What do you guys think of Religion?

While I was raised Christian, in the last 2 years or so, I've completely lost my faith. Thanks to a mix of questioning my religion, sexuality and my peers, I've become an atheist. Religion in my opinion isn't 'inherently evil', in fact there are a lot of religious people which choose to do a lot of good, and don't go around molesting children.

My big problem with the 'hard' atheists (the ones who go off saying 'religion should be banned' etc.) is that they automatically assume all religion is evil. Now I'm not denying that there are parts of all religions which are extreme (Islam comes to mind), but people are entitled to their own faith. However, I do object to fundamentalism in religion in any form. It is just so useless, and only encourages violence and hate.

As per my libertarian values, anybody is entitled to their own viewpoint as long as it doesn't impact on me. When fundies start to control society, it does impact on me. When fundie Muslims go off trying to make parts of our countries 'Sharia zones', it impacts on me. Moderates generally just mind their own business.

I don't care if my family are religious, they are entitled to their own opinion. What I do object to, however, is if they continued to force it upon me if I told them I was an atheist.

 

All religions I have heard of have basic logical flaws that make it obviously false. Generally speaking, I hate religion not just because people use it to deny people their rights and cause harm unto others (And, yes, I know, not all religious people are bad. I'm saying some people DO use religion in those ways.), I also hate religion because it restricts people's view of the world. They are held back by the anti-logic held in the bible, etc. and many never overcome them to help them understand the world better.

 

Hah! I shall post a picture I just saw, as is my wont:

Spoiler

 

At worst, religion creates people who fight wars, like to think of themselves as being superior to everyone else from any religion or otherwise and promote hypocrisy.

At best, it can provide faith and comfort, as well as inspire.

It's a fifty fifty thing. I'm more against religion nowadays, but I can appreciate the fine qualities it sometimes has.

 

Personally, I see religion (in whatever form) like any hobby, like knitting for example. Some people can spend their whole lives working on it, make a career out of it, get a job designing and selling patterns for major yarn companies, and think it's something they can't live without. Others, not as involved, but it's still pretty important to them. They'll take a knitting project with them for lectures, or long car trips. Still others, they learned how to knit, but they never got their own needles, or started anything more, because they're just not interested.

I fall into the third category, in terms of religion. I went to private school for about half a year, and didn't see any reason to continue when I left. I don't mind people who are religious. I feel I actually have to watch my tongue, so I don't offend them. I try to avoid religious conversations, for the same reason.

 

My mother and I were having a conversation about something. I can't remember the details but she going on about something about the book of Revelations. Anyway I told her I was a atheist. I assumed she already knew. The way she reacted is like I told her I killed a man and even called one of her friends. Then a few days later when the subject of religion came up again she patted me on the head like I was a little child and said me being a atheist was merely a phase and told when I'm older I'll believe in God. I don't know how religious your family is but you will have to deal with stuff like this including being coerced into going to church.

As for my opinion of religion, I think Marx was spot on when he said "Religion is the opium of the people". That being said I think ideology whether it be religion, nationalism or in any other form is potentially dangerous and can be used either for a great force of good or evil. With religion, I feel it's often used for the wrong reasons like influencing public policy (laws), justifying homophobia, sexism. Religion has also been the cause for countless wars.

 

Depends on the religion; depends on the person who is religious.

 

I had brief stages in which I did believe in God (I'm now atheist), I never went to church, but I did pray. The main reasons I prayed were because of my grandma being ill at the time and I'd have literally tried anything! I have in the past (early teens) also tried to pray to be straight, didn't work of course...

I just think it's way too far-fetched to be true, but do respect those that to - even if they don't respect me back!

 

I do believe that anything is possible, but I also believe that the existance of God isn't that probable. IDK. Everyone has a right to their own beliefs, but you shouldn't believe everything you hear either, and you should sway everytime you hear a opinion. Even though I respect people who have faith in the improbable, I think that religion (when taken to a certain degree, or in the wrong way) can cause a lot of problems. Also, what people take from what they read (ex: the bible), can cause problems. (Like saying that same-sex-marriage is wrong just because the bible defines marriage as being between a man and woman.) I sappose you could argue that it is the people then that are the problem, but I'd just rather avoid religion all together!
"To each their own."

 

Raised as a C of E (Church of England) Christian, but now I'm agnostic / athiest, more on the agnostic side though, as I believe in spirits.

 

I would classify myself as an agnostic atheist. I'm pretty atheist but the infalsifiablity of God keeps me open-minded about things.

 

The word "theism" is defined by Wikipedia as the "belief that at least one deity exists." The word comes from the Greek "theos" meaning "god" or "deity," and the suffix "-ism" which means a doctrine or theory, therefore "theism" means "the theory of god(s)," i.e. religion. Therefore, theism is religion.

If one adds the Latin prefix "a-" meaning "against" to this, one gets the English word "atheism" which most people interpret as the lack of theocratic belief, i.e. the same thing as agnosticism, which is where one believes in no gods or godesses.

If we use the logic that theism = religion, then we can say "atheism" means "against religion," or the belief that religion is inherently wrong no matter what denomination.

This is what Mad Man L most likely is talking about when he speaks of these so-called "hard atheists." I know this may offend some, but I most point out I am indeed one of these "hard atheists."

I believe religion is indeed the source of most of humanity's troubles. Perhaps religion was indeed necessary before, in the times where nature was unexplainable and people did indeed have nothing else but the option of running on faith. But humanity has long since moved past that. This is the age of science, the dawn of technology. Humans are just now about to reach the apex of their potential. We have now accomplished the greatest feat in all recorded history, save perhaps the discovery of fire: a series of interconnected, interactive documents without physical or material form, linked by hypertext protocol -- the world wide web. I believe the age of science, as I like to call this new epoch, is making religion obsolete. Before I delve any further into my argument, let me provide some examples of the damage and destruction religion has caused, either directly or indirectly:

• The Holocaust: From the years 1939 to 1944 CE, over six million people -- men, women, and children, were needlessly slaughtered like cattle. While some of these were because they were not white, or because they were gypsies or homosexuals, the great majority of these deaths were for the furthering of the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question." The were killed because they were Jewish. Had they have not been Jewish, had there been no such thing, Adolf Hitler would not have killed them. In fact, had there been no Judaism at all, Hitler never would have blamed the Jews for the loss of the Great War. World War II never would have happened.
• The Crusades: Hundreds of thousands of people fought to the death in order to control the city of Jerusalem. Indeed, fighting is still going on. Right now, Iran is threatening war with Israel. Who ordered the start of the Crusades all those centuries ago? The Pope, on the grounds that the Muslims should be exterminated. Had there been no religion, there would have been no Crusades.
• The Spanish Inquisition: A similar story, only this time people on the inside of the system were killed.
• The countless teen suicides that hav happened due to being bullied for their sexuality: The main proponent of anti-LGBT movements? Religion. Religion defines homosexualty as unnatural and immoral. Had religion not said this, I highly doubt so many people would have a problem with it.
• The Salem Witch Trials: Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of women were murdered because they were allegedly practicing witchcraft. Whether or not they were (and they most likely weren't), they were killed because this was against the Christian doctrine.
• The events of September 11, 2001: bin Laden's reason for the madness? Americans and our values conflicted with his religious (albeit extreme) views.

Religion is also illogical. Take, for example, the argument that God in the Judeo-Christian mythology is a benevolent being, or even that God is not a woman. What proof is there that anyone has ever seen God? Perhaps God is indeed female.

Or the fact that God punished Adam and Eve for their actions. Why put the apple there in the first place? It would have been much easier to do that, avoiding the entire problem.

Why would a benevolent God even allow the existence of a Hell? Or murder? Or rape? And if "god hates fags," then why would God allow "fags" to exist?

Religion is flawed, and in this day and age it has no place.

 

My friend found this online, and I agree with it:
Religion is like a penis. It is okay to have one, it is okay to be proud of having one, but it is not okay to shove it down someone's throat without their consent.

 

Religion is man made! and look what man has done to the world, look what we have done to each other! millions have died over religion...my god has a bigger **** that your god, all nonsense! I do however believe in a Creator.

 

I'm personally an Athiest for multiple reasons. The first is that I can't wrap my head around the thought of their being some omniscent, all powerful being who is watching us and somehow loves us, but lets horrible things happen to good people. The second is that I hate organized religion. I see it as being nothing but a cash grab. But the main reason is that I don't agree with the bible and it's constantly contrasting information. We have free will but god plans out everything that we do in our lives? That's like me saying that characters in my stories can go against what I'm writing them to do.

All in all, I found out early on that religion wasn't for me, and I'll probably always stick by that unless someone can give me a good reason why I shouldn't.

 

Generally speaking: Agnostic Atheist.
I think religion is something for the private sphere and should be kept out of public schools (though comparative religion is fine, but no preaching) and government.

 

Myself and my family are not at all religious. Some may be superstitious or spiritual, but none belong to any organized religions or belief systems.

My attitude toward religion can be summed up in this way:

I wish the evangelicals in the US would quit shoving their religion down the throats of impressionable children and non-Christians and start acting more like their European counterparts, who keep their religious beliefs to themselves. I also wish that they would start, y'know, actually feeding the poor and healing the sick instead of picking on the gays.