Has religion done more good or harm?

What do you guys think?

harm. almost every war has been religion based. you can't say that is not true in some way. well...you could...but you'd be wrong. pygmahia5

harm. almost every war has been religion based. you can't say that is not true in some way. well...you could...but you'd be wrong. pygmahia5

I'd say harm.

[QUOTE="pygmahia5"]harm. almost every war has been religion based. you can't say that is not true in some way. well...you could...but you'd be wrong. Famiking

Yeah but God mandating murder kinda HELPS doesn't it...?

[QUOTE="Famiking"][QUOTE="pygmahia5"]harm. almost every war has been religion based. you can't say that is not true in some way. well...you could...but you'd be wrong. Trelaf_TheWise

Yeah but God mandating murder kinda HELPS doesn't it...?

Murder is amongst the worst of sins, scratch that, it IS the worst of sins.

HArm. And I'm not talkign about mass murder. I'm talking about technological advancement.

I think the question is meaningless because it's impossible to even determine. There's no way you can quantify or measure those two terms in relation to religion.

It's historically done a heap of good in the arts and humanities.

Humanities interpretation of that which we cannot explain has killed people, organisedreligion is a human creation with it's purpose to bring order to the unanswered questions. Humanity kills not religion,some mayact on it and hide behind it,but we pull the trigger.

Harm, 800 years of dark ages, we could be freaking exploring space by now :(bean-with-bacon

[QUOTE="Trelaf_TheWise"]

[QUOTE="Famiking"] Religion doesn't kill people, people kill people.Famiking

Yeah but God mandating murder kinda HELPS doesn't it...?

Murder is amongst the worst of sins, scratch that, it IS the worst of sins.

Well, how do you think Islam spread?;) through peace? Or by attacking other nations, killing people, enslaving their women and children and converting the survivors?

God wills it;)

[QUOTE="Famiking"]

[QUOTE="Trelaf_TheWise"]

Yeah but God mandating murder kinda HELPS doesn't it...?

Trelaf_TheWise

Murder is amongst the worst of sins, scratch that, it IS the worst of sins.

Well, how do you think Islam spread?;) through peace? Or by attacking other nations, killing people, enslaving their women and children and converting the survivors?

God wills it;)

[QUOTE="Famiking"]

[QUOTE="Trelaf_TheWise"]

Yeah but God mandating murder kinda HELPS doesn't it...?

Trelaf_TheWise

Murder is amongst the worst of sins, scratch that, it IS the worst of sins.

Well, how do you think Islam spread?;) through peace? Or by attacking other nations, killing people, enslaving their women and children and converting the survivors?

God wills it;)

The Crusades would've been a better example of 'God' mandating murder.

harm.

What do you guys think?

Acemaster27

harm. almost every war has been religion based. you can't say that is not true in some way. well...you could...but you'd be wrong. pygmahia5

HArm. And I'm not talkign about mass murder. I'm talking about technological advancement.

BumFluff122

[QUOTE="Trelaf_TheWise"]

[QUOTE="Famiking"] How does God mandate murder?

Murder is amongst the worst of sins, scratch that, it IS the worst of sins.

Famiking

Well, how do you think Islam spread?;) through peace? Or by attacking other nations, killing people, enslaving their women and children and converting the survivors?

God wills it;)

So you're fine with conquering other nations in the name of God? Don't you think that's messed up? And I talked about ENSLAVING men,women and children now I know you won't react to that because Islam is fine with enslaving those who you conquered in war.

Islam is a sick religion IMO

Well it certainly helped governments keeping people in check.

[QUOTE="BumFluff122"]

HArm. And I'm not talkign about mass murder. I'm talking about technological advancement.

Kamekazi_69

Religion has done more good than harm. People are better disciplined and are more stable when they have a religion to follow. People who don't follow a religion do not generally have a coherent view on morality, if any whatsoever, which enables them to do harm than good.Genetic_Code

I call B.S. Having a religion does not make one morally superior, it simply means what they assert is their moral code is clearly laid out. Agnostics and atheists are not a bunch of amoral lunatics, they simply don't believe they have to adhere to one dogmatic set of values.

Religion has notiriously held back technological advancement. How does that need explaining? It's common sense. If people believe in an all powerful being that will whisk them away upon death to a land full of lollipops and roses do you really think that the strive toward technological advancement would be there? Heck all you need to do is look at the current situation between homosexual marriage and religious ideologies to see what effect religious ideals have on the world around them.

BumFluff122

[QUOTE="Acemaster27"]

What do you guys think?

illegalimigrant

That's not necessarily true. First off, many people are taking the question out of contect. The question was has religion done more harm than good, not is religion inherently evil. To acknowledge what harm religion has caused throughout history is not to decry your onw faith, it is simply being objective.

[QUOTE="Acemaster27"]

What do you guys think?

illegalimigrant

[QUOTE="Acemaster27"]

What do you guys think?

illegalimigrant

Well, to be perfectly fair, I actually think that a personal belief in God is a generally a good thing. It's organized religion that I sometimes take issue with.

Oh, by the way, I'm an atheist.

They were not conquered in the name of god, they were conquered because those tribes waged war first for various reasons depending on the war. And Islam is not fine with enslaving anyone, but the people will do it anyway and think they're doing the right thing. "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors." [2:190]Famiking

ahh christ:roll: yeah "tribes" conquered because of "various reasons", totally independent of what the Prophet said:roll: Yeah that's why the RIGHTEOUSLY guided Caliphs conquered eqypt, anatolia and persia, yeah islam had NOTHING to do with it:roll: and slavery? give me a break, you can't be serious, go to wikipedia and type "slavery islam", happy reading.

You know what why do I bother? you're gonna defend Islam no matter what because if it wasn't for the divine islamic mandate to conquer those other advanced, rich, fertile civilizations you'd still be living in....well let me stop here..

im done

I call B.S. Having a religion does not make one morally superior, it simply means what they assert is their moral code is clearly laid out. Agnostics and atheists are not a bunch of amoral lunatics, they simply don't believe they have to adhere to one dogmatic set of values.

theone86

Same-sex marriage has nothing to do with technology. Also, don't think that technology is divorced from morality. Technology still has to be utilized through ethical means.Genetic_Code

Religion has done more good than harm. People are better disciplined and are more stable when they have a religion to follow. People who don't follow a religion do not generally have a coherent view on morality, if any whatsoever, which enables them to do harm than good.Genetic_Code

It's an example of how religions can affect the world around them through their belilefs.

BumFluff122

There have been MANY times throughout history when societies turned away from technological advancement and instead their leaders chose to put their faith in religious texts and ran their country base don those texts.BumFluff122

go to wikipediaTrelaf_TheWise

Name one.Genetic_Code

[QUOTE="BumFluff122"]

It's an example of how religions can affect the world around them through their belilefs.

Genetic_Code

There have been MANY times throughout history when societies turned away from technological advancement and instead their leaders chose to put their faith in religious texts and ran their country base don those texts.BumFluff122

And China would be one. Look at Chinese history.

[QUOTE="Trelaf_TheWise"]go to wikipediaMorning_Revival

Ok look it up on wikipedia, and research the facts by using OTHER sources as well. I thought everyone did this

....smartass

[QUOTE="Morning_Revival"]Thats total BS. I dont follow a religion, so that makes me unable to have a coherent view on morality? Just because I dont believe in an invisible dude sitting on a cloud means Im more likely to go on a murder spree? Im sorry but morality has little to do with Religion. Its all about how you were raised and what you grew up around. A child born in Soviet Russia with a good family and a nice town to live isnt going to go on some crazed murder spree.Genetic_Code

To be perfectly fair, correlation does not imply causation.

As it says specifically in the article:

"It's also possible that the correlation between religion and child development is the other way around, he said. In other words, instead of religion having a positive effect on youth, maybe the parents of only the best behaved children feel comfortable in a religious congregation."

Im likely wrong, but perhaps the Amish? I dont really know much about that though, so like I said; Probably wrong.Morning_Revival

I'm backpedling? No I'm not. I gave an example of how religious ideas affect the community. That is all I did. I don't understand how you construe that as backpedaling but whatever makes you happy.

And China would be one. Look at Chinese history.

BumFluff122

To be perfectly fair, correlation does not imply causation.

As it says specifically in the article:

"It's also possible that the correlation between religion and child development is the other way around, he said. In other words, instead of religion having a positive effect on youth, maybe the parents of only the best behaved children feel comfortable in a religious congregation."

chessmaster1989

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

To be perfectly fair, correlation does not imply causation.

As it says specifically in the article:

"It's also possible that the correlation between religion and child development is the other way around, he said. In other words, instead of religion having a positive effect on youth, maybe the parents of only the best behaved children feel comfortable in a religious congregation."

Genetic_Code

Yes, and you would be assuming causation, which is fair. I'm just saying, nothing has actually been proven here.

If you have causation, however, you must have a supporting reason. Why would you speculate that religious children are better behaved than non-religious children, on average?