Is Religion Designed To Hold Us Back?

I really wonder why people still believe in god and or gods in this day and age. There are even new religions like scientology which are just as crazy which people are following. Science has advanced to the point where we understand and know for a fact that these stories from long ago are just that (man-made) trying to explain the unknowable at the time. Now religion is more of a hindrance to mankind progressing than anything else and we know it has been that way for such a long time.

People have been and still are being killed because of fairytales. Churches, popes, clergy……the list goes on have in prisoned, tortured, murdered… and on and on because science disproves what is in their text.

Seriously what is it going to take for mankind to finally snap out of the delusions of religion?

For myself I am more agnostic than atheist only because I think there is a possibility that there may be some guiding force however I fully admit that there is absolutely no proof or evidence pointing in that direction I think it is the remnants of my upbringing that has ingrained that possibility in my mind.

There was a period in history when religion was useful but that age ended a very long time ago. We know religion was and still is a tool to control the masses. It promises a reward in death for compliance in life but we are smarter than that now. We no longer live in caves for the most part the human race is civilized except in places where religion is upheld as fact. Maybe I am wrong and the human race is still for the most part an ignorant superstitious race that can’t learn from its mistakes. Is it in our nature to hold ourselves back or is it religion that holds us back. I tend to think it is religion.

I think that if the world could discard religion we would be much better off without it. Is religion itself designed to hold us back? It’s just hard for me to except that people are so willfully deluded.

Religion is meant to instil mental retardation when it is not found naturally in the target individual. It makes people completely irrational and easily manipulated. And it is very effective in doing so...

Milions of christians kow tow to Israel because they fear offending the Judean God.
So what if thousands of Arab children both muslim/christian are masssacred each year...as long as we do not offend the all powerful Judeans.
That is waht religion does to the world.
It makes decent people defend mass murderers lest they lose their jobs or are sued assassinated.

Religion is a banner for war criminals to hide behind.

See all the new s broadcasts about the current Israel /gaza slaughter.

God would weep at the lies.

But sadly God is not even in the equation despite what the lying say.

Originally posted by boncho
Religion is meant to instill mental retardation when it is not found naturally in the target individual. It makes people completely irrational and easily manipulated. And it is very effective in doing so...

I agree.

We need an agree button on here from 1 to 5.
Yours would be a 5.

Peace,
Kev

reply to post by Grimpachi

Dear Grimpachi,

It usually takes me one or two tries to understand your message clearly, care to help me out again? It seems you're saying that religion (I assume you mean all religion) is entirely made up. It is fiction to control people, keep them stupid, and only mentally slow people believe in it. (Or was that Boncho's idea?)

Am I even close?

With respect,
Charles1952

Originally posted by Grimpachi
I really wonder why people still believe in god and or gods in this day and age.

Because God exists. This also has nothing to do with religion. You are blurring two topics.

Originally posted by Grimpachi
Is Religion Designed To Hold Us Back?

Yes. Don't confuse religion with spirituality. Religion is to God as University is to wisdom. In other words, religion does not mean you know or understand God and a BA, Masters or PHD does not mean you are applying any knowledge that you may have gained in an institution of learning.

All organizations are built with a hierarchical structure and that by default will have less folk at the top, managing more folk at the bottom.

reply to post by charles1952


Hey Charles

I just do not understand why in this day and age we as a human race still accept religion in our lives. It has nothing to do with individual intelligence because I know many very intelligent people who are extremely religious. I am speaking in general as a species.

It had its purpose at one time in our history but now in this day and age I find it is an obsolete thought process. It has been used to divide more than unite to instill fear, hate, prejudice, and so forth.

You take any religion and you can disprove much of the stories with our current understanding through science and archeology.

I know many people feel pressure to follow religion from family I know I have before but my logical mind tells me these stories are false. I just cannot understand how religion is still so prevalent in this day and age.


I look at the Middle East and see so much death. I can understand wars fought over resources but most of this is over who follows which division in a book of stories. It makes me wonder if the human race is ever going to wise up and stop killing each other over what someone wrote over a thousand years ago or if we are doomed to destroy ourselves over nonsense.

It is not much better here for example my uncle a man of God who is considered an upstanding big to do in his church is every bit as bigoted as some of the people I fought against while in the military and his reasoning comes from his Bible. Religion is destructive more than anything nowadays. This world would be so much better if it was thrown out of our lives.

It's strange that people who doubt religion always pose their doubt as questions, rather a definitive statement. I can only chalk that up to their self doubt. I was an atheist for a long time; hated all religions and I certainly wouldn't entertain a Christian! Well, here I am 6 years down the line, a hardcore Christian. So what happened?

A myriad of things happen to make someone religious, not just ignorance as most 'atheists' will espouse. The reason for me was was things I couldn't explain happening to me on such a frequent basis, no one would believe me and so I turned to external powers for help. Nothing did help for a while, the emptiness and coldness kept growing inside me, that was until I surrendered my well-being and spiritual safety to Christ. Now I'm NOT preaching here, just telling you my personal story! I've never felt more spiritually safe or loved. It's a strange feeling that you can really only sum up with the vague sounding "you have to feel it to believe it" rhetoric.

Those who meditate will know the feeling, but only slightly. As meditation can be highly dangerous given the spiritual aspect of 'opening yourself up' lets anything in, thus lying spirits.

I suppose to answer your original question, no, religion does not hold anything back, unless it passes itself of as a political ideology COUGH Islam. We are told to "render unto Caesar that which is Caesars" that includes his wanting to discard religion, if he so chooses. A true Christian holds no one back as the true Christian understands that everyone's life is a personal journey, mapped out only by God and perceived from a higher perspective, one that sometimes isn't apparent to us.

reply to post by Joneselius


I think you mistook what I said. I stated I am more agnostic than atheist and I do not doubt your personal experiences or feelings however those feelings are chemical explained through science and the study of our physiology and psychology much like chocolate can bring on feelings of love.

I am open to spirituality in a sense that energy cannot be created or destroyed only transformed/changed but I do not consider Christianity any better than the teachings of Islam especially when you consider that they are branches of the same faith. Buddhism is the only religion (which really isn’t a religion) that I would consider nonviolent or destructive to civilization and humanity itself.

There are many different forms of meditation which I have practiced but at no time have I ever considered these practices dangerous in any way or form.

Religion has always been used as a tool to control the masses through a simple method of reward and punishment. It is used on a grand scale understandably however the entire premise is flawed in nature.

Edit to add

In essence all religions (Excluding Buddhism) teach their word is absolute and the only truth consider what the world would be like if no one challenged that. The world be considered flat no one would have discovered America we would have never gone to the moon or attempted to fly for that matter because that was gods domain slavery would still be prominent forget most science and all that goes with it. It was designed to control and hold back the human race and not inspire us to move forward.

The argument I hear from most people is that without religion we would not have morality yet I do not need religion to instill my morality am I just different from most of humanity in that aspect or is the entire premise false and used as another control technique to keep religion prevalent in society?

On a side note I have found in my life that some of the most immoral crimes that have been committed against humanity have been in the name of religion.

Originally posted by boncho
Religion is meant to instil mental retardation when it is not found naturally in the target individual. It makes people completely irrational and easily manipulated. And it is very effective in doing so...

I'M ONE OF THOSE RETARDS!

Originally posted by Sissel

Originally posted by boncho
Religion is meant to instil mental retardation when it is not found naturally in the target individual. It makes people completely irrational and easily manipulated. And it is very effective in doing so...

I'M ONE OF THOSE RETARDS!

At least you know

reply to post by Joneselius

I suppose to answer your original question, no, religion does not hold anything back, unless it passes itself of as a political ideology COUGH Islam. We are told to "render unto Caesar that which is Caesars" that includes his wanting to discard religion, if he so chooses. A true Christian holds no one back as the true Christian understands that everyone's life is a personal journey, mapped out only by God and perceived from a higher perspective, one that sometimes isn't apparent to us.

Here we go with the "my religion is better than your religion" spiel. As I said in my first post, religion skews all logic in people. They all believe they are chosen ones, that their god is better and everyone is forsaken, misguided, lost for not following.

On the other hand, history shows us exactly how people have been manipulated for thousands of years under the guise of salvation or appeasing religious deities. We have factual evidence suggesting religion to be a tool of men to bend the will of other men for political and personal gain.

And thank god I'm not religious so I don't have to compare penis sizes gods with others and theirs.

religion does not hold anything back, unless it passes itself of as a political ideology COUGH Islam

How the hell could you say religion is not a political ideology in America? That's almost all it is anymore, and it's more and more transparent every day. Modern christianity is insanity that makes people either weak and stupid, or violent barbarians.

I've always held the belief that religion is nothing more than a control mechanism. It's designed to keep people in line, and to make money.

Heaven: If you a good boy or girl and obey the rules, you will be rewarded after you die
Hell: Disobey what we say is wrong and you will suffer forever.

And this is all taught at an early age. I was raised Episcopal, and I never understood why Catholics had to confess their sins and say hail Mary and stuff. I always, even at a young age, just saw it as a means to keep people in check. More people have died in the name of "god" then in every single war ever waged on earth.

Sure there are good things to come out of religion. Teaching people about respecting others and such. Everyone should follow that. But it's common sense.

I believe in god. I believe in some form of an after life. However, I never believed that I had to go sit in a building every Sunday, and sing boring songs and give donations to prove my beliefs.

The year could be 2222, I'll be dead but if I were alive in 2222 I'd still believe in God, call me the old bearded fool, I'll take pride in it, I'll be the Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Wars really does a decent job at looking at religion in the future, where 99% don't believe or know much about the true religion of the universe, but those same people have enough sense to steer clear of the guys wielding light sabers. There is a force, some are born with the ability to detect the force, some aren't but those that aren't only need to seek it and they will find it.

Originally posted by Grimpachi
Is Religion Designed To Hold Us Back?

Nope.

Just the constant and idiotic fighting between the religious and non-religious. That's what's holding us back.

I was brought up a Methodist first,a Baptist second.
Weird little mix,I know.
As I grew older I started mixing in with people of the Catholic belief.

Big difference!

I can't dance and drink with this one belief,but I can with this other?

That is when I discovered hypocrisy.

It is a BELIEF SYSTEM.

Believing in something that some one tells you is called faith.

And faith,my friend ,well PT Barnum said it best.....

“There's a sucker born every minute.” ― P.T. Barnum

Originally posted by blindlyzack

Originally posted by Sissel

Originally posted by boncho
Religion is meant to instil mental retardation when it is not found naturally in the target individual. It makes people completely irrational and easily manipulated. And it is very effective in doing so...

I'M ONE OF THOSE RETARDS!

At least you know

Yep, and I do. I also feel no need to endlessly lambaste people with scripture, from a book dating back thousands of years.

Either they get it, or they don't.

Originally posted by Auricom

Originally posted by Grimpachi
Is Religion Designed To Hold Us Back?

Nope.

Just the constant and idiotic fighting between the religious and non-religious. That's what's holding us back.

I do not follow your line of thought here. Are you saying that if man had not challenged what has been written in religions humanity would have progressed further than it has or are you saying something else either way could you please elaborate?

reply to post by Grimpachi


By the way, I love your threads. You give us all pause for thought. I think you are getting one over on us though, because this is something you never want to discuss with people you love, unless done very delicately. There is a time and a place for everything, even a discussion on a topic like this.

Do you live in America? If so, I can tell you, this is something you never want to discuss around a Thanksgiving table, before the bird is carved.