Iulius Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 hey, i have to write a paper about religion for my english class. I can go either way and I was jsut wondering what y'all thought about th topic. Is religion bad for society? Does it make more problems than it can fix? Is it a positive influence in society? What is religion to you? I gotta answer those questions and i thought it would be cool to see what y'all thought. Ave, Iulius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurius Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Is religion bad for society? Nope, in fact itis one of the things necessary for the formation of society, IMHO. Does it make more problems than it can fix? The religion and its tenants are seldom the problem because if it was unworkable, no one would follow it. The problems come from when some yahoo comes in and sticks on their stamp of "how it should be done." Such yahoos would cause problems without religion. Is it a positive influence in society? Usually, yes...if for no other reason than becoming a focal point for increased cooperation within a society. See the yahoo problem above for what may happen later. What is religion to you? A personal thing that is reaffirmed with others of your like mind. Hope this helps and sparks responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 It's no better or worse than anything else in human society - economics, politics, science, art, etc. These things are just tools with a specific purpose behind them . Some people will always misuse a given tool. I don't think that necessarily means we should ban the tool in question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonlapse Posted December 8, 2004 Report Share Posted December 8, 2004 Anything that involves mysticism or superstition is bogus, IMO. Don't get me wrong, people need to be free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maximus Caesar Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Religion is not bad if it does not interfere with the working of state. Once it does, it becomes a headache to society. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbow Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Personally i dont really believe in Religion,but hey what do i know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journaldan Posted December 31, 2004 Report Share Posted December 31, 2004 The problem with religion, is that it is populated by people, who are imperfect and therefore spoil, to one degree or another, everything they touch. So, your question is a bit like asking if agriculture is good for the world. It can't be seperated from the imperfect people who practice agriculture. Neither can religion. So even though I believe there is one religion that is perfect, it is practiced by imperfect people. It is perhaps the ultimate irony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyGee Posted January 6, 2005 Report Share Posted January 6, 2005 Religion wasnt made by gods but my men. Thats says it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted January 7, 2005 Report Share Posted January 7, 2005 I think the question to ask is how many people actually follow the religion they pay lip service to, especially if it is one of those religions that enforces a strict moral code on its adherents. The Dalai Lama once said in all his travels, maybe one out of six people he met actually lived their professed religion on a daily basis. The rest of them might have identified with a religion because they were raised in it, and they might even go to a house of worship once in a while to perform some rituals and ceremonies, but they really don't truly live it on a daily basis. That accords with my own observations. People claim to be Christian, Jewish or what have you, but usually their faith is evident only on the occasions when they attend some important religious ceremony. The rest of the time they are functionally secularists. This seems all the more true as we climb the socio-economic ladder, with increasing levels of education and wealth. The tendency then is to treat a "religious" community more like a network of potential business partners and clients than a community of believers. Uh, what was my point? Oh yeah. Most of the truly religious people I know these days tend to be fanatics and fundamentalists, which may be coloring perceptions of religion. Most of the rest of the people who call themselves religious are just going through the motions and paying lip service. I don't see them as being especially religious except on the few occasions when it suits their purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paolo Posted January 9, 2005 Report Share Posted January 9, 2005 Is religion bad for society? 'Religion' itself is not bad, people who use it for malevolent purposes are harmful. Does it make more problems than it can fix? It doesn't make problems, it's simply been a prevalent choice for using as a facade to hide ulterior motives. Is it a positive influence in society? Sometimes is given the opportunity to be a positive influence. What is religion to you? A way to connect to our Maker. Everyone has a different way of doing (or refraining from doing) this. Religion is a means of expression and why people argue over which way is better is about as ridiculous as arguing over who's favourite food is best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 Everyone has a religion, maybe not a place where they go once a week, but something they live for everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fafnir Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 re Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augustus Posted January 18, 2005 Report Share Posted January 18, 2005 Religion is defined by whorship, what you make sacrifices for, having an a-religious person is like an amoral person, it's alie no such thing exists. Dictionary,n. A malevolent literary divice for cramping the growth of a lanuage and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work. - Ambrose Beirce, The Devil's Dictionary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Octavian Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 i dont think religion is bad necessarily, everyone needs something to believe in, whether it is religious or not. the fact of the matter is that religions are all created by people, unfortunately often for personal gain. it is almost always used to someones advantage. i dont believe, nor have ever believed in any religion and i still try to hold myself to high morals and virtue. i am suprised whenever i hear people say that religion is necessary to be a good person, etc but this is absolute bs. its every individuals choice what they believe in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted January 19, 2005 Report Share Posted January 19, 2005 Religion is defined by whorship, what you make sacrifices for, having an a-religious person is like an amoral person, it's alie no such thing exists. I disagree, I have no religion and yet am fairly confidant that I exist. The term religion to me is not interchangeable with personal philosophy, evn though you are using it in that context. Religion, at least in my mind correlates to the belief in a supreme being or higher powers of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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