Debate????

[416exfreak]

Ok, we had this as a writing prompt in my english 2 honors class.

"Do you think the world is a better place with, or without religion"?

Im interested to know someone of your opinions, and if your gonna come in here and type two lines and leave, then spare us. I want a good, full explanation on why you feel the way you do.

Mods, if you feel this is innapropriate, then feel free to delete this thread.

After we get a few replies, ill voice my own opinion.

BTW- this isnt a thread to ***** at one another, its a debate on wehter or not religion is good for the world.:)

[Anvil]

In the spirit of debate.



Religion by nature is divisive it's purpose is to control our thoughts and actions and the way we live our lives. Even though the basic philosophy behind some religions "maybe" humane the one great flaw of organised religion is that it is interepreted and administered by humans and as humans are such an inperfect creature religion ends up being a tool to oppress ,conquer and kill.

For religion to work a person must have faith and to have faith is to surrender common sense and logic , making it easier for religion to justify itself and pursue its objectives. The death, cruelty and misery inflicted on humanity in the name of religion is unrivalled, and continues today.

..................................Having said all that..........................

Without religion there would be no tool to control the masses and we would probably have anarchy and chaos.

so my answer to your question : "Do you think the world is a better place with, or without religion"?

I believe the world is a better place with religion.

[honduh440]

man you hit the nail on the head with that one.... religion = police

i had a psychology class and we went over how religion is so crazy.. just unreal how bizare it is

[mod440ex]

well i am a christian so this will probably be biased, but i feel that the reason there are so many different religions just off the bible is, likewhat was stated earlier, mans own veiw of the Bible. I think that before actual law there where the 10 comandments and they were the first laws. So this was the first attempt to control mans actions thus in turn making the world a better place.

Now i havent been to college to study all of the different types of religion around the world, but I have listened to several different people speak on this subject and thats is what i am basing my belief on.

Like I said this might be a bit biased, but that is the way I believe

[wilkin250r]

If you were to research some of the core beliefs of several major religions, what do you think you would find?

Many deaths have occured in the name of Christianity, as well as Islam, Taoism, and many other religions. But if you were to look at the core beliefs of those religions, do you think they will preach violence, warfare, and intolerance? Do you think those religions would call for the torture and death of all non-beleivers?

Almost every religion in the world emphasises values such as Charity, Tolerance, Forgiveness, Peace, and Acceptance. Positive values.


Sure, many terrible things have been done in the "name" of religion. But there is a HUGE discrepency between the core beliefs of religion, and the actions of the followers. Thus, I cannot blame the religion, or say the religion is at fault, or even try to make some silly absurd correlation that if the religion dissapeared, the problem would also dissapear.

Are guns dangerous? No, just the people that use them. Are ATVs dangerous? No, just the poeple that are stupid on them. By the same logic, Religion isn't the problem, just the people that use it as an excuse to harm others. If it wasn't religion, it would be some other excuse.

[quad2xtreme]

I think this is an easy one...the world is a better place due to religion.

Religion helps maintain order by establishing right from wrong...without the necessity of laws that have to be policed by humans. Many beleive you can't escape the eyes of God so they do the right thing when it could be more beneficial to do the wrong thing...ie, petty theft.

Many people donate time and money due to the beliefs of bible teachings...it, widow mites. Giving till it hurts and you will be rewarded 10 fold.

People fear the unknown...death is the great unknown...religion teaches you to behave now or face the wrath later. This really comes back to helping maintain order.

There are countless universities, hospitals, etc. all run by religious organizations.

The question is would all the good exist without religion? Is man capable of doing good deeds without reward or fear?

On the flip side, many wars have been fought in the name of religion. There are definitely extremist out there...but they aren't really following their religion. Many wars have been blamed on religion but were really fought over oil and other natural resources.

Anyhow, you could research and debate this one forever. I would write on the positive side since religion does in fact exist and you can argue the known goods. If you choose to write about how the world would be better without religion, then you are writing a fairytell...albeit it could still be interesting reading. Just no real way to prove how it would really turn out.

Good Luck.

[416exfreak]

Well, this is non-biased. Im not stating my "religion", partially because I dont feel the need to.

Personally, I feel that the world would be a better place without religion.

More wars are fought, and lives lost over religion than anything else. Right now we are in a war with the radical islamic and muslim warriors, because they have been sworn to destroy christianity. The bible also has many flaws, even in the first section. In "genesis" the people live to be hundreds of years old, which isnt possible. And the bible also states that god loves all his children equally. Now, it is given that christians and muslims beleive in two different gods, but all religions are basicly derived from the original bible that we still use.

So, with all of that being stated, why are they claiming to be "martyrs" in gods name? If he loves all of his children equally, then why are they saying that he is telling them to kill christians?

Also, dont say religios wars just started recently. They have been going on since christ walked the earth.

People also hide behind religion, claiming that it helps them in thier day-to-day life, and saying how it pulls them through the face of diversity/adversity. What many of them realize, is that if people didnt have religon, or any type of higher life-form to make them feel superior to others, then there would be no adversity.

I just think the world would be a more peaceful place without relgion causing war and bloodshed.

[Cr85rRida]

To those who think the world would be better WITH OUT religion........are you religous in anyway??

I see how you(416exfreak) beleive the word would be better with out it, but you also mention "since Christ walked the earth" and Im wondering if you are controdicting yourself here or what?

[TRX_450]

the way i see it if there was no religion in the beginning there would be no war...because even to this day countries that dont like each other go all the way back to religious battles from the past

[416exfreak]

Originally posted by Cr85rRida
To those who think the world would be better WITH OUT religion........are you religous in anyway??

I see how you(416exfreak) beleive the word would be better with out it, but you also mention "since Christ walked the earth" and Im wondering if you are controdicting yourself here or what?

Im not contradicting myself. I dobeleive christ was a living man, but i dont beleive he was a prophet/saint/miracle maker ect.

And as ive said before, im not stating my relgion. I will tell you im not a satanist, to clear that up and keep anyone from thinking it.

[JOEX]

Originally posted by quad2xtreme

Religion helps maintain order by establishing right from wrong...without the necessity of laws that have to be policed by humans. Many beleive you can't escape the eyes of God so they do the right thing when it could be more beneficial to do the wrong thing...ie, petty theft.

I agree with the first part but I also agree with Anvil who stated that Humans still administer the 'laws' various religions.


Originally posted by 416exfreak
...More wars are fought, and lives lost over religion than anything else. Right now we are in a war with the radical islamic and muslim warriors, because they have been sworn to destroy christianity...
Again, I agree with the first part but for the second part IMO it's the very few radical Muslims that are waging war against U.S. and other Western countries not the Muslims as a whole.

Originally posted by 416exfreak
The bible also has many flaws, even in the first section. In "genesis" the people live to be hundreds of years old, which isnt possible. And the bible also states that god loves all his children equally. Now, it is given that christians and muslims beleive in two different gods, but all religions are basicly derived from the original bible that we still use.
Living hundreds of years currently may not be possible but what were things like in the Garden of Eden? How long was a year? We now use the Gregorian calendar which started in 1582, long after Adam and Eve;)

As for the Christain God vs Muslim God I don't think it's given, rather my current opinion is they could be the same 'higher power' but with slightly different views which could be attributed to various translations of original texts and cultural differences.


Originally posted by 416exfreak
So, with all of that being stated, why are they claiming to be "martyrs" in gods name? If he loves all of his children equally, then why are they saying that he is telling them to kill christians?

Those are the few extremists with radical views of the religion.

Originally posted by 416exfreak

People also hide behind religion, claiming that it helps them in thier day-to-day life, and saying how it pulls them through the face of diversity/adversity. What many of them realize, is that if people didnt have religon, or any type of higher life-form to make them feel superior to others, then there would be no adversity.
Rather than people hiding behind religion I think it's used more as a crutch to help them through rough times and if it works, great. Some may have a superiority attitude but that's the person not the religion.

All that being said i'm not affiliated with any religion but have recenty been curious about it for various reasons and currently have no opinion whether religion is good or bad for the world.:)

[miller821]

Q.Do/Have wars happened due to religion?
A.Yes they have.

Q.Would wars still take place without it? A.Yes, wars throughout history have been all but inevitable.

Q.Does the bible/religion set guidelines that many people follow, much like laws?
A. Yes. (I know their are always times when my temper flairs, and someone starts messing with me; and I just feel like popping them one in the jaw. Do I keep my temper, and just tell myself to forgive him? Yes, without forgiveness/fear their would always be no forgiveness, and justice would be in the form of death for many.)

Q. Does the bible seem like it is something that actually could take place? Ex. Did Jesus really rise from the grave 3 days after his death? Or, Did Shadrack Meshack and Abendigo truly walk in the furnace with nothing happening?
A. Somethings in the bible take a strong faith to believe in, and if you do not believe in Christ, you may not find that faith to believe in such things. I will say that I never once believed in dinosaurs, and always questioned their existence. But when I read the story of Job, and his mentioning of Behemoths I realized the age of Moses and others certainly surpasses the age of which any human living nowadays could expect to live too; meaning that maybe in the age of dinosaurs, the dinosaurs could easily live to be a age that would make them as big as they were.

I almost started saying more, but I'll leave this STRICTLY to whether I think the world is better with or without religion. And to answer that question simply, YES I DO!

You can obviously tell what my religion is, but I respect all views and would hope everyone would do the same.

[wilkin250r]

Originally posted by JOEX
As for the Christain God vs Muslim God I don't think it's given, rather my current opinion is they could be the same 'higher power' but with slightly different views which could be attributed to various translations of original texts and cultural differences.

Indeed, they are actually one in the same, if you were to analyze it.

Islam and Christianity share the same roots. The Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, the Tower of Babel, and Noah's Ark. All the same roots of both religions.

The divisions between the religions begin with the arguement over who is the rightful successor to Abraham. His son to the Egyptian servant Hagar, or the son to his legitimate wife Sarah? (At 90 years old, Sarah thought she was barren, so she gave permission for Abraham to have a child to their servant. However, years later, Sarah DID have a son).

The Arab nations trace their lineage back to Ismael, born to the Egyptian servant. Christianity traces it's lineage back to Isaac, born to Abrahams true wife.

So, up until this point, the religions were one in the same. Same history, same roots, and yes, the same God.

[Ralph]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
If you were to research some of the core beliefs of several major religions, what do you think you would find?

Many deaths have occured in the name of Christianity, as well as Islam, Taoism, and many other religions. But if you were to look at the core beliefs of those religions, do you think they will preach violence, warfare, and intolerance? Do you think those religions would call for the torture and death of all non-beleivers?

Almost every religion in the world emphasises values such as Charity, Tolerance, Forgiveness, Peace, and Acceptance. Positive values.


Sure, many terrible things have been done in the "name" of religion. But there is a HUGE discrepency between the core beliefs of religion, and the actions of the followers. Thus, I cannot blame the religion, or say the religion is at fault, or even try to make some silly absurd correlation that if the religion dissapeared, the problem would also dissapear.

Are guns dangerous? No, just the people that use them. Are ATVs dangerous? No, just the poeple that are stupid on them. By the same logic, Religion isn't the problem, just the people that use it as an excuse to harm others. If it wasn't religion, it would be some other excuse.

Thats a very interesting way to look at it. I never thought about it in such a way.

I dont have the energy to into another one of these threads. If i should say anything. You guys should watch the two-part south park episode where cartman goes to the future to get a nintendo wii and finds himself in the middle of a war between atheists who are fightinging over other useless crap.