GOD and goofy belief systems.

The checkered and colorful history of our planet is in some ways a quilt of religious timelines. Since the beginning of our species, man has devoted spectacular amounts of time and energy to explaining the afterlife, the existence of higher being(s), and the concepts of right and wrong. Open any textbook and you will see that humans have been beating each other's brains out for the last 30,000 years over these basic concepts.

My question to you all is, what is the big deal? Does it really matter what happens to us after we die? Should we really kill each other because of idiotic discrepancies in religion?

My philosophy is that I'm a pretty screwed person who--taking the strict interpretation of the bible--is probably not destined for the traditional concept of heaven. But I look at all the terrible things that have happened in the name of GOD over the years, and think to myself,' they were using god just as an excuse. I on the other hand refuse to. If I do good deeds, it's because I want to, not because I'm afraid of some terrible after life.'

I think modern religions basically blackmail people into being good people. Can you imagine if in reality no one got rewared for their good deeds and no one punished for their bad ones?

I mean what's the big issue with reward and punishment? Can't we get past that and start living life in a positive way just because we want to be good people for the sake of our fellow men? Does the entire universe have to revolve arround the sociodynamics of our pathetic little species? (Think about it. We used to think the universe revolved around the earth. Egotistical maybe?)

Maybe I'm naive and ignorant in my beliefs. Or maybe I'm an undiscovered genius. What do you think?

I think you're dead on.
there's too much emphasis on religion these days, on all sides. From the radical muslims trying to kill everyone who doesn't agree with them, to the fundamentalist christians, trying to get rid of everything homosexual and liberal. if society just paid less attention to religion, i think we would all be better off.

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if society just paid less attention to religion, i think we would all be better off.

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People act the way they want to act. If religion can be used as an excuse for their behaviour then they take it. Without religion people would have fewer excuses but they would not significantly change their behaviour

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People act the way they want to act. If religion can be used as an excuse for their behaviour then they take it. Without religion people would have fewer excuses but they would not significantly change their behaviour

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Yes, but why would anyone want an excuse to do good?
As for the bad, i don't beleive that people will still act the same if they paid less attention to religion. many of these acts are religiously motivated. Without religion, there's no motivation, therefore, these acts would have never taken place.

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If a person doesn't think there is a God to be accountable to, then-then what's the point of trying to modify your behaviour to keep it within acceptable ranges? That's how I thought anyway. I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we, when we died, you know, that was it, there is nothing...

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Without God or religion at least some people would do worse things than they currently do.

that's hard to tell, most atheists aren't violent. In fact, most criminals beleive in one religion or another.

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most atheists aren't violent

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Most Christians aren't violent either.

I believe that the wars, at least most of them, that were in the name of religion had a more economic basis, and by saying it was their religion they were fighting for they found a way to prove to themselves that they really believed.


Does that last part make sense?

I think that is true I think religion is largely used an excuse for bad behaviour and I do not think bad behaviour will stopp in the absence of religion.

It may not stop, however there could definately be a decrese in the amount of it. Also, we aren't talking about a complete absence of religion here. It was suggested that religion be decentralized from everyday life. This of course means that your still free to make it a part of your everyday life if you wish, but I personally don't think it belongs anywhere near secular politics. The morals it teaches (or tries to, depending on your viewpoint) are indeed usefull to politics, but the politics between religion do not need to be dealt with in the same arena, or on the same battlefields, as the politics of nations.

true religons plus goverment can be harmfull hence the CRUSADES ohh and most christians arent' violent ehh umm note CRUSADES yeah id say there are alot of violent christians even to this day the whole conflict in Ireland.

good point, christians seem to be the most violent bunch, when you look at the past 200 years. Religion is too heavily integrated into everyday life to be good. Take it seriously, but don't take it too seriously.

lets see here
first crusade
second crusade
third crusade? can't rember
100 years war
Ireland
many others; id say that religouns are not an exuse for being bad but then what is bad (refrenced from post on war good or bad)

The Crusades were not acts of Christianity though. It was only an excuse for war. If Christianity wasn't popular in Europe that doesn't mean that a similar war would not have happened.

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The Crusades were not acts of Christianity though. It was only an excuse for war. If Christianity wasn't popular in Europe that doesn't mean that a similar war would not have happened.

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The crusades were mosr certanly an act of christianity, as was the spanish inquisition, and the current discrimination against gays, and to a lesser extent, the 100years war, and the 30years war.

as for the second part of your quote, s simmilar war could have happened, but it's much less likely, because there would have been no motivation to go to war.