Do We Need Religion?

  • Collin Berend

    Collin Berend (230)

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    At this point in time, no. Religion can be safe to vanish from the earth. The concept of "do what I say, follow my word, ask no questions or your screwed" is a bad thing to follow.
    July 6th, 2014 at 12:28am
  • bye gone

    bye gone (110)

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    I don't really have a solid answer to this question. I personally am in the process of questioning my faith (Catholicism) and the questioning part has been getting stronger and stronger than the part of me that believed in all of the teachings and such of the church prior to my getting questions stuck in my head.

    Anyways, as to whether or not we "need" religion, I think as a society we do not need religion, specifically, organized religion. But as individuals I think it is important to explore the possibility of there being something beyond the physical world. And perhaps some people will find that through organized religion, and some people might not find that at all. But I think looking at this through philosophy and science is important.
    August 3rd, 2014 at 03:56pm
  • Synyster Vengance

    Synyster Vengance (100)

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    To me, religion is necessary, but not so necessary that society would collapse without it. It helps keep some on a moral path, but when you force it upon others, it creates a pretty bad reaction.
    August 27th, 2014 at 07:06am
  • shelbyvengeance

    shelbyvengeance (100)

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    I'm not really a religious person, but I sometimes think the world would be a much better place without it. I actually agree more with what was said above me ^^^. Some people it helps them to be on a better path, but others it doesn't. Then there are also the extremely religious people who don't like you because you don't have the same beliefs as them or the ones who try to shove their religion down your throat.
    September 2nd, 2014 at 01:19pm
  • Valerie.

    Valerie. (115)

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    It seems to do more harm than good in my opinion. I don't think someone has to follow any specific religion to know how to be a good person.
    September 30th, 2014 at 03:46pm
  • January Rose

    January Rose (100)

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    @ Ray Valor
    I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. If all religion suddenly disapeared from this Earth, where would we be? And it wouldn't stay gone for long. Eventually people would find something to worship, or make up something.
    October 22nd, 2014 at 05:24pm
  • FuckNo

    FuckNo (100)

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    @ January Rose
    What exactly do you mean by 'where would we be?' I just want to make sure what exactly you mean by that statement before I go off any assumptions. Also, I'm not entirely sure if it's true that people would find something to worship or make something up. There always is that possibility, since pretty much that's why we have the religions we have today, but science is advancing quite a lot. A lot of the answers people turned to religion for in the past are now being answered by science. There's also the fact that there's a difference between beliefs and religion. People can have beliefs, but not be part of any organized religion.
    October 22nd, 2014 at 08:25pm
  • Collin Berend

    Collin Berend (230)

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    @ January Rose
    At this time it wont make us any different in terms of human advancement.

    Also, of course people will always have something to worship, even if it was one person, what I am saying is that it can fade away fine right now and nothing bad would happen. We would all move on.
    October 29th, 2014 at 09:25pm
  • lozzieee who.

    lozzieee who. (610)

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    Yes and no, depending on the person. For some people religion is the basis for their whole moral and belief system, a huge part of their identity as a human being, providing an in-built community to which they instantly belong regardless of anything. Without that, I think a lot of people would feel purpose-less and lost, and even worthless.

    I think it depends also on your definition of 'religion'. I know a few years ago a trend of 'music is my religion' started (granted, this may not be as relevant to your point as I'd like to think, but I think it's an important side note?) - and with that I'd answer unequivocally yes, because we all need something to believe in. There is no one person on this Earth that doesn't believe in at least something: the power of love, the power of music, the power of science, the power of karmic retribution, or a collective consciousness to name but a few.

    If you mean organised religion, I'd still say yes and no. It depends on the format (in my personal, subjective, hopefully inoffensive opinion). A reasonable, inoffensive, non-aggressive religious person can be the most affectionate, compassionate human being on the planet because they are guided by concrete moral principles that they could never bend because of their faith. And a lot of, if not most, religious people are incredibly happy - at least from what I see. But at the same time, radical and obtrusive religious fanatics that attempt to force their belief universally - a small minority such as ISIS etc. - paint religion in a bad light and are a prime example for the 'NO' side of the argument. They are forceful, they are angry, they try to enforce their beliefs through malicious means via acts of terrorism that harm their own agenda and the lives of ordinary and reasonable human beings.

    I think what I'm getting at, in a roundabout way, is that I don't think a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer can suffice. Religion isn't black and white - I've met Muslims and Evangelical Christians that have had spirited debates with me - an atheist - about their choices, and we've gone our separate ways wiser and more rounded as people because we accept that all sorts of belief systems exist, and we're more knowledgeable of other people's beliefs and therefore more considerate. If those ideas were taken away or abandoned, it'd be like a piece of them would be missing. Religion can be a beautiful thing or a driving force towards horrendous acts, though I like to hope that the former is more present in the world.

    As for the point about religion fading away, it kind of is anyway. I don't like to think of it as an enlightenment or an evolution because when you start thinking that way, it's not long before you start thinking of religion of primitive and an archaic concept - though I do agree with the point that nothing would happen if people stopped believing. But again, I feel that's subjective too. There are people who believe the world would end if we stopped believing, and there's nothing wrong with that (not that I'm saying anyone here says there is!)

    I'm really sorry for hijacking your thread, I just thought it was a lovely question to post and thought I'd weigh in :) I used to be so closed minded when I was a kid about religion but now I'm older and wiser, I see it less as a problem and more of a freedom Unsure
    October 31st, 2014 at 12:11am
  • January Rose

    January Rose (100)

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    @ Ray Valor
    I can't say I agree. Nothing bad would happen? Maybe. But something would happen for sure would. People who are religious would feel this emptiness suddenly created and seek to find out what it is. And I can't say we would all move on easily, like nothing happened.
    I'm guessing you're atheist?
    October 31st, 2014 at 12:36am
  • January Rose

    January Rose (100)

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    @ Ray Valor
    What religion are you referring to when you say that???
    October 31st, 2014 at 12:38am
  • January Rose

    January Rose (100)

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    @ CallusedSilk
    Why do you want all religions to go away? Not all of them cause problems. I'm not sorry to say that religion will probably always be around, like diseases or humans.
    Are you an atheist? If so, what made you choose to believe no God exists?
    October 31st, 2014 at 12:42am
  • Collin Berend

    Collin Berend (230)

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    January Rose:
    @ Ray Valor
    I can't say I agree. Nothing bad would happen? Maybe. But something would happen for sure would. People who are religious would feel this emptiness suddenly created and seek to find out what it is. And I can't say we would all move on easily, like nothing happened.
    I'm guessing you're atheist?
    Yes I am an atheist, and slightly anti-theist. But not enough that to be why I say that. I say that because take the idea of a god being real and what you are following is nothing more then a belief, then you see you are following nothing more then a philosophy. I can tell you that once you question your religion and then leave it on your OWN accord, it wont be hard, but you see the world different. I had a hard time accepting death. I went from Christian to Buddhist to no religion. Trust me... I want to live forever more then anyone here or that you will ever meet. I would love if reincarnation was real.. I really do. But me believing it wont make it so.

    And like wise if people all at some point (gradually or suddenly) left their religion. They would deal with no after life, some would be depressed they wasted their life... But then they will love it because they understand life is limited and they would also want to make the best of it.

    It's directly because of that I am paving a road to a degree in physics. It is why I want to be a scientist, I want to be a cosmologist or astrophysicist. I want to study the stars and our home. I want to learn everything I can before dying. I want to leave a footprint so unlike most of the world who will be forgotten, my name might be remembered. That is my meaning in life

    I know nothing would happen because religion is nothing more then a way of life. If you left Islam, you would just learn to want to know more about the world, you would want to learn how to live life based on laws of the land and your own morals.

    It saddens me when people waste their college life and scholarships on degrees for religion when I personally believe things like a priest or pastor do not need to go to college for it.

    If I am wrong, I am wrong. But I want you to tell me, what can you think of that might change or might be bad if religion suddenly left? I could point you to the twin towers, but even that I can not say would be true and that Islam was the TRUE motive and not just a means to get followers. If you have answers I want to know, I love learning and hearing peoples sides.
    January Rose:
    @ Ray Valor
    What religion are you referring to when you say that???
    Say what? I speak in general, I speak of all religions. :)
    October 31st, 2014 at 04:09am
  • FuckNo

    FuckNo (100)

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    @ January Rose
    First of all, you've once again ignored a question I've asked of you. Second of all, you put words in my mouth. I never said I want religion to go away in either of my posts in this thread, I said that it could go away and human civilization would be fine. I also didn't actually bring up the problems that religions cause in my posts, so once again you appear to not be reading my posts and instead just making wild assumptions. I kindly request that you stop doing that.

    My stance on religion though, since you insist on not answering my question and questioning me instead, is that religion is a crutch. People use it because they're terrified and they want justification. That's all. People don't like admitting that some questions people just don't know the answer to it. It makes them feel better to hear someone say they know we get reincarnated/go to heaven/whatever when we die than for someone to say, 'no idea, probably nothing, but who knows?' Religion wasn't the root of our laws and it's not the root of our morality, so we can survive without it.

    I am an agnostic atheist, and I slowly became that after analyzing religious texts and seeing that they're at best, contradictory and don't make sense, and at worst, barbaric lies. I looked around at the world and realized with clarity that there is nothing out there supporting the existence of God. And in a more pessimistic point of view, in case you were planning on going down the 'but what if you're wrong?' train of thought? Let's say hypothetically someone proves that God does exist. Fact of the matter is I wouldn't side with him anyway. Especially not the Christian God, because if the bible is anything to go by, then he's a horrible, selfish, genocidal maniac with an ego the size of Jupiter.
    October 31st, 2014 at 08:08am
  • wxyz

    wxyz (240)

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    January Rose:
    Are you an atheist? If so, what made you choose to believe no God exists?
    My not believing in a god isn't really a choice, unless we infer it from my choice not to believe anything for which there is very questionable/absolutely no evidence. If I explained further I'd basically be saying almost exactly what CallusedSilk said, so I won't.
    November 21st, 2014 at 11:11am
  • Teddi Manni

    Teddi Manni (100)

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    Do we need religion?

    No. We just need Jesus who will lead us to God's Kingdom. <3
    December 9th, 2014 at 04:57am
  • FuckNo

    FuckNo (100)

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    @ Brianna Marie
    I've heard people say that, but that always just confuses me. I say that, because the only reason anyone has any sort of concept or desire to find Jesus and specifically God's Kingdom is because a specific religion told them about it. In fact, your views on the afterlife usually either align with a particular sect of that religion or you've therefore just kind of invented your own religion. So I'm not sure how you can need Jesus without needing religion 'cause that's one of the only ways people find out about him. I mean, it's not exactly like people talk about him as a historical figure widely, and even if they did, it'd just be a 'there was a guy that, at the same time a lot of other guys did, claimed to be the son of God and defied authority'.
    December 9th, 2014 at 06:23pm
  • Teddi Manni

    Teddi Manni (100)

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    @ CallusedSilk
    I see where your confusion is.

    But religion is a man-made institution of rules. However, religion did not bring us Jesus, love, or eternal life. God did. The Bible isn't supposed to be a religion of rules and perfect righteousness that humans have constructed. The letters and stories of the Bible are solely to present God's will and word.

    Religion a lot of time distorts the Bible and takes things out of context to create institutions that more or less control people and who they are/their behavior.
    December 9th, 2014 at 07:03pm
  • FuckNo

    FuckNo (100)

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    @ Brianna Marie
    Actually, religion did bring you Jesus. The bible is a religious text. Men wrote the bible hundreds of years after the incidents supposedly took place (or didn't occur at all depending on what you believe). It just all depends on whether you believe those men were directed by a deity to write those facts/stories at all. Religion brought you that idea. You didn't inherently know your religious views, and they are religious views. Your belief in Jesus and the bible is religious.
    December 10th, 2014 at 01:59am
  • Teddi Manni

    Teddi Manni (100)

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    @ CallusedSilk
    Ok. Mr. Green Thank you for you time and opinions, love <3
    December 10th, 2014 at 02:13am