07-11-2017, 10:32 AM
People remember what is most recent. Most recently, religion in the form of Muslim extremists has been the cause of much death and suffering of innocent people. Things like the crusades and the inquisition also come to mind a mainly religion based dark events. Even the holocaust was based upon religion under a larger umbrella of a power and resources grab by Hitler. But again all these instances fall under the heading of separating humans by group. I think that is the greatest harm religion does. People claim religion brings people together....and it does. But at the same time, it is also separating people as they are coming together as part of that group.
The biggest problem I have with religion is that each one claims to be "the way". Obviously this cannot be the case given the many different religions. There very well may have been some divine inspiration at the beginning of humankind, but the fracture of religion into so many subsets means that "truth" was fractured also. Each religion may contain elements of the truth, but no one religion is now the entire truth. People need to realize that we are all part of the same whole, and that what you do to others you are simply doing to yourself.
Morality itself is relative. What one religion considers moral, another considers amoral. I think humans naturally become more moral as we become more civilized. If religion disappeared today, I don't think we would be any less moral than we are now. If you do think that, then you are admitting that religion is based in fear....fear of eternal damnation. I have contended for quite some time that religion is based more in fear than in love. And that is the other problem I have with it. Nothing based inherently in fear can be good for humans.
The biggest problem I have with religion is that each one claims to be "the way". Obviously this cannot be the case given the many different religions. There very well may have been some divine inspiration at the beginning of humankind, but the fracture of religion into so many subsets means that "truth" was fractured also. Each religion may contain elements of the truth, but no one religion is now the entire truth. People need to realize that we are all part of the same whole, and that what you do to others you are simply doing to yourself.
Morality itself is relative. What one religion considers moral, another considers amoral. I think humans naturally become more moral as we become more civilized. If religion disappeared today, I don't think we would be any less moral than we are now. If you do think that, then you are admitting that religion is based in fear....fear of eternal damnation. I have contended for quite some time that religion is based more in fear than in love. And that is the other problem I have with it. Nothing based inherently in fear can be good for humans.
