Religion is an unnecessary evil.

To say that religion is unnecessary reflects a misunderstanding of what "necessary" means. Also of what religion is. But we are not discussing "religion" we are discussing religions which perhaps we can come to terms and agree that we really mean "religious organizations" when we say "religions."

To claim that (all) organizations of this nature are evil is an (albeit somewhat justified) over generalization.

Compared to criticizing the specific principles behind particular religious sects, condemning religion as a whole is a cop out.

This is a yes and no people should shut the fuck up about which one they think is right because nobody knows except dead people and thats kind of hard cuz they cant hop out their grave and say hey man god is awsome or buda is the funiest guy in heaven you know so lay it to rest and yes the world would be a better place

Okay for one this has absolutely no relativity to our disscussion, and two I am tired of hearing about this global warming comments. Yes there is a whole in the oxone layer we can not do absolutely anything about it now so stop mentioning it and start doing something to prevent another whole to become created, and plus you are probably a hypocrite yourself and have done absolutely nothing at all to help the problem with Global Warming you are just another one of those media hyped, uninformed, hypocritical person who just jumped on the bandwagon on the latest issue and in reality you are doing nothing to prevent it either. Practice what you preach. You ignorant hypocrite

their is no need for profanity, debates are supposed to be civil, calm down.

why do you feel the need to stop possitive argument that is related to the subject? if you dont want to debate a subject dont look, this is a choice, no one is forcing you to use this site.

that being said i do agree with your point of view

atheist are just as narrow minded, if maybe a bit more rational, as theist.

the true level ground is agnostic, being an athiest simply says that my belief is better than yours. their is no way that you can prove that a man wont come in the future and walk on water, turn the seas to boiling wine, and talk to us through burning bushes.

Give me that person's address and I will send him lists of countless rare men who wrote masterpieces of religiously inspired literature, even many who wrote hundreds of years ago, and are still read today; who did wonderful things, not even including thousand of Prophets whom character are enough ample a proof of their truth. Take Rumi for instance, eastern mystic peot for example, whose readers are increasing day-by-day in USA. Only such intelligent beings have been able to give expositions on the religion, scientifically and from traditional perspectives. But, I will get sad if these two quotions are to be removed ever, for I will lose a precious source of continual laughter.

I agree. However you could also say that every war etc. was caused by people making decisions. Therefore people shouldn't make decisions? That is about as realistic as saying we would be better off without religion.

I am not convinced that there is much difference at all between philosophy and religion. I suppose the distinction I would make is that religion deals with elements of philosophy that we accept and wish to propagate.

Let me see if I understand? People should not group up based on values and beliefs?

The world would be a better place if people stopped doing that?

I can't help but think that people who make these anti-religion statements just really don't get what religion is.

All these people bagging on religion instead of trying to improve it's practice. They say "let's get rid of religion" as if that was possible. If you have a better example to set regarding religion, set it. That is unless you wish to remain a card carrying member of the church of foundational complainism.

That only works if you take away the ability to believe in ANYTHING completely. And that's impossible... unless you set up a regime described in 1984.

The only way the world would be better is if fanatics themselves are all destroyed. Because if it ain't one thing, it's another. If religion is destroyed, they'll focus more of their time on Communism or Militant Atheism.

This will only work if we eliminate all belief.

So. Tell me how to eliminate belief in general and why it is good to eliminate belief. After all, we all know that people who believe in something can become extreme.

Anything if applied radically can breed evil.

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Some religions should be abolished but some should stay.

Religions are a system to guide us to be morally perfect.

Without them it's hard to have a stable community and safe world.

Codes of conducts cannot exists with itself but needs to exist with religions.

Religions explain the inportance of moral codes of conducts etc.

Without them the world is in havoc.

I am doing something about it. I haven't farted in months!!! Which is probably more than you'll ever do. :P

I said a god or gods. So the greeks still had religion of some sort. Actually I know quite a lot about Psychology. For example there is a frontal lobe that functions as sush but there is also a lobe of the human brain that holds in that inate ability for survival that sifts through all the information given and something that poses a threat that makes an individual angry it swells to a larger size than the frontal lobe and reacts quicker than such, so the moral lobe is not always succesful and without influence of religion or regards to a more importnat figure than human begins the morals would be eradicted and would just rely on that not always succesful moral lobe, so in reality without religion corruption would erupts to an even more higher level than it is now. So therefore lack of religion would not not make the world a better place.

Ah quite sorry misinformed information wrong point made. It still has no relativity to what this discussion is about. We can not do absolutely anythign about it now. What are they going to do stick a piece of plexi glass up there? Drop it already everyone knows about it by by now.

Yes I believe we are prefectly capable of that now after the influence of religion even not directly just hearing about it,but to at first put the message into our mind is religion or influence of religiouts people. If you are a child you do not learn what is right and wrong until someone tells you if your parents never had religion or no other individual ever had religion the base of morals would be completely erased. And honestly without religion people would let there instincts take over to not bleieve in a god or gods would make us nothing but animals.Religion is needed for basic regulations for an individual. My opinion is we need religion in th eworld now more than ever.

There has been no physical god of yours in perennial sources of wisdom. Wisdom, as understood in its ancient meaning i.e, love of wisdom, not hate of it, has played the function and continues to in religious worlds, of directing men to their end and purpose. "Man is not man becuase he has two hands, with which he can manipulate and make planes fly or perform complex mathematical operations.... but for other profound reasons."

What are they? Enduring Religions, like Islam answer, answer by inviting us to observe the phenomena around us and to deduce signs of The Almighty Creator. Ok. Let's observe. Don't you, I invite you to see, don't you find this universe a law governed place? It is so. Whole universe submit to a regulated system Created by God. This is the demand of religion from man that we should submit our will to the Creator, accept Him as the Absolute King. Because, only this is natural. Only this is the necessity we are here to fulfill using our rationality. It even clearly says that the 'choice' is upto us whether we accept it or reject it. Do you not find it a miracle that a man can reject his Creator, who gives him this choice?

You are forgetting Capitalism vs Communism, which is STILL on going today. Just look at what happened to Georgia this year.

No absolutely not. Religion is the base of individual morals. Without morals the world would be more corrupt than it is now, which isnt that drastic of a change to be honest, but that is a differnt debate. Religion debatable or not is needed to keep morals intanct and differnt individuals raised correctly. Severely debatable or not Religion is needed in the world and it would change nothing for the better.

If there was no guns in the world people would just commit murders and other crimes with other weapons.

The world still had wars, murders, theft, rapes and other crimes before guns so its no as if gun introduced all the crime and war to the world.

With or without guns, people will commit crime!

Do we need to understand science and reason, in the first place than to use the rationality to find and our purpose of birth? Science is studies and discoveries of divine wonders, it cannot become divine itself. Who provides us with intelligence? Religions tell us Who. And, as for the sufferings and crusades love causes peace and war. However, compare the wrath and devastations of cold-blooded logical modern day wars. there are no differences b/w religions from the point of view of God, its created by ignorants and those who go against His will.