity-bashing antitheistic circle-jerk thread.

I'm as irreligious as any, but this thread is in its nth edition and is getting old.

I was going to say this is just one of many such threads in months, but you beat me to it.

Anyway, this is a silly debate because the answer will vary from who you ask. So, why have this debate unless you want to feel special.

 

[Night_Walker]

I'm going to have to say no it's not.

One can have hope for the future (whether that's in terms of being in a bad place and hoping things will get better or just hoping to have a good year), do the right thing legally and morally and so on without religion.

Religion on the other hand paves the way more than any other cause for people to do truly horrid things, like stoning or beheading, to one another over so called 'thought-crimes' like blasphemy or apostasy where the one who committed it has done no quantifiable harm to their society.

It can create an interpretation of the world in which it's perfectly acceptable, even condoned, to kill a current human life because they aborted a potential human life.

It can tell people that being intolerant of people with a different world view or sexual preference, including people perceived as supporting those people, instead of learning to live and let live.

And it, in my opinion, makes at least some people merely do the right thing out of fear of what's to come or in the hopes of getting better treatment in the afterlife rather than the decency of their own heart.

You take out religion you take out those harmful influences.

 

[deathseer]

Some of the worst things imaginable that are done in life are done because someone believed that they are doing "God's work". As long as they slap that tagline to what ever cause they are doing, they find it okay.

Religion in itself has cause many of the problems in the world. People attacking countries all because of intolerance. In my experience in the world, I find organized religion really stupid.

But this is just one minuscule man's opinion. I accept others right to believe in what they want, but don't try to shove your beliefs down my throat and threaten me with damnation if I don't.