So my cousin posted this picture on facebook, & it got me thinking. Does religion do more good or bad. 9-11 3,000+ people dead in the name of god, millions upon millions all murdered or killed in gods name. Family's broken, fathers won't talk to sons, brother don't associate with other brothers all because of religion.
If your open minded and like to read, I recommend reading "God is not great. How religion poisons everything." One of the most interesting books I have read recently.
What do you all think?
Horrible things have been done in the name of God and religion, but to say that religion poisons everything is a bit extreme. Many, many good things have come about because of religion, both on a large scale and individually.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to look at the flipside. What has the absence of religion produced? Atheism certainly has it's share of horrors, and those far outweigh the horrors religion has produced. The estimates for the death tolls brought about by atheistic regimes in the past century are mind-boggling.
When it comes down to it, people can take any idea and use that as an excuse to do whatever they want. If they believe in God, then God sanctions their actions. If not, then what they are doing is for the good of mankind or society. Same result.
I think it is unfair to say that true religion produces those atrocities.
ReplyDeleteTake for example 9/11. Most muslims were infuriated to learn about the acts of the extreme jihadists. They claim that their relgion has been 'hijacked' and used for a political agenda. You can say the same thing about the Catholic crusades.
True religion teaches eternal truths (regardless of the denomination). Are there negative consequences of imperfect relgion? Of course. But I tend to agree with Mark, relgion has provided our world with a belief in eternal truths. Those who claim that religion is not necessary for them seem to ignore the fact that they are a product of a culture that is founded upon thousands of centuries of religion. How could they possibly fathom a world without religion?