[Closed] Will religion ever die out and make the world a better place?

I've been a vocal atheist for ages, decided it's pointless. All you can do is bring up your kids without religion if you don't believe and maybe one day that'll be that. In the meantime let them get on with it believers don't stop believing just because you think they are wrong.

As for the conflicts it's about land and nicking other peoples stuff - Just like it always is.

geetee it's worth reading Hitchen's book on Mother T, he slates her like a roofer.

geetee it's worth reading Hitchen's book on Mother T, he slates her like a roofer.

I've read quite a few critical exposes of her and as many that hold her up as a saint.

I have no doubt that she acted in a way that I would not agree with on many occassions because of her beliefs (contraception was another big problem with her approach for example).

My point is that its really easy to sit in your comfy chair in the western world and throw criticisms at someone who is 'in the arena'.

I'd rather be in the arena and coming up short than be the critic who points out how others stumble.

Tax them. Put the books in the fiction department and put an 'entertainment purposes' disclaimer on the cover. Ban unecessary surgical procedures on under 18s. Ban under 18s from indoctrination meetings. Ban religious schools.

That should solve the problem in a generation.

If you want to do good in the world, best use the vast amount of money (some of it stolen from the poor) you get alleviating suffering, rather than glorifying suffering to follow a perverse dogma, whilst expanding your empire to further your self righteous mission to sainthood.

Just saying, if you want to use a religious exemplar, don't rely on the Albanian harpy.

No offense and all that 😉

This "religion is the cause of all wars" thing is becoming something of an easy excuse for not looking into the true causes of war, which I think are power and greed, amongst other things. It's almost being used by some atheists to excuse themselves of any responsibility for current unrest in the world.

By the way there many religious people who do not believe in creationism.

But they do all tend to believe in something even more improbable:
God.

So he argued there is some sort of evolutionary advantage to following religion, possibly relating to subconciously passing down key survival information from generation to generation.

It's all in your head religion or not.

🙄

5thElefant - Member
Tax them. Put the books in the fiction department and put an 'entertainment purposes' disclaimer on the cover. Ban unecessary surgical procedures on under 18s. Ban under 18s from indoctrination meetings. Ban religious schools.

That should solve the problem in a generation.

Because that worked so well in the Soviet Union. 🙄

Interesting thread....

I can understand the original story of the baby Jesus (not the Top Gear version i must add..), but then it all runs away as a consequence of there being a lot of unexplained stuff as science wasnt up to it, so story telling kicked in.

After the start of the stories its been the biggest and best marketing exercise the world has ever seen, which is gradually being undermined as science develops. Maybe it will fizzle out and the lure of Belief transferred to some thing or someone else.

A fair amount of world unrest seems to have been orchestrated under the catch all of Religion, most recently Bush and Blair in Iraq.

No because the question doesn't make sense.

As long as there's conceit and foolishness, no.

And religion isn't the problem, human beings are.

geetee1972 - Member

You lot can be such a bunch of sanctimonious ****waffles sometimes.
I agree her motives were misguided but anyone who gives up their life to live in poverty, disease and squallor in order to try and help others, even if that is from this deeply misguided place, really should be held up as a good person.

geetee. I am all for selflessness and casting aside worldly goods and concerns to live with the and care for the poor. The reporting of the treatment or lack of that people received is where my issue with Mother Theresa lies. I don't have an issue with her religious motives at all - it is failure to address the suffering of others in the pursuance of God that I have a problem. I say this as someone who isn't an atheist BTW...

I pray that religion will die out!

A load of old tosh for those weak in mind (in my opinion).

It has been postulated that if we had an apocalypse and humans ended up almost extinct and back to Stone Age times,
eventually some form of religion would surface due to mankinds need to believe that there is something else other than life and death.

Im 95% in the camp of "what the ****, you use an imaginary friend to justify the shit you do" and 5% in the camp of "if lifes so crap that your only hope is an imaginary friend....".

I think religion is bollocks, but then i also think a lot of nasty ****s just use it as an excuse and they find any other excuse given the chance....

Right, I'm going to tell my bearded, dress wearing man in the sky on you lot!

You'll get you comeuppance on judgement day.

If religion disappeared you'd just pick on roadies more.
What worthwhile causes will you pour your time and effort into Dobbo?

Don't give any of them the time of day;

"Many religions now come before us with ingratiating smirks and outspread hands, like an unctuous merchant in a bazaar. They offer consolation and solidarity and uplift, competing as they do in a marketplace. But we have a right to remember how barbarically they behaved when they were strong and were making an offer that people could not refuse."

Hitchens.

People believe what they want to. Many people like having faith, so they do. That's why it persists whilst we have still discovered so much about the universe.

If only Christopher Hitchens hadn't also been a smug pompous git... I have no problems with his atheism at all though - just the fact he was often obnoxious and a tool.

But we have a right to remember how barbarically they behaved when they were strong and were making an offer that people could not refuse.

That is profoundly shitty. It's like blaming modern Germans for Hitler. How the f is my mother in law in any way related to Torquemada? That quote shows utter ignorance of history and humanity, and a wilful desire to divide people and create hate.

vickypea - Member
This "religion is the cause of all wars" thing is becoming something of an easy excuse for not looking into the true causes of war, which I think are power and greed, amongst other things. It's almost being used by some atheists to excuse themselves of any responsibility for current unrest in the world.

Agreed. It's lazy and convenient for many to believe this - but the more often something is said the more people believe
it...

But we have a right to remember how barbarically they behaved when they were strong and were making an offer that people could not refuse.
That is profoundly shitty. It's like blaming modern Germans for Hitler. How the f is my mother in law in any way related to Torquemada? That quote shows utter ignorance of history and humanity, and a wilful desire to divide people and create hate.

But, you know her better than me... 😉

I've seen an awful lot of lightning flashes since this thread started, I'm guessing a few of you non believers have been 'struck down with great vengeance and furious anger'

You can keep your science and 'facts', I'm worshipping at the 26 inch alter for eternity.

If only Christopher Hitchens hadn't also been a smug pompous git... I have no problems with his atheism at all though - just the fact he was often obnoxious and a tool.

Attention whore, just like Dawkins. Also a bit like the religious zealots who can't concede that others' points of view just may be valid as their own.

I didn't like Hitchens' political shifts in later life but he remains a superb writer. Elton John's tribute song to Mother Theresa: Sandals in the Bin

Attention whore, just like Dawkins.

Yeah! Finding you've got a public platform by your own efforts and speaking up for what you see as the truth should be left to the talentless professionals.

The Pope, maybe. Or that American nutjob Palin perhaps. 🙄

[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04jj3jj ]Here you go[/url]

I heard this on the radio the other day and it seems relevant; some people arguing that wars are not just due to religion and religion is responsible for lots of good things as well.

Nice selective quote Woppit. Totally missing the point about intolerance. By all means express your views but acknowledge that others have a right to theirs too.

I actually think it is more likely that people will rebel against science than it will against religion. This is mainly because religion has the answer to the one big question, which science does not I.e. what happens after we die.

I am not religious at all but you could equally argue that science is partially responsible for many of the horrific things we have done to our fellow man over the years eg the atomic bomb, the V2 rocket, chemical warfare, biological warfare (Ebola conspiracy theory anyone?) etc etc.

Coyote - Member
Attention whore, just like Dawkins. Also a bit like the religious zealots who can't concede that others' points of view just may be valid as their own.
POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

Amen!

I actually think it is more likely that people will rebel against science than it will against religion.

For all our sakes I hope not!

These threads attract people like a moth to a flame don't they,just like religion 🙂

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I actually think it is more likely that people will rebel against science than it will against religion.

I'm constantly trying to rebel against the laws of physics. Sadly physics always wins.

Don't want to piss on your chips Spin but there was a huge amount of religious and spiritual references in Star Trek...

Wars are usually about a number of things not just religion however having god on your side can be quite the excuse to do really, really awful things. I hope religion dies, I know it will not.

Don't want to piss on your chips Spin but there was a huge amount of religious and spiritual references in Star Trek

Don't recall any jews, muslims or christians though.

Muslamic ray guns maybe...

I was thinking more of Vulcans...

Actually that's one I missed of my post in the guilty pleasures thread. I really love some of the Star Trek output!

I see no reason to "tolerate" religion. It's vacuous gibberish, responsible for indoctrinating children into dogma and holds back the human race from facing up to it's real condition. We're born, we live, we die. Grow up and deal with it.

If you don't like me saying it, that's your problem. Likewise on behalf of the two great men heirin abused. 😛

Science doesn't have all the answers to all the questions.

As Dara O'Brian said, "science knows it doesn't have all the answers, otherwise it'd stop."

but where do all the calculators go?

Silicon heaven, clearly.

This "religion is the cause of all wars" thing is becoming something of an easy excuse for not looking into the true causes of war, which I think are power and greed, amongst other things. It's almost being used by some atheists to excuse themselves of any responsibility for current unrest in the world.

Religion doesn't cause wars.

It is, however, often a bloody good excuse for one.

religion has the answer to the one big question, which science does not I.e. what happens after we die.

No.

Religion [i]claims [/i]to have the answer to that question. Big, big difference.

Religions are artificial constructs to unite people in single cause so whilst religions may disappear country's and ideologies, Marxism, capitalism etc won't.
Unless we can have a no ideology ideology but imagine even that would have its opponents.

Likewise on behalf of the two great men heirin abused.

Who?