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Do you think religion should be abolished?If yes why , if no why not?

I think that religion didn't cause anything good but only start wars, create gilt , hold science back , repressing women's rights, repress sexual subjects , promotes violence racism sectrianism backwardness discrimination ignorance , violates human rights , opression of homosexuals , bigotry , hatred , extremism , terrorism . But sometimes it helps people cope with their problems. I want to hear your opinions and arguments. Plus excuse my English since it's a second language.

PS : I meant abolish not by forcing but using logic and reason.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on January 21, 2013 at 3:28am

John, your "Religions are the mental equivalent of nations" is an interesting insight.

Religions are also the emotional equivalent of nations. For instance, most Americans are emotionally committed to the Pledge of Allegiance, especially to those two words added in 1954.

About those two words, this atheist dislikes both the "god" part and the "under" part. I dislike the "under" part because it requires accepting the submissive role in a dominant/submissive relationship.

A dominant/submissive relationship with an imaginary being! Religions are taught; the resulting mental ill health is learned.

Comparing, during both WW1 and WW2, German soldiers' belt buckles had their words for "with god" on them. According to one WW2 history, they were more efficient killers; whether advancing, fighting in place, or retreating, German soldiers killed 150 Allied soldiers for every 100 German soldiers that Allied soldiers killed. In the ugly work of war, their "with god" empowered them.

BTW, the collectives you mention can be the employees who own the companies where they work. When more employees own their companies, fewer sociopaths will own them.

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on November 3, 2012 at 10:52am

China is an officially atheistic, although often superstitious country/culture. They have many holidays that are not religious. That shows we don't need religion to have holidays. "China has seven legal holidays in a year, including New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, May Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Day and National Day".

I think that in countries where religion where religion undergoes official suppression, there is also repression. Such as USSR and China, probably Pol Pot's Cambodia. Im not a historian so can be corrected on those.

On the other side, where enlightment renders religion obsolete, such as much of Scandinavia, life can be pretty good. I could live with that.

I agree with you Ibriham on all of the negatives of religious oppression. Maybe the invention of religion had a role in "civilizing" ancient humanity into cultures and societies, but it's time to move on. Rationality is a much better way to cope with our problems, more realistic. I will take rationality over any religion.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Schultz on November 11, 2012 at 12:12pm

"probably" Pol Pot's Cambodia ?

Sentient Biped - I suggest Yale University's Cambodian Genocide Program as one of many sources -

"The Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979, in which approximately 1.7 million people lost their lives (21% of the country's population), was one of the worst human tragedies of the last century ...the Khmer Rouge regime headed by Pol Pot combined extremist ideology with ethnic animosity and a diabolical disregard for human life to produce repression, misery, and murder on a massive scale."

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on November 11, 2012 at 2:54pm

Have you noticed how many people around the world from ancient times onward, base celebrations on cycles of sun, moon, stars and the universe? Ancients calculated the shortest day (Winter Solstice), equal day and night (Spring Equinox), longest day (Summer Solstice), equal day and night (Autumn Equinox).

This Orthoceras is a fossil of the Silurian Geologic Period, 440-395 million years ago with an ancient carving escavated in Morocco. It depicted the seasons of the year. The Druids had seasons drawn out this way, Egyptians, American Natives, Asian cultures and astrology (which is not science), and science. With just a little research you can find evidence of this pattern everywhere. Just for fun, Google "Wheel of the Year". Wheel of the year

My garden is based on this pattern:

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on November 11, 2012 at 3:05pm

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Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on January 18, 2013 at 1:50am

"...religion had a role in "civilizing" ancient humanity into cultures and societies...."

An idea worth investigating.

Napoleon and countless others are right in pointing out religion's use for control.

Complication in anything, even in the rules of a human language, can be put to that use.

English, for instance. Study Latin and you will understand better the many rules for verb use.

Unpersuaded? Join a deliberative body and compete with an expert in parliamentary law.

Absolute control is absolutely delightful. Too bad it doesn't exist.

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Permalink Reply by Lillie on November 3, 2012 at 10:54am

Religion is going to run its natural, inevitable course to its end (except for a few holdouts in bomb shelters.) Just wish I could be around to see it. Wonder how long it will take.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Schultz on November 11, 2012 at 9:34am

Lillie - What makes you think religion will run its course ? Where is there any evidence of that ? How do we know what the course of nature is ? When I look at the broader world - I see the quite the opposite. A well organized religion is currently intent on taking over the world, and has been quite successful in recent years. Sorry, I am obviously not as optimistic as you are :(

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on November 11, 2012 at 3:16pm

Lillie, I think this is true! We have seen revival periods in our history.

First Great Awakening, 1720s;

Second Great Awakening, late 1700s;

Third Great Awakening, 1850-1910;

Fourth Great Awakening, mid 1960-mid 1970;

Great Awakening

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Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on November 11, 2012 at 4:22pm

Interesting those are called awakenings. We need a better term. The great delusioning?

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Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on November 11, 2012 at 7:48pm

Perfect, Sentient. Deny reality and delude oneself in order to allow outrageous acts committed by our citizens and government.

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Permalink Reply by DarkBlack on November 8, 2012 at 2:44am

I would like to see religion go, but actively trying to destroy it will just strenghten thier faith.

What wee can try (and I would like to see done, let me know if you know how) is taking away the free pass religion gets. They should not be allowed to call creationism science, protect thier pedophiles, take huge amounts of money from thier followers tax free, not "be offended" regardless of what they do, etc.

Also, faith sould not be a virtue.