Sunday 9 October 2011

Religion Breeds Death & Hate

Religion kills in Egypt

This Article from CBC news show how religion breeds violence. 19 people died because of religious violence. Now any person knows that this is only another of millions of violent tragic incidences that have occurred over 1000's of years because of religion. Man made myths and cults have changed the course of human history, many times in a negative way. The burning of the Library of Alexandria to the Crusades and the Witch Hunt, too many people have died because of religion.

My issue is not with the everyday believer, but with the extremism the doctrine of religion creates. I truly believe to abolish religion is to take a great step in world peace. Of course I understand how people can fall into believing in a higher power, I used to be religious my self. But when you take a step back, inform your self and look at most main religions as they are, you realize they make no sense. For example.. we now know the Earth is round & older then we used to think(500yrs ago).

I guess to wrap it it up I could say that I don't understand how people can ignore this and continue following a flawed ancient beliefs. I only hope that finally with all the science advancements we can as a species move beyond religion in my life time. I know its a dream, but one can only hope.

3 comments:

  1. I think that I would more go with the opinion that extremists in religion is what kills.

    Nothing that I believe in effects another person, or even involves a single other person. I don't take days off during the year, and I don't really celebrate anything big, but I do consider myself to be somewhat relvigious.

    I don't think that abolishing what little hope some men and women survive on would help. It has shown in many cultures that sometimes, the reason people live through traumatic events and are able to move on is because they had hope, and they had something to believe in.

    I do agree that religion can kill and has... but where things are getting blown out of proportion is how far these people take their beliefs and their non acceptance of other beliefs.

    I had written this long thoughtful thing 4 times and this is the result now.

    I wish I could take an antitheist P.O.V on the world, but in my soon-to-be line of work, it's just not possible to deny it all.

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  2. In my line of work as well, you cannot deny religion, it comforts people and their families in their last hours, people find it hard to understand when mom or dad dies what happens to them, going to a cloudy place where they can see all their family and friends who have previously passed is a good alternative to nothingness. Having witnesses a few people pass it almost seems second nature to take "god" into your life last minute, even if it's only a comfort measure.
    But I also agree that religion in many cases has gone too far, so many have died in the name of "god", so many kill in the name of "god" , even when God himself states not to. Many of the major wars out there current and in the past are fought because of religion, I can't really think of any war that in the end does not boil down to being about religion or territory.
    For me I don't look at myself as religious, I look as my beliefs as a life philosophy, yes I follow many of the ten commandments, not because I'm Christian more so as it is a good set of moral rules, I also follow the Wiccan rede of "An it harm none, do as ye will", because again it is a good set of moral rules. I also try to follow the Buddhist belief somewhat, even though do not fully yet understand them. I just look at it the way are parents likely all told us when we were young...."would you like your brother to do that to you, no?, then don't do it to him".

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  3. Hope & Faith are true feelings and these are feelings are part of the human condition. The simple fact of the matter is that no one can unequivocally say that these feelings are due to the influence of a deity.
    I can see your points and to a degree understand your views. I’m not saying my view is the undeniable truth, I believe that we are entering a stage of reason, discovery, science & technology. One of the reasons I started this blog is to get other views.
    Raven, I see how in your line of work you have a completely different view on it and want to comfort the dying. At the same time many at that “stage” (but not all) are looking for comfort about their life. They want an ear to hear their story and acknowledge who they are not what might happen when they die. I also understand that people need hope and to deny that to the hopeless is cruel. I just see so much pain and delusion from religion. I personally believe its all part of the ancient way of humans. It’s an ancient form of control. Even the ancient Romans & Greeks had diplomacy and reason until religion brought a dark age. But hope is part of us as homosapiens! And we can see so much beauty in the natural world. Can we not find comfort, beauty, hope and faith with in our selves and with in another? With out myth to explain it.
    The part I have an issue with is the false hope and promises given by the extremist and leaders that deceive “average” people into believing false dogma. You have priests and terrorist alike corrupting ten’s of thousand’s of children in 3rd world countries. 18yrs kids killing each other in Somalia or Egypt because of this.
    The questions I ask are…is the death of so many millions in history worth the religious hope of the living? How do you choose to comfort yourself when you realize that your only human.

    A
    Thoughtful
    Honest
    Ethical
    Intelligent
    Skeptical
    Thinker

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