Why is religion such a cutthroat game in todays society?
913659
I think its sad how quickly people think they are being persecuted just by hearing preaching. To claim you are being persecuted by someone saying you need to be saved really is an insult to the people in history who have endured true persecution - who have been physically tortured, their possessions and houses confiscated, their family imprisoned, mocked publicly and even murdered. The fact that some religious people may deliver sermons on the streets and publish books and whatever else is not a sign of persecution, it is a sign that we have gotten away from oppression and have opened the door to the free-exercise of religion and, consequently, the freedom of conscience. The cost of that freedom is that you have to endure seeing and hearing people who want to propagate their faith, but you do not have to fund their ministry, attend their assemblies, read their books, or pray to their deity. If I see a person of a different religion praying in a public park, I don't cry out that I'm being persecuted, I smile, glad in the fact that they are worshiping their God while I am not being forced to.  I think its great to see public displays of one's religion.
1029963
Ahh, religion is full of guilt and rewards... A little too conveinient wouldn't you say...  Religion is man made, so it is full of the wildest dreams that man can have...
276714
Probably something to do with religion, christ etc. There are an awful lot of religious wackos out there.
738092
Religion. It breeds competition, greed, hate, and negative control.
506901
Consider this:\nA society is capable of surviving for thousands of years unless it is attacked from within or without by hostile forces. Where such an attack occurs, the primary targets are it's religious and national gods and heroes,it's potential of leadership and the self respect and integrity of it's members.\nIf you look around you , you will find countless examples of these points. They scream at us every day from the newspapers and TV.\nProbably the most critical point of attack on a culture is it's religious experience. Where one can destroy or undermine religious institutions then the entire fabiric of the society can be quickly subverted or brought to ruin.\nFor the last hundred years or so religion has been beset with relentless attack. You have been told it’s the “opiate of the masses “, that it’s unscientific, that it is primitive, in short , that it is a delusion.\nThe source of this kind of attack is always covert and hidden. It is promoted by a few who have a vested interest in a slave society.\nUnfortunately these few rely on creating fear and insecurity in others\nto forward and promote their enemy propaganda. These others feel correctly they have to defend themselves from an attack, but because the real enemy is hidden, they can be manipulated to attack what they really should be defending as they cannot see the real enemy.\n\nThe key here is that underneath all these attacks on organised religion there is one fundemental target:\nThe spirituality of man, your own basic spiritual nature, self respect and peace of mind.\n\nThe answer is to confront and isolate the real enemy (internal and external) to your goal.\nThere is a hidden 3rd Party that deliberately creates conflict. It needs to be exposed.\nAll global conflict and national  and religious conflicts will then fade out, since ultimately at least 80% of us are seeking the same goal.
131736
Religion sets out certain social rules and procedures which are essential for a civilized society. But the interpretation of these by individuals narrows the overall sphere to their knowledge on the religion. It is essential to follow the religion but not to the intrepretaions.
1133646
Simple people are afraid of what they don't know and don't understand. Isn't it so much easier to go to church and swallow down all that brainwashing that they feed them? \nOf course it is - it doesn't require thinking with their own heads, it doesn't require reading and learning and researching and making mistakes and developing themselves...\nThey just get taught a pretty story and told it is the only truth. What an ideal world, isn't it?! Too bad it's ot that simple. \n\nPeople have been deceived and brainwashed through centuries and millenia. We can't expect them to suddenly start thinking. Organised forms of religion have caused much too much damage by burning everyone who dared to ponder another side of truth...
516647
Because they believe in god.  I've found that people that believe in god tend to get upset really quickly.  Especially in the middle east.  They beat women with sticks if they show their ankles or drive a car.  They shoot you if you draw a cartoon and call it Muhammad.  BTW, Here's my depiction of him  []8^(>>>\n\nReligion gives people an outlet to take out their own frustrations on other people.  Just the same that a good dead baby joke does.
207947
There are religions all over the world. People need to believe in something & they need to be controlled.\nIt is the same with all religions.
1116052
Because when we were young our parents infused some false and true things into our brain that made us believe. We want to fit in with a group, so we pick whatever religion we like. And we know when we are young that if we don't like the religion, than we are in trouble.\nAlso, people WANT to believe in an afterlife, and a good one or they know they will be scared as heck. Then they get used to the fear, and are overcome by the "evidence" that the religion is completely true. Like i've said before, religions are completely man-made, and those men/ women have also done bad things in their lives. The bad things just aren't officially in documents to make them look good.\n\nThis is my opinion...
1050120
You have a very good point, and I completely agree with you on this topic. If we try and force out beliefs down their throats we are no better than "the Bible thumper's". Religion is a group of people believing in the same thing, and faith is your own personal belief in something. That's how I see it, and I try not to debunk any ones beliefs, but I will admit there are times where I am really tempted to try. Yet it is still wrong to say that some ones religion is right and some one elses is not.\n\nBlessed Be.
1037610
If you look deeply into what the christian religion is, you'll find its a means of controlling, through fear of damnation, the general public.  the best way of controlling  people is convince them that they have a common enemy,  the devil.  Its motivates people to do things they wouldn't normaly do like kill other humans or give all their money to a church.  Anyone who doesn't believe in the church degrades the churches power over people and therefore must be hated.  This includes pagans.  That's a very very condensed version and I hope it still made sense.
943714
Memetics, mostly. Religions employ fear, and have been naturally selected to do so in the meme pool, which has helped them to survive. \n\nThe second biggest reason is indoctrination of children. "Get 'em while they're young and won't know any differently" way of doing things.\n\nBeyond that, there is a vast body of MISinformation about science (particularly evolution) that clouds the progress of those who do dare to question their religion. Sites like "Answers in Genesis," and books like, "The Case for Christ," deal in intellectual dishonesty and bad science. \n\nAnd, unfortunately, without having been exposed to principles of rational thought or logic, most people that read such things and accept them without checking the facts.
557622
Because religion is a big social club and subsequently its members are subject to the mental conditioning of their leaders.  If leaders preach hate, their followers will become hateful.  Within a congregation people are given the right to be prejudiced against other groups who are not "saved".  Members are also lulled into thinking that their sins are forgiven, so a license to do evil is handed out to all who solidly believe.  We are all prejudice in the privacy of our homes, even if we do not admit it.  Religion just brings it out of people.
741758
This is very true. The problem is people using religion to justify their actions. It is very easy to say that I did what I did because God wanted that way; include a few bible verses that are compatible with your actions, and you are good to go. How can anybody that believes in God try to argue?\n\nBy the way, you see this all over the bible. God said attack and kill all. God said keep the virgins. God said to kill a bunch of kids. Some of the most terrible things in history were based on religious grounds. \n\nWe do not want to go back to those days, because then everyone will have a reason to go against everyone.
612453
Have you ever heard the expression, "practice what you preach"  They have never learned that.\nMost religion is a puppet of the country that it lives in and rulers like to cause war because they are greedy.\nThey find something wrong with some country, sees them as a threat.  That gets people stirrred up.  Then the leaders say let's takem.  They are going to fight, their familys don't go to fight.  But, when the battle is over and they have what they want.  Their happy and tell the people you saved the world, so their happy.  In other words people are real stupid and let religion be used by the government as a tool for war.  If they would study history.
5732
I believe there are differences in religions because otherwise we wouldnt have so many problems affeecting mankind today....religion is about serving the grand creator....worship that is pure and is based on the principles from the bible and not mans thinking....religions today do not live by bible principles