Do religions pressure adherants to remain ignorant on a wide variety of issues ?
927503
Oh, yasss!  When I was a'preachin' I didn't want my parishioners to think for themselves, I wanted them to listen to me and do as I told them God expected them to do.  I was an absolute dictator, and they blithely accepted the excrement I fed them and opened their mouths for more.  I got out of the preachin' business, got my head out of my behind and realized what I was doing and that there is no God - and my former parishioners remain as ignorant and unquestioning as before.  If I tried to tell them the ugly truths I learned about religion, they'd not just walk away,  they'd RUN away!  Fear.  It has worked for untold centuries.  It works today.  Just listen to George Bush prattle about the terr'ists about to rain down uponst us with WMDs and musshoom clouds 'n all that wickedness.  Almost half the electorate still falls for his scare tactics - witness how many voted Republican last Tuesday!  Naw, it ain't a natural byproduct, it's deliberately and cynically manufactured, this pervasive fear factor.  Looky there: terrists!  WMDs!  Nukular weapons!  BOO!
172505
Some religions help, some religions hurt. There is truth and there is error. And even among those who know the truth, some are not willing to live it.
701719
Not at all. No beliefs, no probelms!\n\nKnowledge is the answer. Ignorance is the root of all evil.
70180
That's the million dollar question isn't it.  In my experience, the people who don't have logical issues with their beliefs are believing in certain abstract aspects of the religion.  if you take any given part literally, your beliefs will come under attack all the time, because of different interpretations of that aspect.
893034
I would not say we don't have a clue.\nBut I will say we do not know everything and wont ever know everything.\nI think if most believers didn't try to push there beliefs down other peoples throat's we would all live better and get along better.\nI never claim to know everything.\nI know what I believe and don't believe but I dont push it off on people and if someone ask I tell them but I dont think I should sit and preach.
595694
Because there are many ignorant people out there who let one incident decide their judgement about a religion.  There are also some narrow minded people who feel that their religion is what everyone should be.
739891
I agree with most of the above. The things you say hold true for most believers ( in any religion). Their religion seems to make them intolerant. You are able to discern between what is reality and what is said in a very old book. Times change but the religions do not change with them, thus making a lot of religious people stay behind in the doctrines of their religion which were made thousands of years ago.
175064
Well, here is a definition from http://www.dictionary.com:\nsec·u·lar·ism    \nn. \nReligious skepticism or indifference. \nThe view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education.\n\nSo, I would say that, as far as this relates to public education, it would be teaching that excludes religious teaching or exploring religious themes in education.  It would also exclude teachings of religious beliefs concerning creation, evolution, law, history, and would also exclude religious literature.  Many of these things have huge impact on the way people in the world relate to one another, so it would influence the way different cultures relate to each other, and actually smudge the spectrum of cultural differences.  Since much of our history can be found in religious writings, there will be some impact on the understanding of historical references.\n\nI've written these things quickly.  Hope it makes sense to you.
1056755
How about bigots who ask ignorant questions?
868320
Yes, religion encourages reason relied on authority. Consequently clouding objectivity.
115632
Yes.\nReligion is just another political group with figure heads representing its constituants.\n\nall ideas should be questioned.  especially when those ideas are cited when causing harm to other groups of people.
1032239
Depending on where you live, religion might be a choice or enforced. I agree to a point with what you are saying but, if people were to simply filter out and use ONLY the morality, spirituality and common sense religion CAN teach one, then I say teach away. Unfortunately the belief in the intangable is rampant even in this modern day and age.
577158
You obviously don't know much about anything, do you?  Every religious books talks about a diversity of topics.  That doesn't mean they advocate something in particular.  You are just making up trash to discredit something you do not have the intellect to comment about intelligently.\n\nHave fun trying to paint within the lines.
874110
People manipulate religion to what they want it to mean
478327
I'm an atheist.\n\nNo. My parents raised me Catholic.\n\nI believe strongly that I'll have another beer.\n\nYes, people can be ignorant.\n\nYes, I am ignorant of almost everything.  My knowledge represents an infinitesimal portion of all possible knowledge.\n\nNo.  I see no difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals other than there sexuality, which is none of my business.\n\nI don't like religion.  I think they are all stupid, but monotheism poses the greatest political threat to me at this point of history.\n\nMy remorse/sympathy/empathy, is independent of religious beliefs.  I really could care less what people believe as long as those beliefs do not threaten me.  If they do, then let the fu*kers die.
751186
I agree that it's very tiresome when people ask a reasonable, civilised question and get a rant in reponse (e.g. Noor's response to this question).\n\nBut on the other hand some people do ask questions that seem designed to wind up people of other faiths, and it's not surprising when people get wound up as a result.\n\nI think people's idea of what constitutes a challenging question and what constitutes a deliberate insult often differ.\n\nBut I think we should all try to get over this - after all this forum could be a really good place to build some real understanding among people of different faiths and no faith at all.
608615
Religions don't have to struggle that much. They find it easy enough to share their stories, and with every group you speak to probably about half of them will listen to the stories, and half of that half will probably believe the stories.\n\nIts not difficult to share the stories, its just that most people simply want everyone to believe what they believe because they think its true so everyone else should!!