your take on religion?

[Pastafarian Piraticae]

We're better off without it. Seriously, if we didn't spend have religion, we could be standing on Mars. It distracts people, and they say bad things about things like vaccines and other parts of science. Think- No religion =
o No Holocaust
o No Nazis

Err... actually it was more of an ethnic hatred than a religious hatred. Remember that the nazis hated gypsies, too.

Which brings me to a point that I think my fellow freethinkers have forgotten:
People are bastards.
No matter what the situation, humans will find a way to discriminate, be it based on religious, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, or even occupational differences. Just take a look at Japan: a homogenous nation where 99% of the population is of the same ethnicity, religion, culture, and language. But they found a loophole. The Burakumin are a social group in Japan that has been (and still is, in many ways) treated like dirt. I'm too lazy too go into much depth, so just google "burakumin".

[Cameroi]

It's fundamentally not rational. There's no reason to believe in any of the religions out there.

how is believing in benign strangeness not rational?
90% of bad things have FAMILIAR causes.

what is not rational is buying into the claims of christianity and islam that they (one or the other or both)(exclusively) OWN god.

[Alsatian Knights]

My view on religion, Jesus was born, domesticated a Velociraptor and then proceeded to make every other dinosaur including the Roman Empire-whoops- extinct.

[Gravonia]

It's all bollocks.

end of.

[Cameroi]

is that great a percentage of people on here really THAT dense, as to be incapable of even imagining belief to NOT begin and end with christerism? as indeed it does not!

[RightLeaningChristians]

Im Religious!


Im Nervous, Paranoid, see the Devil around every corner, God-fearing and 100% different than who I was just a few years ago.









Wouldn't have it any other way.

[The Archregimancy]

We're better off without it. Seriously, if we didn't spend have religion, we could be standing on Mars. It distracts people, and they say bad things about things like vaccines and other parts of science. Think- No religion =
o No Holocaust
o No Nazis

Err... actually it was more of an ethnic hatred than a religious hatred. Remember that the nazis hated gypsies, too.

Which brings me to a point that I think my fellow freethinkers have forgotten:
People are bastards.

I happen to agree with you, though from a somewhat different perspective. I'm still curious on what grounds New Hayesalia believes that religion caused the Holocaust (unless he believes the Jews were singled out for their religious beliefs, rather than their ethnicity, though I concede the two are often strongly linked when we discuss Judaism), and on what grounds religion is responsible for the Nazis, unless this is one of those tiresome 'Hitler was a Catholic' arguments that was systematically demolished some months ago (see, for example: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=8306&p=277451&hilit=Hitler#p277451).

And we'll leave aside the sweeping judgement that the unified religious hive mind is solely and explicitly responsible for our species' lack of Martian colonies and apparent failure to vaccinate against every known medical condition potentially susceptible to a vaccine.

[Kobrania]

I am not religious.

Though my main fantasy involves me in the christian purgatory, turned into a small boy and being chastised over my boyfriends knee.

I am wierd.

[Big Jim P]

Religion serves its purpose. It keeps the priests paid.

[Wilgrove]

I think that religion can provide for spiritual growth, and it can bring communities together. However, it can also be exploited for greed, and for selfish purposes as well. Religion should be a private matter, and no religious rules should be made into laws for a country. The countries that are secular, have the most religious freedom, that is what I want.

[Wilgrove]

Religion serves its purpose. It keeps the priests paid.

Luckily for me, my Priest and Priestess have real jobs. They don't rely on donations.

[Cameroi]

benign strangeness is benign. fanatacism, by any name, is not.

the closest thing to a named belief i believe in does not believe in having any sort of a priesthood and doesn't. it also says that "when religeon becomes a sorce of disharmony and strife, people ARE better off without it".

yes, there really IS a belief that says that. and it is (or says it is anyway) the most current outpouring of the devine will. the one for THIS mallinium. the one that began in 1844.

[New Olwe]

Very well said, Wilgrove.

My take on religion: I'm a pretty religious dude. Not to be confused with "Christian", since I'm presumably the first pagan who's posted in this thread. I agree with what others have said that religion and government should be kept entirely separate, though.

[RightLeaningChristians]

Religion serves its purpose. It keeps the priests paid.

Luckily for me, my Priest and Priestess have real jobs. They don't rely on donations.

Clearly, being a religious leader is not a real job.

[Cirona]

I hate religion. Yes. I hate religion. Not any specific religion, but just religion in general.

Why? Because religion screwed up my family. Well, my dad's family anyway. Both my grandparents when they died, their sons and daughters had a fight over how the funeral should be. How the grave should look like,
I'm very happy if you go to your church/mosque/temple or whatever, just don't preach me. Don't convert people. Leave them alone. Let them believe what they believe in. Don't say that other religion's believers should go to hell. Its all a private thing. Keep it to yourself and share it with your fellow believers.

IMO, ancestral worship is the only "religion" i really respect. Your parents gave birth to you, then you grandparents gave birth to them who in turn was given birth by your great-grandparents, who also were given birth by your great-great-grandparents. They're the people you should respect. They made you. Without them there wouldn't be you. Without "God", you will still be here. And, no, this is not barbaric in anyway (a recent comment i read here, and feel offended about). No way is it barbaric. It is the most simple and practical worship to do. Believe in your own kind, not a "random" kind.

Religion is just not my cup of tea.

[Insertdecentnamehere]

And that children, is religion.

No, actually, it's you talking utter bollocks.

[Insertdecentnamehere]

Clearly, being a religious leader is not a real job.

That depends whether you consider conman a real job.

[Cameroi]

one of these days god is going to come down here and say "enough with this religion crap already. go kill yourselves and leave me the hell alone".

not that god is really like that, but i wouldn't blame him/her/it/them if h... did.

[Czardas]

Where they get it from is irrelevant, since everyone has to follow those laws whether they share the lawmakers' beliefs or not. Same with religion, really.

Not no really at all.

We have laws because people have implemented them because it is their belief that it should be the law. Laws don't just appear out of thin air they come from peoples ideals they may use their religion, thy may use their experiences they may simply do it because the media has told them to.

And where do those ideals and beliefs come from?

[Taeshan]

It's fine if you believe in a religion as long as you dont try to force it upon me.

[Risottia]

my take on religion? ...

Good summary, but I can make an even shorter one.

"It's just a myth."

[Iniika]

My view on religion?

Keep it in your pants. I don't want to see it flapping about all over the place.

[Virgin Incursion]

The God of the Bible is Real, and he is in Control regardless whether we believe it or not.

[New Olwe]

The God of the Bible is Real, and he is in Control regardless whether we believe it or not.

He's not in Control. He's in Kaos.

[Macindia]

The God of the Bible is Real, and he is in Control regardless whether we believe it or not.

wat