is there any purpose to religion?

[xenigo]

Think about it. It fuels fires between large populations of people, spurring some awefully passionate hatred and some of the most bloody wars in history. It makes everyone think they're above everyone that believes something different. It allows people to blame others for "not being like Jesus", yet the religious will also use religion to justify their misdeeds. "We'll be forgiven because we believe." Even the furthest right of the religious stand around pointing fingers at eachother saying "he says he's a Christian, but he's not REALLY a Christian".

So with all the religious wars, all the killing, all the name calling, and arguing, and the endless bantering, religious rhetoric and debates, where does it get you? Does it make you a more loving, more caring person? Cause I'm sure as hell not feeling the love from any religious person I've ever met. What's the REAL purpose behind religion?

[Phoenix]

keeps the average person in check

[Sylver7]

Originally posted by Phoenix
keeps the average person in check

No , the law does that. See xingo's post to see the effects of religion.

[bluff]

power to the priests.

nietzsche wrote some interesting views on this

[DR_PHIL]

yes $$$ and community power

[marcu5]

- economy
- keep peoples human fear of death in check
- makes it harder for 1 to understand logic
- helps Bush? Has anyone read "The Faith of George W Bush?"?

[xenigo]

Originally posted by marcu5
- economy
- keep peoples human fear of death in check
- makes it harder for 1 to understand logic
- helps Bush? Has anyone read "The Faith of George W Bush?"?

Haven't heard of it, is it good? What's it about?

[ADL Colin]

Religion is societal glue. The jews survived a more than millenia long diaspora because of religion.

Religions which inspire violence or can be used to inspire violence have a chance to spread quickly. It's a self-promoting cycle. The religion inspires violence which spreads the religion which inspires violence and so on.

Consider the rapid spread of Islam under the Caliphates or the spread of Christianity under the Conquistadors. (Like you said).

Thought experiment:
Two small tribes live next to each other and are roughly the same in size. Both are religious. One of them is violent and the other is not. What will happen?

Eliminating religion won't eliminate violence though. Religion is just one of many unifying ideas which people use to form an "us" and a "them".

Once the Greek city-states fought each other. Later leagues of Greek city-states fought each other. Still later the Greeks fought the Persians. The Arabs fought the Christians. Communism squared off against Democracy. Democracy squares off against Dictatorships.

Round and round she goes. We're not getting off this ride.

[xenigo]

Originally posted by Colin

Eliminating religion won't eliminate violence though. Religion is just one of many unifying ideas which people use to form an "us" and a "them".

I think this pretty much sums it up. It's like the jocks vs the geeks, or the Green Team vs the Blue Team. Just a club to belong to that people can feel special belonging to.

Funny how they don't see it as such, though...

[kmanrox]

religion is just so people have a long term goal... a reason to live, and a reason not to fear death....

if religion WAS real... the REAL GOD would come to earth every few years to make sure ppl knew the real deal and who is runnin' shit....

[rigrunner]

whether its bollox or not it gives people something to focus on when they start thinking the whole world is against them.

i suppose most religions teach right & wrong too heh

[Joe Citizen]

Originally posted by Colin
Religion is societal glue. The jews survived a more than millenia long diaspora because of religion.

Religions which inspire violence or can be used to inspire violence have a chance to spread quickly. It's a self-promoting cycle. The religion inspires violence which spreads the religion which inspires violence and so on.

Consider the rapid spread of Islam under the Caliphates or the spread of Christianity under the Conquistadors. (Like you said).

Thought experiment:
Two small tribes live next to each other and are roughly the same in size. Both are religious. One of them is violent and the other is not. What will happen?

Eliminating religion won't eliminate violence though. Religion is just one of many unifying ideas which people use to form an "us" and a "them".

Once the Greek city-states fought each other. Later leagues of Greek city-states fought each other. Still later the Greeks fought the Persians. The Arabs fought the Christians. Communism squared off against Democracy. Democracy squares off against Dictatorships.

Round and round she goes. We're not getting off this ride.

Religion is pain relief for existential angst.

[Joe Citizen]

Originally posted by kmanrox
religion is just so people have a long term goal... a reason to live, and a reason not to fear death....

if religion WAS real... the REAL GOD would come to earth every few years to make sure ppl knew the real deal and who is runnin' shit....

Is fucking trannies part of God's divine plan?

[cherrylula]

yeah money and power, there's your religious purpose

I had a fucking monk give me bad directions on purpose to a cemetary from a funeral home the other day cause it costs extra for a funeral procession.

Fucking hearse lost us on purpose like a speeding bullet, fucking catholic pricks.

[kmanrox]

Originally posted by Joe Citizen
Is fucking trannies part of God's divine plan?

reread my post and comprehend that i insinuate there is no god...

and if there was... i sure hope he'd require fucking trannies, cuz then i'd be a saint

[El Pres]

Killing in the name of

[bringer]

Originally posted by marcu5
- economy
- keep peoples human fear of death in check
- makes it harder for 1 to understand logic
- helps Bush? Has anyone read "The Faith of George W Bush?"?

this is fucking amazing. no matter what the topic, bush is thrown into it. is there some secret contest on gfy where the person who includes bush in the most posts gets a cookie?

[StRoGE]

Religion is for CASH and to get people killed. No other purpose whatsoever.

[xenigo]

Originally posted by rigrunner
i suppose most religions teach right & wrong too heh

Is war, killing, and constant bantering between members of the same religion, and ignorance about the world the "right thing"? What would be considered immoral?

[Joe Citizen]

WHAT WOULD JESUS THINK?!

[ADL Colin]

Originally posted by StRoGE
Religion is for CASH and to get people killed. No other purpose whatsoever.

I say it's more about dominance hierarchies. Basically, a perceived ranking system in which one group of people has access to more territory and resources than another and is able to use such to further expand their status in the world.

[ADL Colin]

Originally posted by Joe Citizen
WHAT WOULD JESUS THINK?!

YOU DIRTY GENTILES!

[xenigo]

Originally posted by Colin
I say it's more about dominance hierarchies. Basically, a perceived ranking system in which one group of people has access to more territory and resources than another and is able to use such to further expand their status in the world.

Indeed, just a hierarchy system. I find it pretty bizaare how people take it soooo seriously...

[Paul Waters]

Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

[FlyingIguana]

Originally posted by bluff
power to the priests.

nietzsche wrote some interesting views on this

that about sums it up.

[LadyMischief]

The purpose of religion is to control the uneducated masses. Pretty much always has been. Even in the bible, the "commandments" were given in such a way as to ensure the uneducated followed the law. I'm pretty sure there was no "religious" reason that "god" told the Israelites to bury their excrement in the sand away from the settlements when they were wanderng in the desert. The same with not eating pork. It had nothing to do with "offending" god, and everything to do with the fact that they couldn't cook the pork well enough to kill off the parasites that lived in the meat. That kind of thing. It's been a trick as long as mankind itself to make laws and rules as some kind of edict from god. It makes it so you don't have to explain the REASON for things to people who likely wouldn't understand anyways.

[jackson]

religion is brought into our lives because it gives our life purpose if you notice most religions set a guideline for life, they give you something to believe in a reason to make your life better some people need religion because they can't find order in there life i dunno there are to many reasons why religion servers a purpose in life

[xenigo]

Originally posted by LadyMischief
The purpose of religion is to control the uneducated masses. Pretty much always has been. Even in the bible, the "commandments" were given in such a way as to ensure the uneducated followed the law. I'm pretty sure there was no "religious" reason that "god" told the Israelites to bury their excrement in the sand away from the settlements when they were wanderng in the desert. The same with not eating pork. It had nothing to do with "offending" god, and everything to do with the fact that they couldn't cook the pork well enough to kill off the parasites that lived in the meat. That kind of thing. It's been a trick as long as mankind itself to make laws and rules as some kind of edict from god. It makes it so you don't have to explain the REASON for things to people who likely wouldn't understand anyways.

Excellent explanation, this is something I've thought about but this says it perfectly.

[webmaster x]

Originally posted by Paul Waters
Imagine

Imagine there's no heaven,
It's easy if you try,
No hell below us,
Above us only sky,
Imagine all the people
living for today...

Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Imagine no possesions,
I wonder if you can,
No need for greed or hunger,
A brotherhood of man,
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.

This song really tells us what the world really needs now.

[JDog]

I've always felt that religion was for the weak minded. For the people that need to believe in something after death, and can't stand the thought of death.

But I myself don't have the fear of death that most people have, so I don't seek religion to help my fears.

jDoG

[punker barbie]

religion is just another way to manipulate peoples mind......

[EviLGuY]

Religion is just a means to control the masses.

[Mr. Marks]

We must respect the religion of one another.

[thatjen]

To make people feel like there is a purpose to life, to make people feel safe and that someone is watching out for them, to make sense of out of life...... Well those are some of the reasons people are religious. Oh, and guilt.