Religion is the opium of the masses.
God cannot be all powerful for he cannot build a wall he cannot jump.
Discuss.
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Well it depends on the way you look at it.
Personally, I think religion is a good thing. If everyone in the world was a good Christian, Jew, or Muslim, the world would be almost a utopia. There would be no murder, no crime, no dishonesty, etc.
In response to the first quote: Well, it's true. Except it's a little better since it doesn't do bodily harm. Religion gives hope and ability to get through difficult times in life. I could not imagine getting through a death in the family without God.
Wow, nice choice of quotes. :D I'm not a very religious person myself, but for those that can not or do not know how to develop a proper set of morals, it is possibly the most useful form of restraint known to humanity. Without it, there really wouldn't be much to stop murder, theft, rape, etc. However, taken to extremes, religion can be used as a justification for pretty much anything. Ex: catholics attacking abortion clinics, muslim extremists in the Middle East, etc. Anyway, about your quotes. The first one is entirely true. Religion is a form of release and an explanation for the horrors that befall mankind every day. As for the second, that quote seems to exist only to spark controversy, so I'll leave that one alone.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt" - Abraham Lincoln
Opium good!
"To many people spend money on things they don't need, to impress people they don't like, with money they don't have."
"When all else fails read the directions."
Religion is the opium of the masses.
It's true. Not to say it causes lasting harmful effects. But yes, it does help people move on. To believe there is a "greater power" gives hope to people. But at the same time, it's also like opium because sometimes it blinds people to the human reality we face. Neither extreme (no religion v. all religion) is good because one could make you unbearably depressed and the other could make you unbearably blind.
All very good points, but I would like to "attack", if you will, one specific point.
Religion doesn't get rid of dishonesty and inmorality and whatnot. "True" or "good" religious people don't necessarily embody those exact characteristics. They are not mutually exclusive. I am atheist, and I would like to believe that I am an honest person and that I have high morals. One must not turn to religion to acquiere such characteristics.
Quote:One must not turn to religion to acquiere such characteristics.
Umm.... No one said you needed to. I specifically said that religion was a "safety" if a person can not or does not know how to maintain their own moral code. Mike200 said that those three religions, if followed correctly, would eliminate murder, theft, and dishonesty. If you follow any of those three religions moderately, it strictly forbids all of the above. ;)
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt" - Abraham Lincoln
Quote:ossibly the most useful form of restraint known to humanity Err, i think that law enforcement probably would be, lol just because there's a real incentive not to go to jail...Eh, i'm buddhist. heh, in any case...moving on...
Quote:Err, i think that law enforcement probably would be, lol just because there's a real incentive not to go to jail..
Telling someone that they are going to burn in hell for eternity or that they will be reincarnated as something they hate is going to have a MUCH stronger effect than sending them to jail for a couple days. Unless, of course, the person is an atheist, in which case you'd have to hope they have their own values, or will at least obey the law.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt" - Abraham Lincoln
haha exactly - the law is probably more important because not only does it add to the religious consequences it also poses consequences for the "real life" or w/e...
myopichappiness wrote:haha exactly - the law is probably more important because not only does it add to the religious consequences it also poses consequences for the "real life" or w/e...
kinda. I still think threatening someone with life in jail has a lot less impact than telling them that the rest of eternity for them is gonna be horrible. like I said, if you believe there's something more after death, and that your actions in life affect how that works out, you're probably gonna be more willing to go to jail for a few decades than you are to put one toe across religious boundaries.
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt" - Abraham Lincoln
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