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"Is religion a waste of time?"

Just look at all the suffering religion has caused. Northen Ireland wouldn't be in turmoil, the IRA probably wouldn't be around and there wouldn't be montly street killing of Protestants and Catholics. All these problems with the schools would be gone too.

Look at India and Pakistan, fighting over some land because of it's religious meaning, as with many other Middle Eastern nations. Almost all countries in the East are highly religious, and most wars there are over someone's idea of what's right.

The whole September 11th deal wouldn't have gone down, and all these Jihads would never have happened. The Taliban wouldn't have been so crazy with their laws (based on their religion)

Would the world be better if religion had never been around?

Goatboy wrote:
> Religion is not the problem.
People using religion as an excuse for petty hate
> is the problem.

But if it wasn't religion then it would be because they look
> funny, or are a different colour, or come-over-here-and-take-our-jobs or any
> other number of pointless excuses to hate.

Truly religious people abhor the
> idea of suffering and/or war and just want to live their lives in their own
> way.
I'm not religious at all, but that doesn't mean nobody else should be

Thanks Goatboy, I completely agree with what you've written and I can see you respect my views and what I believe in.

I dont think religion is a bad thing, since it does bring comfort to a hell of a lot of people in the world.

It's just the extreme forms of it which cause most problems. The narrow minded individuals who influence others around them to think in the same way - and turn them against everyone and anyone who doesnt agree with their views and opinions.

Simply: Religion is not to blame - its just narrow and closed minded people who refuse to co-exist with others that fcuk everything up.



And for arguments sake im not a religious person - just a happy person without need for God(s)

but if religion didn't exist it could just as easily be another 'reason'. Look at Hitler and the Nazi's...

"Ooh, you're a Jew so we're going to kill you. Ooh, you spoke out against the 1000's of atrocities we have carried out... we're going to kill you. Ooh, you could be a threat to our Nazi ideals... we're going to kill you."

See a pattern forming there?

Religion is the excuse, not necessarily the cause, but it can bring in people who wouldn't normally get involved in the conflict, because they think it is 'right' and are told by the 'high ups' in their religion that it is what their God wants, so they must do it...

Anyway, I think it is pretty much a waste of time, because I feel peoples own moral compasses should guide them to make up their own minds of right and wrong and not have to be told by some aged tome (ie. the bible). But if people are going to choose to believe I have no problem with it as long as they don't expect me too...

Certainly not. I take that back, but religion doesn't help just one person anyway. It helps millions of people over the world. Overall more people gain comfort from it than suffer from it.

"But if religion helps just one person"

But surely one person's happiness isn't worth a thousand people's suffering?

Yeah, I noticed that too!
2 posts, similar ideas 60 seconds apart.

Scary.

Goatboy wrote:
> Religion is not the problem.
People using religion as an excuse for petty hate
> is the problem.

But if it wasn't religion then it would be because they look
> funny, or are a different colour, or come-over-here-and-take-our-jobs or any
> other number of pointless excuses to hate.

Truly religious people abhor the
> idea of suffering and/or war and just want to live their lives in their own
> way.
I'm not religious at all, but that doesn't mean nobody else should be

Just like to point out that I haven't been copying Goatboy and that we made pretty much the same point at the same time! (Doesn't make it a bad point though, I completely agree with what was said)

I think that you need to take a step back here. Yes there are wars at the moment because of religion, but that does not make religion bad. Other wars are fought because of political beliefs, money and power, but we do not suggest that these are necessarily bad things.

Religion is something which I personally do not care for. I have no need for it in my life. But for some people they need to believe in something to get them through the day. These people are not religious fanatics, they are just normal people like you and me who feel better for thinking that there is a God who is looking out for them, and is listening to them when they tell them their problems.

Is there a God? I don't know. Personally I don't think so. But if religion helps just one person then surely it is a good thing. In my opinion, people do not fight wars over religion, they fight wars, and use religion as a reason. I'm not saying that your opinions are wrong, and that it is not a bad thing that these wars are happening, I just don't think that not having religion would solve all the problems.

Religion is not the problem.
People using religion as an excuse for petty hate is the problem.

But if it wasn't religion then it would be because they look funny, or are a different colour, or come-over-here-and-take-our-jobs or any other number of pointless excuses to hate.

Truly religious people abhor the idea of suffering and/or war and just want to live their lives in their own way.
I'm not religious at all, but that doesn't mean nobody else should be

Definitely.

While I respect others beliefs I can't help feel that people should believe in themselves instead of something that is, supposedly, above them. There'd still be conflict, but less of it and no one could use religion for a screen, masking their true motivations.