Religion

eightyfish

Simple poll.

Defining religion as: a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

peabutler

I ain't simple so!!!

Caoimhín

Bad, very bad.

DarkJager

Hmmm...silk duvets & religion - good idea or bad idea? I think it would be a bad cos your jezus would slip off.

Kiera

DarkJager wrote: »

Hmmm...silk duvets & religion - good idea or bad idea? I think it would be a bad cos your jezus would slip off.

Anything sliky as bed clothes is tacky! Undies are a different story

token56

Silly Poll really,

Religion like everything else in this world is not as black and white as good or bad.

seanybiker

oh christ. Not again.

brummytom

Good and Bad.


Good in that religion serves to instill morals in society; and is of comfort and solace to people.


Bad in that it allows evil people to manipulate their positions; and some fanatics twist their religion to suit their own agenda

DarkJager

brummytom wrote: »

Good and Bad.



Good in that religion serves to instill morals in society; and is of comfort and solace to people.


Bad that it allows evil people to manipulate their positions; and some fanatics twist their religion to suit their own agenda

Aren't they the lyrics of an Earth Wind & Fire tune???

Diabhal Beag

Wait for the staunch atheists to come and call us all fools for having faith and following the Vatican.

Its always the same result in every thread.

GrizzlyMan

Bad! Very Very Bad!! Load of Sh1t!!

Although it was good when I was in school as the Religion Teacher was Hot so never missed her class .....and No it wasn't a Nun!!

Corkfeen

I'm an atheist but even I realise that the issues a bit more complex than good or bad. We need more options OP. Historically its done alot of terrible things but also great. In modern times i'd say bad though.

MrStuffins

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

Wait for the staunch atheists to come and call us all fools for having faith and following the Vatican.

Its always the same result in every thread.

FOOOOOOOOLLLS!!

But seriously, there's an entire forum dedicated to this, where people like to discuss it! Bring it there perhaps?

Dravokivich

OP, before you ask us if it's good or bad, can't you tell us what you perceive "religion" to be?

AnonoBoy

eightyfish wrote: »

Simplistic poll.

There you go.

MrStuffins

Originally posted by eightyfish

Religion

- Good
- Bad

Good for some, miniature American flags for others!



(ps, when your username is said quickly, it sounds like Athiest)

Collie D

Good thing I suppose...just not my cup of tea...can't be summed up with ticking one box...the world's not that black and white

eightyfish

Dravokivich wrote: »

OP, before you ask us if it's good or bad, can't you tell us what you perceive "religion" to be?

–noun a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Edit: Changed OP in include definition.

robby^5

brummytom wrote: »

Good in that religion serves to instill morals in society; and is of comfort and solace to people.

Yeah like homosexuality being wrong, great bit o' morality there.

Religion does **** all for morals in society, society is almost always two steps ahead of religion when it comes to morality.

prinz

robby^5 wrote: »

Religion does **** all for morals in society, society is almost always two steps ahead of religion when it comes to morality.

Tell that to the good folk who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

Dravokivich

eightyfish wrote: »

–noun a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Edit: Changed OP in include definition.

Right... well in that regards I'd be of the impression it's neither a good nor a bad thing....

AnonoBoy

Collie D wrote: »

the world's not that black and white

It is if you're a dog Collie D.

eightyfish

Dravokivich wrote: »

Right... well in that regards I'd be of the impression it's neither a good nor a bad thing....

For me, on balance, it's most definitely a bad thing.

EDIT: Mod has added "Neither" option, cheers Mod.

robby^5

prinz wrote: »

Tell that to the good folk who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

The Quakers are the exception, as they still are today in regards homosexuality.

eightyfish

robby^5 wrote: »

Religion does **** all for morals in society, society is almost always two steps ahead of religion when it comes to morality.

I'm with robby on that one. Morals come from society, not religion. Religion adapts to society's changing morals.

The_Minister

Since all the best symphonies are religious (Beethoven's Ninth, that one by Bach etc:pac:) and most of the greatest works of art are religious, I don't think that you can really say religion is 'bad'.


EDIT: And some of the ancient temples are incredible too.

Collie D

AnonoBoy wrote: »

It is if you're a dog Collie D.

Well if you stroke me right I'll lick you...wait, you're a chick, right?

eightyfish

The_Minister wrote: »

and most of the greatest works of art are religious

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but wasn't a lot of the religious Renaissance art funded by the church?

Some amazing work has been inspired by religion indeed. Don't think that's a justification for the subject matter, though. Perfectly possible to appreciate it, especially the music, without belief. Could be argued that without religion, these works wouldn't have come about. Could also be argued that composers will compose anyway, and that was just the common subject matter of the time.

rgt320q

It's all well and good until your "Chosen One" goes to the dark side.

ScumLord

I think religion has been a good thing for humanity, I think it contributed greatly to our assent from a common animal to what we are today. It helped us see beyond our instincts and emotions and think in a much bigger way.

I still think religion can be of use today but nearly all the major religions are corrupted and should be discarded.

GLaDOS

In the past it might have had debatable merit in terms of explaining things we didn't understand to stop people worrying about them.

In modern times I see it as something unnecessary, a little odd at best and frightening at worst.

AnonoBoy

Collie D wrote: »

Well if you stroke me right I'll lick you...wait, you're a chick, right?

I sure am. The clue is in the name!

religion itself no, i'm pretty ok with it
people who misuse it for their own purposes, definitely a bad thing. i'm not sure it can be blamed for being a useful tool though
ach, i don't know

dvpower

prinz wrote: »

Tell that to the good folk who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

... or those bad folk who saw justification for slavery in Christian (and other religion's) doctrine.

Collie D

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I sure am. The clue is in the name!

PM sent

jank

prinz wrote: »

Tell that to the good folk who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

Suuuuuure, Religion especially the western kind has been ultimately been devestating for the world. Tell THAT to the millions of now dead South American Indians!!:rolleyes:

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Religions have their reasons. They are both good and bad. How much of good or bad a religion makes up is unknown to me. I do know that the news we are subject to does not like cheerful, happy, nice reports. It thrives on the evil, hatred and despair in mankind. Right now I percieve all religions to be evil and will one day be the ruin of mankind. There are times that I see the good in religions, but thanks to propoganda, sensationlist bullcrap and the lunatics at the head of some religions, I cannot percieve religion to be anything but evil and therefore bad...

DazMarz

How many wars have been fought, how many people killed, how long has the world been kept in chains, how long do we insist upon deriding and delaying scientific progress... all in the name of religion.

Religion is an insidious and evil entity; a bastion for the weak and those who seek the easy answers. Religion thrives were logic and reason are dismissed.

In the modern world, miracles are those of medicine, engineering and physics. Nobody can walk on water, have six arms, be an omnipotent prophet or do any of the other illogical and false things so many deities profess to have done or profess to be.

With any luck, with progress, the world will be secular within a few generations.

/rant...

TPD

DazMarz wrote: »

How many wars have been fought, how many people killed, how long has the world been kept in chains, how long do we insist upon deriding and delaying scientific progress...

7

Min

DazMarz wrote: »

How many wars have been fought, how many people killed, how long has the world been kept in chains, how long do we insist upon deriding and delaying scientific progress... all in the name of religion.

Religion is an insidious and evil entity; a bastion for the weak and those who seek the easy answers. Religion thrives were logic and reason are dismissed.

In the modern world, miracles are those of medicine, engineering and physics. Nobody can walk on water, have six arms, be an omnipotent prophet or do any of the other illogical and false things so many deities profess to have done or profess to be.

With any luck, with progress, the world will be secular within a few generations.

/rant...

What a simple view of religion.

prinz

robby^5 wrote: »

The Quakers are the exception, as they still are today in regards homosexuality.

Hint: It wasn't just the Quakers... although interesting how you make a blanket rule first and then claim exceptions..

dvpower wrote: »

... or those bad folk who saw justification for slavery in Christian (and other religion's) doctrine.

Indeed. Unfortunately that has nothing to do with the point I was making. Often has it happened that a religious sort has been at the forefront of morality and ethics dragging society with them, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa etc. To claim contrary is just being pig-ignorant.

jank wrote: »

Suuuuuure, Religion especially the western kind has been ultimately been devestating for the world. Tell THAT to the millions of now dead South American Indians!!:rolleyes:

The worst states for mass murder for the last 100 or so years have been atheistic. do you shed a tear for them? Tell THAT to the millions upon millions of now dead.

bonerm

DazMarz wrote: »

How many wars have been fought, how many people killed, how long has the world been kept in chains, how long do we insist upon deriding and delaying scientific progress... all in the name of religion.

.... and how many roads must a man walk down, before you can call him a man ..... kumbaya my lord, kumbaya ......cats in the cradle and the silver spoon ..... yes we have no bananas.

(available now on 5-CDs from Time Life records. Call now.).

robby^5

prinz wrote: »

Hint: It wasn't just the Quakers... although interesting how you make a blanket rule first and then claim exceptions..

I wasn't aware a blanket statement could involve the word "almost".

prinz

robby^5 wrote: »

I wasn't aware a blanket statement could involve the word "almost".

At least you're aware of it now.

robby^5

prinz wrote: »

At least you're aware of it now.

I'm aware of quite a lot of things which are incorrect, yes.

Much appreciated.

piby

“Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful.”

Seneca tells it like it is so I don't have to!!

jank

prinz wrote: »

The worst states for mass murder for the last 100 or so years have been atheistic. do you shed a tear for them? Tell THAT to the millions upon millions of now dead.

LOL you sound just like Bill O'Reilly!
Watch and learn grasshopper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UtwMczGKX8

Degag

brummytom wrote: »

Good and Bad.


Good in that religion serves to instill morals in society; and is of comfort and solace to people.


Bad in that it allows evil people to manipulate their positions; and some fanatics twist their religion to suit their own agenda

Hey , Tom, your still in school aren't you?

Fair play to you, your an astute fcuker.

WildBoots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLHgvk6K2ts

Coriolanus

prinz wrote: »

Tell that to the good folk who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire.

And the one's who fought for it's retention of course.

That's the main problem with religions imo. The texts and beliefs can be twisted to pretty much any motive a man can have. Religion itself is probably overall amoral, it's just how certain people use it to support their goals that makes it look good or bad.

What I mean is, a missionary in Africa would probably be still doing good works somwhere, if a man called Jesus had never existed, and a child raping priest would probably be a child raping priest. The religion has little to do with it imo.

Son Of A Vidic

GrizzlyMan wrote: »

Bad! Very Very Bad!! Load of Sh1t!!

Although it was good when I was in school as the Religion Teacher was Hot so never missed her class .....and No it wasn't a Nun!!

Fcuk, my first religion teacher was really hot and yes she was a Nun!!