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As a Human Being... religion is a blight on humanity?
I am from Canada. English is my first language.
What do you think about the argument that religion is a blight on humanity?
Consider that there are good people, who mean no harm to others whatsoever, who think those who believe in scripture have caused unnecessary suffering to others who don't subscribe one man's interpretation of the bible...who want to live without other people without scorn...?
Yet, you people, who profess to follow a movement of love, spew so much hate at people who don't believe in vampires, leprechauns, fairies, and gods (which are all the same thing....man-made attempts at scaring humans into obeying)???
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Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
Nietzsche identified that with his increasing knowledge, man had effectively 'killed god' as there was strictly no need for a god if we could explain things scientifically. But he also observed that something in our nature feels the need for a god. A planner, some greater power watching us and guiding our destiny, rewarding good and punishing bad etc. And while we'd killed god, we had yet to come up with anything to replace god, or powerful enough to replace even the IDEA of a god. So he professed that to make our godless world work, man must become 'super-man' (no cartoon jokes please!). He must become more than himself. Accept responsibilty for his own actions, do right because it is right and will benefit mankind and not because he fears the punishment of a god if he doesn't. (This has often been misunderstood, badly in Nazi Germany in the 30's who took him to mean a 'master race' should rise and take charge....Nietzsche's 'uber-mensch' really meant all men, his super-man had no race but the human race...thought I should clear that up...I'm not a Nazi!) Sadly, Nietzshe's super-man has yet to really appear, but often in events of the 20th and 21st century one can catch a whiff of him, which gives us (me, anyway!) hope that the old German genius might ultimately be right! In the meantime, as you point out much suffering and death and unhappiness is the direct result of religious beliefs. But we must recognise that a great deal of good has been done in its name too.So would the world be 'a better place' without it? Maybe it would be pretty much what we've got already. Global conflicts often march under the flag of religion, but scratch the surface and you'll see it is a facade. Land and its resources, and control of economics are the the true drivers, so we must blame the baser instincts of human nature, not religion. Now, all world religions have one shining prize that no 'man-made' policy can replace. Eternal life, often in a perfect 'paradise'. If you need that to make your mortal life worth living, religion is the only option. Interesting to think though...if a minority ruling-class wished to keep the numerically much greater 'proliteriat' under control, the promise "Play nicely boys and girls, keep to the rules and when you die you'll be greater than your masters." would be a great way of achieving your ends, would it not? Is this the basis of all belief-systems at their core?? Isn't even democracy (you're in control, you can vote us out if you want!) a version of it? However, if by some chance the whole world agreed simultaneosuly to renounce supernatural beliefs at midnight tonight the tension between, for example western civilisation and Islamic nations would surely continue unchanged. Religious fervour would simply be replaced by nationalistic fervour. And I feel sure that fanatical leaders would still be able to recruit suicide-bombers from amongst their ranks just the same. Of course, a religious man could argue, quite justifiably that what I have is no more or less a belief-system than theirs. Mine is based on observation and evidence, theirs on faith (which by definition must be able to exist in the complete abscence of all proof, or it would not be faith). And that is the only difference. So is religious belief a symptom of, or the cause of human nature. I tend to think the first alternative. Personally I find it sad that in western culture the dwindling power of the churh has seen a startling resurgence of belief in what I can only call mysticism, however seriously its devotees take their particular chosen brand. All those years of human advancement and enlightenment, and we yearn for....witchcraft!! Maybe a great many do 'need something else' to throw life into perspective, even if it's a distorted perspective. I'm afraid super-man might be a long time coming, but wouldn't you like to see him?? I would, for sure! Blaming 'the devil' for evil is easy. Anonymous. We're shooting at a straw-man. Super-man will be accountable for his evil acts. He will have to justify them. To himself. To his fellow man. Prove they have a greater benefit for the whole race. If he can't, he MUST find another way. Maybe this could truly build a 'better world' where all religions have failed. What do you think?
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I think religion is somewhat bad too. But it is the people who make it so bad. It has caused so many problems. I think most places don't need it. You can't get rid of it either, and if it did die out, it would eventually come back. The whole fairy thing is man made, but it also depends on the interpretation, which usually seems like complete bull. I'm no longer religious, but I still wonder about it sometimes, you can't prove that there is a god, and you can't prove that there isn't. I don't believe in the bearded guy in the clouds. But when I wonder about what goes on after death, I think we still exist in a different state. Mostly because of the way we (and everything) is made. All the things that make everything, all the energy & matter, supposedly cannot be destroyed. So the way I see it is that there was no beginning, and there won't be an end, and God isn't some guy, we are God, not HE, but IT, everything, no heaven, no hell, just eternal existence. But that's just the way I see it. Could be wrong.
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As an atheist myself, I would alter your claim somewhat before backing it up.
Religion is not a blight on humanity. The incorrect use of it is.
I have known many, many wonderful religious people. People who take the core principles of their religion to heart and try to live each day full of love for those around them. These people don't judge me for not believing what they do, and respect me as a fellow human being so long as I treat others with love and respect. We follow the same rules, with a different base. I believe in being good to people for the sake of making others happy and they believe in being good to people because their chosen deity wants them to make others happy.
What you're talking about are the people who turn belief, which is a perfectly nice thing on its own, into a weapon. People who take a religion where peace and love are its core and strip it down to a bare-bones set of rules. You follow the rules, you're in the club. Those people aren't what it's all about. They're misguided.
So religion doesn't cause problems in society. It's the people who use it as a weapon who are the blight. If religious leaders everywhere worked to help their followers understand this, the world would be a much better place.
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