Is Religion Evil?

Great Debates
1

As I sit here confused and angry at what has happened in NYC, DC and elsewhere, a strange, troubling thought has entered my head. Could anything but religion inspire this sort of fanaticism? Is religion Evil?

I know I’ve said that the goodness of god is not in the prevention of evil, but in the strength to endure such hardships. I know that these actions can be supported by scriptures only by a warped and labored reading of them. But in the end, one inescapable fact remains: religion, albeit warped, is at the root of many, if not most, of the atrocities in the world.

I want to believe there is a source of goodness. But where its it? Perhaps it is not to be found in religion. Is goodness within us? All of us? Some of us? If good is within us, how does a person become so fanatical as to believe this action, or the OKC bombing or similar actions, are appropriate?

I want to believe it is something other than religion. Is it Power? Certainly there must be some aspect of power involved. But many times it is religion and the Sense of Righteousness that it gives a believer that is the rationale for abusive exercises of power.

I just can’t conceive of this happening outside of a religious context. Without a religious context, there is no strategic advantage to angering the largest, most powerful nation in the world, just ask the Axis Powers. With a religious motivation, the strategic advantage is not necessary, it only matters that you fought for “Righteousness”. You don’t have to win, you only have to fight. Your reward comes in heaven.

2

Good and evil are almost always a matter of perspective.

You can bet that whoever was responsible for today’s attacks believed that s/he was working for the side of good. Dunno if a religion was involved, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

3

People can be evil. Messages which inspire evil can be evil. Religions which advocate this kind of violence are evil.

But is all religion evil because these attacks might be religiously motivated? That doesn’t seem reasonable. Any strongly held belief can be manipulated to cause people to commit evil, if those people aren’t thinking for themselves.

4

which religion?

all of them?

surely not…

5

I must admit that though “evil” doesn’t seem to me to be the better word, I certainly think that religions are both misleading and (at least potentially) dangerous, and that’s why I’m not very accepting of them.

6

Well, let’s see, Stalin, Lenin, Hitler and Mussolini were all atheists! Let’s blame all the atheists!

:rolleyes:

7

Politics can be a motive as dangerous as religion. But at least their motives I can understand, because they’re related to the real world.

If you want to be in my shoes, you must understand that religions makes as much sense for me than fairies. Then try to imagine how you would really feel if there was tons of people around you talking about fairies, living according to the content of fairy tales, arguing about what Grimm actually meant, acting accordingly to what they think fairies would like, etc…You’ll be pretty close to what I think. Now, with still this concept in your mind, look at what has been done, is done and can be done in the future in the name of religion. You’ll perhaps begin to understand why I feel concerned about its existence.

I’ve been brought up as a catholic, so I’ve an insight of what religion and religious feelings are. Very few religious people do have a clue about what an atheist can feel, since they usually give religious beliefs a special status, different from the status they give to, say, beliefs in fairies or ET abductions. They consider it as more respectable, more believable, etc…Once again try to imagine religion being suddenly replaced in all the population by a belief you think makes no sense, it will help you to understand.
Finally, I must had that atheism isn’t a mirror image of religious belief. It’s not an equivalent of religion. It’s not a belief. It’s a lack of belief. It’s a “default” position. It’s actually the same opinion religious people have about 99,9% of beliefs (mythologies, shamanism, ghosts, fairies, flat earth, santa claus, whatever) except that it includes also beliefs that they are familiar with or endorse. Too many people understand atheism as a kind of belief in itself. Atheism is nothing. Saying “Hitler and Stalin were atheists, so let’s blame the atheists” makes as much sense as saying : “hitler and Stalin both had a moustache, so let’s blame people with a moustache”. Probably nor Hitler nor Staline believed in Santa Claus or in fairies. But you wouldn’t make a category of people who don’t believe in fairies. But for some reason, you, and a lot of other people want to make an “atheist” category.

Actually the reason is that most people can’t really get that being atheist isn’t different from being a-fairyist, because you think that religion…or more exactly the myths you’re believing in, as opposed to say, the babyloniam myths…is a peculiar category of belief, which allows to single out people who give to this myth the same unimportance than to the babylonian gods, and consider they belong to some “atheist” group you analize as being too a belief.

8

Just noticed I forgot to point out that the dictators you listed never did what they did in the name of atheism. I’m sure you’re aware that a lot of crimes have been committed in the name of a religion or another.

Which dismiss your comparison…

9

Religion is God’s greatest enemy on earth.

10

I’m trying to think of any great (selfless) good that has been done in the name of relgion.
So far, I’m stuck with the Salvation Army.
Peace,
mangeorge

11

My point was, that religion cannot be soully to blame. I’m saying, that yes, there are religious fanatics, d’uh. But not EVERY religious person is like that-witness Ghandi, or Jesus Christ. Both were pretty cool, peaceful people who preached tolerance and non-violence.

I’m not into organized religion myself, because I think all religions are just different forms of worshipping God.

12

Don’t just blame religion, how about going right for the source?

How could a loving God allow this to happen?

13

Guinastasia: How about putting it this way:
Religious beliefs are not evil. Institutionalised religion is evil. Are you willing to accept that?

clairobscur: I’ll agree that from an atheistic point of view religion is pretty stupid. But stupidity does not equate to … (somebody help me - I can’t find the word I’m looking for) evilness will have to do. I’m leaning much more towards the first statement rather than implying religion is evil just because it’s stupid.

14

Well, that’s fine then. I’m just saying, don’t say all terror in the world is the result of religion, OR atheism. Because neither is entirely true. I often think religion is used as an EXCUSE. It’s usually selfishness, greed and pettiness.
Many people say that violence is the result of “godlessness, and abandoning the Church”, etc etc…other say it’s because of religion. I don’t think either is correct.

15

Guinastasia: I think we’re heading in the same direction - I just misunderstood your original comment. I have to agree with you that religion (or lack thereof) makes a very easy scapegoat.

16

Wow! What a loaded question! One of the best to ever write a word said "History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff,most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it, and seem to derive pleasure from fiddling with it. Evil? Quite possibly in the wrong hands, or any hands. :smiley:

17

You can justify, rightly or wrongly, the murder of one person by calling it revenge, justice, or self-defence.
You can justify the murder of a small group of people the same way.

But to justify mass murder on the scale that we’ve seen today, you’ve just got to have religion as an excuse. The more you believe, the more you can kill. If your god screams “Kill them all for me!” in your head, you hear no other voices, including the voice of reason. Religion trumps reason. Religion outbids mercy. Religion is the joker that kills the game every time. You can use it to justify anything*-squared.

IMHO, of course.

18

I didn’t state that all religious people were like that. I only said that religion was potentially dangerous, and for this reason I distrust it a lot.

19

I wrote in my first post that “evil” wasn’t the right word.

20

Who says that Islamic terrorist groups are motivated by religion? Is there anything in the Islamic religion that says that they have to kill Americans? I would say that they are more likely motivated by the deaths of loved ones or the loss of their homes for which they blame Israel and America.