Why is everyone so down on organized religion?

reply to post by AnteBellum

"Just look at our history.
Just about every war and atrocity our world has seen has been because of organized religion.
It's one thing to fight over physical 'stuff', but fighting for intangible and unfalsifiable claims to me is just insane!
And it all starts with organized religion.
People kill over beliefs, that is why I try to have ideas about the world we live in.
Nobody gets hurt for ideas!"

Wow. I think you need to take a closer look at history. The 20th century (1901-1999) was by far the bloodiest century in human history. And all the bloodshed in the past century most CERTAINLY did not have it's origins in organized religion, but rather in the IDEA of ATHEISM. No one gets hurt for ideas? Tell that to the billions who were slaughtered at the hands of the atheistic governments of Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Pol-Pot, and Mao. In 100 years, atheist governments slaughtered more people than all organized religions did in the entire history of mankind. With all due respect, your ideas on the subject just don't have a leg to stand on.

reply to post by _BoneZ_


"Religion has been the basis for most of the wars on this planet."

Anyone who believes that has not made an honest study of history. The truth is ANTI-religionists have shed more blood than anyone else (see my last post).

"Get some facts then come back and see me"

reply to post by The Matrix Traveller


Thank you for a well written and easily understood response to my post.

reply to post by debunker26



So if anti-religious people killed more people than the religious did, then somehow it doesn't count?

I dont believe in organized religion because it's all interpretation of various people with no proof of anything they say.

Oh and the Middle East is big example of organized religion and why I feel it's crazy...so are extremist Christians like those nuts at Westboro.

People let religion run their lives and during that they lose themselves and the real meaning. It is fine to have beliefs and faith but how often do these people really step back and think about what they really believe.

People are brainwashed...look at suicide bombers, total brainwashing.

Yeah I dont need a religion or book to tell me what to believe or how to live my life.

reply to post by TILTed


Oh now, don't go putting words in my mouth. You and I both know that is not what I was saying.

There certainly were things done by organized religion that should not have happened, I'm not denying that. But the point was that anyone who claims organized religion is responsible for all the warfare and atrocities of this world is quite simply making a false statement and does not know history very well.

reply to post by Theophorus


*ahem*

Because it's hurting people.

No, I don't just mean it's hurting children with pedophiles (though one cannot do anything but abhor that behavior) or the protection of those pedophiles (also abhorrent), but in how it harms critical thinking, societal progress, and just general pursuit of truth.

It's bad for people, it's bad for society, and it's something that I hope humanity grows out of before we get ourselves killed.

I think it aught to be known though, that the originator of this thread seems to be somewhat misinformed, and more led by the Catholic Catechism than by the Bible or history.

Jesus Christ was hands-down the most anti-organized-religion-oriented person who ever walked the face of this earth.

In fact, that word "religion" is really not a Bible word. I think it's used less than 6 times in the New Testament. The word "religion" comes from a Latin root-word that means "to bind back" or "to hold back". Men invent religions as a way of attempting to reach God, when in reality it holds them back from God.

Christianity is not a "religion" per se. Actually, it's a person. It's Jesus Christ - you either have Him, or you don't. And before anyone comes at me with your complaints about "you're just one of those 'not a religion, it's a relationship nuts'", allow me to explain what distinguishes Christianity from every religion on top side of this earth.

Every religion that I know anything about (and I have attempted to study all the major religions of the world), they all say the same thing - do something. Do something. You have to DO something to earn your way into heaven. Christianity does not say that. Christianity is about God Himself coming down to this earth, and taking upon Himself our frail human form, in order to seek out and save and redeem a lost and fallen humanity. It doesn't rest upon what you do, it rests upon whether you trust what God has done for you through Jesus Christ. In other words - religions say DO, but Christianity says DONE. It's Done, the great transaction is done, and you're asked to believe it.

reply to post by debunker26


At last some sanity....

A hundred stars 4 U if it were possible to put them here.

Originally posted by AnteBellum
Just look at our history.

Just about every war and atrocity our world has seen has been because of organized religion.
It's one thing to fight over physical 'stuff', but fighting for intangible and unfalsifiable claims to me is just insane!
And it all starts with organized religion.

People kill over beliefs, that is why I try to have ideas about the world we live in.
Nobody gets hurt for ideas!

I keep hearing this,religion is the cause of wars, but I don't remember ever hearing that world war one or world war two , the korean war or the Vietnam war or the Spanish American war, or the Civil war,desert storm, I could go on.....but none of them had anything to do with religion,and they were not led by preachers or churches, or organized religion, it was all about politics,where do people come up with such lies? so what wars are you referring to? or, are you just parroting what somebody else has said ,who also has no knowledge of what they say?

reply to post by gabby2011


that child you are talking about is my son so do be carful what you say. and if you really believe i made a mask out of real human flesh for him to wear then i see why you have no problem believing in your god monster you prey too either.

interceptor

Originally posted by TheInterceptor
reply to post by gabby2011

 

that child you are talking about is my son so do be carful what you say. and if you really believe i made a mask out of real human flesh for him to wear then i see why you have no problem believing in your god monster you prey too either.

interceptor

Congradualtions..you have a beautiful son..its a pity you feel its ok to put him up as your avatar in a disgusting mask...and a fake blood stained shirt.

reply to post by Theophorus


You're suppose to follow GOD, not the Church.

Hope that makes sense.

reply to post by madnessinmysoul


I don't think it is logical to argue that an idea hurts people.

An idea can never hurt people, unless someone is following it. Just like the brutal 'survival of the fittest' form of Atheism, if it had not followers, millions wouldn't have been slaughtered in what we now call Russia.

according to the bible yes, but who says the bible is credible. people are against organized religion because they are murderers and corrupt. i am not an atheist so dnt think im just bashing. i do believe in God, just not the mythical being portrayed in the bible.

reply to post by confreak

Originally posted by confreak
reply to post by madnessinmysoul

 

I don't think it is logical to argue that an idea hurts people.

Organized religion isn't an idea, it's a practice.

An idea can never hurt people, unless someone is following it.

An idea can hurt people. One idea that is the source of quite a bit of human suffering is one that we are truly the only animal to comprehend: "One day I will die."

And again, we're not talking about ideas, we're talking about practices...and we are also talking about ideas that people follow. Just like I don't know of anyone practice the hanging of sacrificial victims in the name of Odin, we're not talking about it.

Just like the brutal 'survival of the fittest' form of Atheism, if it had not followers, millions wouldn't have been slaughtered in what we now call Russia.

Atheism doesn't say anything about survival of the fittest, merely about the lack of belief in deities. Furthermore, the idea of Stalinist gulags had nothing to do with survival of the fittest, it had to to do with stateism and power.

Now, if you can show that organized religion, particularly Roman Catholicism, is not hurting people, I'll concede my point.

The simple answer? Because each religion picks and chooses what they want from the bible/torah/tvguide/etc as the truth - and they are right, and they are the only ones who are right, and everyone else is always going to be wrong unless they conform.

reply to post by Theophorus


A lot of people are down about organised religion because it has suffocated itself in its own transgression. The institutions have been so evil; the obvious example being the horrific and widespread abuse of children by priests of the Catholic Church all over the world and all the cover up operations involved there-in. That is only one example of many; such as the brutal genocides that have taken place under the "watch" of the churches; like in South America, etc.

I don't believe Jesus founded the Catholic Church as we have it today, and Peter neither.

The Catholic Church rituals, while they acknowledge Jesus as Saviour, venerate His Mother which the New Testament does not state for us to do;the bending of the knee to images and staues, which the Ten Commandments forbid; the insistence of celibacy of its priests (which is not asked for). The Catholic church also has so much of what is taken from Pagan religious ritual, too.

The Catholic church is not the only church, neither are the Jehovah's Witnesses or any other sect who SAY Jesus is their Saviour. Even at the time of Revelations St. John writes of the Seven Churches, not just one.

This complete departure from true Christianity as written in the New Covenent of Our Lord Jesus Christ has been completely mis-represented by organised religion; to the point that they are lying. If you say you believe something and then do the opposite you are commonly called a hypocrite!

There was no such thing as a Catholic Church in Peter's time. It is a man-made institution and resembles nothing of what Peter wrote in The New Covenent.

How can people call themselves Christians and not adhere to Christ's teachings? Their own hypocricy answers that question.

We all as individual Christians and the institutions we sanction as embodying the Message of Christ will one day have to account for ourselves, as Christ DID actually TEACH!

reply to post by madnessinmysoul


I don't think you disagree with me, as the definition of practice is exactly that - "The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method" (GOOGLE).

Atheism has many ideas attached to it, including Communism, when practiced we all saw the results.

reply to post by confreak

Originally posted by confreak
reply to post by madnessinmysoul

 

I don't think you disagree with me, as the definition of practice is exactly that - "The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method" (GOOGLE).

No, I'm pointing out that you tossed out a needless red herring. We're not talking about ideas, we're talking about organized religion.

Atheism has many ideas attached to it, including Communism, when practiced we all saw the results.

I'm sorry, but atheism predates the formation of communism by...several thousand years. To quote Epicurus (341-270 BCE):

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?

Last I checked, he wasn't a communist.

Some communists may adopt the idea of atheism, and some atheists may adopt the idea of communism, but the two are in no way joined. One need only look to the Bible itself to see that communism is found in the Christian tradition. The manner in which the early Church as described in Acts handles its finances is doubtlessly communistic.

Now, unless you can demonstrate that atheism somehow leads necessarily to communism or that communism necessitates atheism, I'll quietly ask you to get back on the damn topic.