Being a non-believer in any religion, maybe you could enlighten me as to why religion is so great?
136440
the answers (and questions) in the religous section are more straight forward. unlike much moronic , stupid questions and answers contained in other yahoo categories. says a lot for the believers out there if i do say so myself.
260884
i think that people only have a religion because the feel the chaos and random-ness of the world and it scares them.  If you think there is someone who is in control and knows what is going on you feel like they will step in and make sure that u aren't going to get into anything really bad.  i don't belive in god and don't have a religion but if u can make yourself belive in it, i;m all for it.  at your church or temple you have a really great family that will be there for you no matter what and that is nice to have.  also religion gives us a sense of belonging and importance tha we all strive for.  Just as long as you don't use religion to alianate people, it is a good thing.
11411
Well, I'm an Atheist, and I can't tell you how many times I wished I believed. It would really make life a whole lot easier. But I can't, I already feel that there is no greater being, and I'm not about to change that. So often I notice that people will respect people of diffrent religions, but they won't respect Atheists.
284916
Why do people always assume that athiests are nonbelievers out of ignorance? A lot of us are learned enough about various religions to have the capacity to question the beliefs man has created for himself.
601303
I don't belong to any denomination:\n\nBuddhists are a very peaceful and calm religion that makes claims supportable by science and they do not discourage learning. Buddhist monks must live off the land and I like that.\n\nJudaism brought a lot of sense into this world. WHen not taken literally Tonah is one of the best scientific books ever written and Torah gave spiritual and moral guidence to billions of people. It is a very intelectual and stable religion which is really tolerant of others.\n\nChristianity has some of the greatest humane principles around and those who truly live by those principles are very nice people.
298098
No, religion, for most people, is a way of explaining things that are essentially unknowable.  Does life have meaning?  What happens to us after we die?  Is there any reason to be ethical, even when we see others apparently succeed by being unethical? Why is so much of life a matter of pain and suffering? Etc., etc.  Religions attempt to provide answers to those questions, and therefore they are a comfort to their believers.
615594
No, it doesn't make sense. It's another (of many) reasons people have non-belief. Why would anyone want to believe in a higher power that would punish them, even if they were good people and led very positive lives, just because they didn't acknowledge the existence of or worship that higher power? Not appealing to think the common example of a god is thinking "I don't care how wonderful you are, since you won't bow to me I'm gonna punish you". *shakes head*
558685
I am atheist, so I do not love any god.  I am atheist, so I love humanity, individuality and respect for life.
110260
Human nature. Also, atheists might enjoy talking about religion more, even if they don't beleive in any.
264678
I don't have a religion...I see no proof that a god does exist so until I see proof I choose to not believe...There are way too many bad things happening in the world to think that somewhere there is a god/higher being that could make it be better and just chooses to do nothing.
140601
Not in the traditional sense, I believe that there are things outside our five senses that we have yet to discover. Exactly what these things might be could entail superior "talents" (esp and the like) but I don't think any being takes any special interest in our activities. I do go to church on occasion much for the same reasons that I go to other social events like cocktail party's and barbeque's because there is some human contact that I find satisfying.   I do not have any "religious book" but I do read the Bible, Koran, and Talmud on occasion. The have a wealth of general knowledge, are beautifully written, and because so many people base their lives on the content it is important to understand what they believe.
279879
Personally I'm agnostic. But the category is religion not atheism. That's probably why.
12209
because it's pointless to get into a fact based argument with a religious person. You have 'faith' in your religion - which means you believe what it tells you NO MATTER what else you may see or hear. That's why non-religious folks tend not to get into it with you.
572498
When you are absolutly sure in what your personal beliefs are , you can find happiness . \nReligion is a "tool" that some opt to use.\nOthers do not need it as they are able to find inner peace.
239838
I'm not an Atheist but I am Agnostic and no, I wouldn't sell my soul to anyone. If you can show me something solid, that I can see, touch, and feel I would be a full on believer in God, Christianity, Jesus, whatever you got. One thing that would make me believe in a heartbeat would be for me to see someone come back from the dead. I can see them and touch them. Until then all I can do is hope there is a God and that he forgives me because I didn't believe someone could give us this world and pain that we all go through out of love. I wonder, I am a thinking human being and I wonder how I got here. I understand that people have their strong feelings about religion and to them have seen miracles. But I can honestly tell you that I have seen many miraculous things as well but they could come from the earth for all I know. If you want to believe, believe. Its OK. But you shouldn't jump on others who haven't made their minds up yet. Isn't that what that "you shouldn't throw your pearls before swine" thing in the Bible is all about? I know that it hurts you because you believe but there is actual validation as to why others don't. Just look around you, its not a nice place.
386897
I was raised catholic and taught not to question. - but never told it was a sin. When I became sort of evangelical I was encouraged to question "why do I believe what I believe". I even studied other religions over the last 15 years because it seemed like religious faith was a significant part of who many people are at their core and their cultural background. It was very fascinating. But, I also discovered there are absolute truths out there.\n\nI think some religious leaders think it is dangerous to "dabble" a little bit in a whole bunch of different religions because it's a "smorgasboard" approach. The danger lies in believing that we are all ultimately believing in the same God - (which would be very comforting) - but in fact we are not. There are fundamental beliefs in each major religion that just are not compatible with each other. For example, it is not logical to believe in BOTH reincarnation and the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. You also cannot claim to be monotheistic and accept the polytheistic religions' gods at the same time - as you may be insulting one or some of the gods by doing that. \n\nIn the end - it is good to question. Just be very thorough in your research and questioning rather than just picking and choosing based on what's easiest to believe in (or finding something "better"). Frankly, it's probably easiest to be a hedonistic atheist - than a follower of ANY religious faith because most want you to be a "self-LESS" person dedicated to a higher moral way of life. Please note that not all atheists are hedonistic.\n\nThere ARE absolute truths out there and if you are earnestly seeking the God that is historically correct and proven through thousands of documents - then you CAN find the One True God.
298312
Well really, in my opinion, you shouldn't. However I think I understand why religion exists. It started to give answers to difficult questions (what happens when we die, why do storms occur etc.). People liked it because they were afraid of being mortal and by becoming religious they could believe that when they died they simply went somewhere else. Religion then began being used by intelligent people to control large amounts of people (i.e. attack that tribe, they're evil or work hard to avoid hell). In christianity, when the bible was translated and publicised, some people took religion into their own hands and used it to give themselves confidence and give meaning to their lives.