Should religion be banned

Before banning anything, it might be a good idea to define exactly what a religion is.

Don't you agree?

Where and how did it begn? Here's my understanding;

1) Back 100,000 years ago, men and women would isolate themselves in dark quiet places, such as caves.

2) They would fast or take psychotropic drugs in order to have visions.

3) Those who had such visions found that it helped understand how the world worked.

4) Such visionaries became valued members of the group, creating heirarchies.

5) Heirarchies in turn created social structure.

6) Social structure then underlined differences between other groups around them.

7) Arguments arose between seperate groups, precipitating the need for control, so the visionary results were codified and made into a 'Body of Work' which each member of the group was to believe in.

8) A group which did not agree with another would suppress it and deny contact.


War and suffering based on religious differences begins.

So, where did we go wrong?

I say it was when we made that visionary a 'VIP' within the group.

Everyone can have visions.
Everyone is a VIP
No one person has the direct link to the Creator, we are all on a 'party line'.

Hi Masqua, I dont think early cave dwellers used hallucinogenic drugs, and if they did I'm sure they would have been clubbed to death for being crazy.
Shamans who do use them do not on the whole make up mainstream religions

The Pagan religion was one of worshiping Mother Earth and nature. It was not about worshiping some God and persecuting those who do not believe etc. Only in recent times has man decided to replace those beliefs with a man made God and the rules that one must obey, all of which has been introduced, changed and adapted for man with the aim to control others.


We dont need religion, its just a tool for those who wish to control the masses, and the weak minded its the biggest con of all time, how many have died and suffered all in the name of religion over the last 2k years, millions, billions?

Right now there are those who see the conflict in the ME as not about oil or 9/11 but the spread of the Muslim Faith V Christianity/Judaism another Holy War, its the new Communism. Early man had something that was innocent and pure then the parasites came along and changed all that.

Now Western Goverments know they cannot control us with religion so now they seek to do it with other means like fear and terror, those nasty Muslims are coming to get us and change us to their ways, when in reality its the US and its allies who are doing this to them.

As I said in my opening thread long before a child is taught politics or the law of the land they are brainwashed by the religion of others, and its strange when you see and hear people claiming that Muslims brainwash young children with hate and fearit seems acceptable when we do exactly the same.

religion is simply mans' own way to express his superiority over other races and ethnicities and explain the universe he doesn't understand, no?

When a woman kills her sons a God told her to, it's just an example when you say "Oh #, religion sucks"
When someone kills himself because he feels useless to society because he's of a minority that a major religion preaches against, everyone searches for some alternative explanation (me included, usually), when in truth it's the most obvious one that's right: It's religions' fault.

Religion is no different from schizophrenia and should not be treated differently either.
If you believe something other people find crazy you are shizophrenic, if 1000 believe it, its a cult. If it holds power, such as in politics or economy, it's a religion.

It is a mental disease and should be known and treated as such.

Banning religion isn't a good idea if your cause is anything besides pure spite. You won't be able to enforce it, and it will just piss people off.

right or wrong, it's a bad idea from a practical standpoint.

Originally posted by magicmushroomI know there must of been a time millenia ago there must have been a much purer form of religion like paganism

Nope, paganism represents many religions, not just one, and the worst of them, sacrificed babies, and young people in the fire. But most of them with 'New Age' overtones. That doesn't buy me. Even the most harmless ones have its roots in forced human sacrifice.

Originally posted by magicmushroom
With recent events aroud the world is it about time all religions were banned, they have been the excuse to wage wars, to devide, persecute and control people for the last 2k years so is it time to get rid of them.

From a very early age I was brought up in avery strict Catholic environment where my religion was the only true religion and the followers of other religion's were lower than the beasts of the field, thanks to having a brain and individual thought I dumped all that tripe decades ago. To me religion is for the weak minded and the easily led and for the powerful and corrupt to use it to that end.

Every war thats ever happened or about to the troops are told their god is with them and they are doings gods work, really I thought it was the word of politicians and the rich. So can we afford to continue with religion and should we. (To all religious fanatics the above are just my views and no offence is intended)

mod edit: all caps title

[edit on 19-9-2006 by sanctum]

I agree, I believe that humans invented religion so they could believe that there's an afterlife. Everyone has asked themselves, "What happens when you die?" and yet there is no proof that there is an afterlife, so i believe religion is just there so you could think that there's "eternal" life. Well, i don't know yet since im not dead. I guess i'll have to find out... :/

Well, I'm a believer

In the resurrection :

Come back to life thread!

X

Ban religion? Good luck with that, lol

If anti-religion activists were half as smart as they think they are, they would be raising awareness of comparativism, starting with their own pathetic lack of awareness.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

current relevant events

X

CX
Would'nt banning religion be the next step up for Big Brother, telling us we can and can't believe in?

There you go. I think that's exactly what they're trying to do.

reply to post by magicmushroom


you're a very very bad quire boy. YOu need discipline! Please lower your trowsers and you will be given 10 lashes with the cain, we need to beat that evil out of you! You're a very bad boy, a very very bad boy!

fast forward to ATS 2013....

reply to post by magicmushroom


Countries will go to war when they want to. Although religion has been abused, the root cause of most revolutions in the 20th and 21st centuries are either economic or a power grab, not religious.

The attacking troops sometimes are given religion as a motivator (who can resist the belief that a higher power is on your side) but it is seldom the actual cause of the aggression (some countries in the middle east now are the exceptions.)

To ban all religions would trespass on individual rights, and a Big Brother kind of strong-armed squashing denies the right to freedom of thought and conscience, rights which Americans hold dear.

To ban all religions but your own (yes, I think atheism is also a form of religion) smacks of monarchy and/or dictatorship. Bad idea.

The USSR's Bolshevik's tried to eliminate religion, with little effect. it went underground.

Imo the world needs less 'religion' and more spirituality.

nephyx
We arent talking about taking away peoples faith. did you read anything I just wrote above you? Its about taking away the right to preach and practice in public. People should be able to keep their beliefs to themselves. Isnt that the whole point in the first place? FAITH FOR YOURSELF?

But what happens when the very tenet of their faith is to share their belief with others with the goal of making converts?

(Matthew 28:18-20) . . .. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 . . .

It is impossible for some to keep their beliefs to themselves. So even in countries where religion is banned people who want to follow Jesus command will still find ways to do so in spite of what the laws of the land are.

I do believe that people are getting so sick of the hypocrisy and corruption in organized religion that a ban on it is inevitable.

reply to post by Sestias


In WW2 Catholic priests on both sided blessed the troops and told the soldiers that God was on their side. Protestant ministers did the same. Their hands are dripping with blood of millions.
Catholic killed Catholic, Lutheran killed Lutheran, Baptist killed Baptist, killing their brothers and being told it was God's work. Disgusting.

Had they been faithful to the scriptures and their "calling" these religions leaders would have impressed on their followers minds an hearts what was stated at Isaiah

(Isaiah 2:3, 4) . . .. 4 And he will certainly render judgment among the nations and set matters straight respecting many peoples. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.

Instead they became willing participants in the corrupt political schemes and conflicts.

reply to post by spartacus699

! st time I've heard gaga. But is she singing anything about religion?
she reminds me of madonna

reply to post by Sparky63


Sparky63
very perceptive...
so true
The religious leaders that support war, are supporting war upon memebers of their own faith almost all of the time.

The truth Jesus taught was of peace, and also of spreading the good new ... the truth of Gods upcoming kingdom...
One where men destroying men was a thing of the past.

And that is why the governments of the world will eventually have to attempt to remove such peaceful collaborative efforts.

They want the power and control..... and anyone telling others that there is something better must be stopped.

X

reply to post by Xcouncil=wisdom


I simply cannot imagine the 1st Century Christians of Hebrew descent taking up arms against their spiritual brothers and sisters who were of Roman descent no matter what the political leaders demanded.

The command to "Love your enemies" found at Luke 6:27 would forbid them from doing harm to others, and especially to those related to them in the faith.

Almost every one of today’s religions seem to have either forgotten that command or they simply choose to ignore it.
I do not think the political elements will ban organized religion because they feel it is a cause for peace but instead because religion impedes their efforts to bring peace.