There are 10 choices, 13 votes for aerozeppelin's debate

Would the world be a better place today if religion had never existed?

I really want to know what people think about this, cause this is something I think about a lot. Do you think the good things that religion brings to the world outweigh the bad, or vice versa? Or is it different for different religions?
  • i think each has its thing
    but in the end i do thin that the existance of religion has done more progress then harm. when we look back into the past and see all the bad things that religion has done over the years more often than not, its an individual thing. its is one guy or girl that has gone into power that all cares about is greed and their own power. then religious teachings themselves have not changes what has changed are the beliefs of those in charge. that still doesnt mean the chrch is inocent of all guilt... they allowed this to happen. plus there will always be extremist sects that basicly want to destroy all evil, that is never gon gto change.
    just because religion doesnt exist doesnt mean they wont find an excuse for what they are doing. at that point you will also have to remember that the world would be a more materialistic than it already is. religion atleast does a good emphases on being agaist materialism. by the way the world would have a religion, called government telling them what they can or cant do. and if that doesnt exist we would all be part of satanism: do what you want, when you want, how you want, becuase you want to. satanism is not tht religion of the satanic, just makeing sure im clear on that (ppl these days).
    15%  Voted for by pnktrky, ragman.
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  • Yes
    The world would be a better place without religeon, because that would mean man had not disobeyed God,not fallen fron grace, and had no confusion as to his existance, nor his personality
    15%  Voted for by Dwn, frndofyaweh.
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  • Absolutely not.
    Religion was a key roll in the development of the worl and its diverse cultures. It's the base of all laws and ethics, and as much as I hate to admit that religion even plays a part in my life, everything around that has order and structure was helped along by the morals and rules in Christianity. I admit, we'd probably have reduced ourselves back to practically knuckle draggers if we hadn't had regligious leaders telling us not to do bad things. I think now that some of us are ready to detach ourselves from the literary security blanket which we call the Bible, but unless we have a strong law base even afterwards, chaos will insue.
    15%  Voted for by Oral Fixation, Weydon.
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  • probly be the same
    if not for religion, mankind would have just found another reason to hate each other...

    it's what we do...
    Voted for by Crazyhead.
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  • Faith and hope
    Everyone believes in something and Faith is the core element of hope.

    Religion is ritualistic(repetative) and also a part of beliefs or faith. Religion really has little to do with changing culture as much as it does changing individuals.

    The question here should really be; "Would the world be a better place today, if belief in God or gods had never existed?

    There is only one answer: It would be a hopeless world.
    Voted for by frndofyaweh.
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  • Difficult to tell
    It can't be denied that over the years religion has brought a lot of violence and persecution. The Crusades in the middle ages, countless people burnt at the stake for supposed witchcraft and other crimes against Christianity, more recently, fighting between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland and Islamist extremist attacks in America and in the UK, to name just a few examples. It really infuriates me when I see something like this on the news and it's done in the name of religion. It seems that of all reasons to commit horrific acts of violence such as 9/11, allegiance to your religion and supposedly loving God and should be the last.

    On the flipside I can see that a faith can inspire people to do good deeds and lead a more honest lifestyle, which they may not have done otherwise. Religion can also envoke a feeling of unity and togetherness in people who otherwise may have had no commonalities at all.

    As an agnostic, I don't feel the need to adhere to a pre-prescribed set of beliefs, or to do good for the sake of appeasing a God or higher being of some sort. I believe that doing good just to make another person's life even slightly better is reason enough. I haven't come to a conclusive answer about this topic though, and like I said, I just want to see what other people think.

    Voted for by aerozeppelin.
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  • What part does religion play?
    I've noticed that people who are deeply religious (in any religion) and find peace in their religion are happy. when a person accomplishes peace in their faith, then religion was needed. In that case religion should exist.

    BUT! i've also noticed people who are hypocritical in their religions. they beleive they're perfect and following the books correctly, but they're not trying to find peace or happiness. those people just say "im doin this right so im gonna get a reward" NO! that's not the way to do it. that kind of mindset brings destruction to our world and that is when religion is bad. the kind of religion that makes you think that you HAVE to do good or you'll be punished.
    Voted for by ButerfliSpirit.
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  • If any part of history had been different
    then we wouldn't exist. The dinasaurs, the meteor that wiped them out 65000000 yrs ago, the surviving mammals which further evolved, world wars, the murder of 6000000 jews. We exist now because of every past event including religious beliefs. And with all these events one could seperate them into categories of good and bad. But the fact that we exist NOW remains. Is our existance now good or bad? Is it good or bad that YOU are alive?
    Voted for by grant.
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  • Depends
    What is your definition of religion?
    Voted for by keyman7.
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  • Depends on the Religion
    Some religions have been more harmful than others. Christianity was behind the inquisition, stopped people from acquiring knowledge during the middle ages and was responsible for the crusades (along with Islam). Buddhism on the other hand, I don't think Buddhism has ever caused any negative effects on society (I could be wrong though).

    However, just because Christianity was a driving force in many of the world's worst events, that doesn't mean that the religion itself is bad, just a lot of the people who claim to practice it. This applies to all religions.
    Voted for by cosmosis.
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