It is up for the individuals to choose. Whatever may help you to live right, do that. Religions are like languages, we might speak different words, but we might mean the same thing.

Whatever guides you to live right, follow that, whatever you might believe in.

This post has been edited by Nazirul Hafiy: Oct 29 2010, 09:30 PM

That is not true and it's a over simplification of religious beliefs. If religious beliefs are only as different as languages, we would not have religious wars would we? Hence believers don't really believe and mean the same thing, but what you are effectively saying is all religious beliefs are a version of your religious belief. Would you try, assuming you are a muslim, praying like a christian in a church every sunday?

This post has been edited by SpikeMarlene: Nov 3 2010, 08:41 AM

Ah yes how much my perceptions and views have changed after a mere 7 months.

Agreed!

If all religions promote values that are beneficial for humanity, I suggest science as the religion and we worship technology.

It helps with the moral compass, usually. I wouldn't force a religion to a man's throat, but to those who think a world without a religion is a wonderful utopia, you might have forgotten the abusive nature of mankind to their taken-for-granted-selfish-benefits, i.e. human nature.

There was an idea, which I think it has formed its way into a novel, about a visionary who actually built a city with no religions, no restrictions, no censorship, basically total freedom.

Guess what happened?

Human nature got in the way. And it was discovered that even the absence of religion, is, in ACTUALITY, a religion in human nature itself.

The city falls, only because of one man's vision of a city with no religion. He thought he will enrich man's advancement in science and humanity itself, alas, he did not understand the intangible implications of human nature itself, conveniently forgetting that religion might be just the answer for that.

This post has been edited by Deadlocks: Nov 14 2010, 04:21 AM

that argument is arch-typical and seriously its as good a a hollywood script, bioshock did it lulz. but if i remembered right the tower of babel was the origin

however, religion does have human nature in itself; i dont knowabout you but the bible has a LOT of human qualities. hierachy is one standing point, the prominance of centralised power is very strong in abrahamic religions.

i dont think we have much evidences suggest that without religion we could do better infact some people blaming religion is the reason for technologies to dawdling..i think they busy updating themselves with the latest gadgets till they forget the triumph and the magnitude of the 1st step taken

This is one great example like saying continue with the advancement of technology and this world would become exactly the same as Resident Evil in the future.

In what sense u think a movie/novel/story, with storyline create and control by the author in the way he/she want, can be use to think that human nature is as violent as u say?

People in this world that live their life without religion does not mean they will go against every good teaching in religion,
u should always bear in mind that religion is not the only thing in this world,
we still have virtue, ethics, moral, etc etc.

Therefore, u are almost the same as conclude that swim deeper into the sea and u awake and provoke piranhas to swin up to the surface of the sea for great disaster to happen.

Edit:
Plus, i remember hearing some religious people said something like...
people without religion tend to live in darkness and always feel emptiness, lost of hope, and so on.
But u really gotta find out, how many people in this world live their in a colorful way without religion.

Of course there are people who lost their hope of living,
but religion is not the answer for that.

This post has been edited by anti-informatic: Nov 15 2010, 03:42 AM

No, you don't understand. The novel made it clear that with religion ceased to exist, the moral compass becomes utilitarianism, and with the progress of science and technology, humanity's expectations become higher as well, changing all standards of utilitarianism, conveniently gratifying what may be thier biggest vices, and that is usually SELFISHNESS and GREEDINESS.

That is human nature. Perhaps one or two people in a community will have their own self-created virtues and moralities, but if PEOPLE actually found out that they will have NO CONSEQUENCES to even the SLIGHTEST VICE in their lives, they will partake larger crimes I will assure you.

And your example of Resident Evil is weak. The comunities of Resident Evil are typically like our modern world, with technology co-existing with religion. The novel about the city without religion is an idea of the absence of religion is ACTUALLY a religion unto itself. That means while people do not carry the names of their religion to do their killing, they carry on the ABSENCE of religion, as an evolutionary imperative, that they should have the right to kill someone for they are the superior ones, forever never compromising with those who are weak.

RELIGION = Kill in the name of religion

NO RELIGION = Kill for the sake of evolutionary imperative, i.e. survival of the fittest, as how human nature dictates it.

This post has been edited by Deadlocks: Nov 15 2010, 05:05 AM

as for me, everyone needs religion as me myself do believe in the existance of God. furthermore, its the only way that can truly unites people from diffrent races and background of life.
after all, religion guides the everyone away from wrongdoings, if only they do really devoted to their religion.

Until one kills in the name of religion, then you'll see the debate will start all over again.

The problem isn't really religion.

It is human nature's abusive trait. The ability to distort things as it is for self-profit.

yap, its the mentality and attitude of the believers towards the value of the religion itself.

How does religion unite different race? It caused war so far.

It did. But that's probably not because religion is to blamed, but religion CAN be CONVENIENTLY blamed. Remove religion out of the picture, and you will see war will still happen, and instead of blaming religion, they will simply justify that survival of the fittest is really, the evolutionary imperative for all mankind, hence, justifying war.

This post has been edited by Deadlocks: Nov 15 2010, 11:57 PM

+1

Religion is the cause of the Crusades. It is not a convenient reason. It is the fact why it happened. If u remove religion out of the Crusades, there will be no war.

Fact is there are confrontations of course, and not all of them caused by religion, but there are so religion IS one of the causes of confrontation. War, wuteva the cause is, indeed is the trial of the more powerful or survival of the fittest. Its not because one is holier than the other, like wut holywars believed in.

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Added on November 16, 2010, 12:25 amReligion do not unite races. Take Islam and how it is weak, divided and leaderless. It has been separated into clans, nationality, continents and packs. Do not use Haj as an example because thats what they have to do anyways, for personal salvation and not for the unity of the brotherhood.

This post has been edited by maranello55: Nov 16 2010, 12:25 AM

apparently the discussion has evolved into A -> B -> C -> D -> A

You were discussing the specifics of religion of how it can be used to cause wars.

Yet you forget, of how religion can be distorted, and how religion is actually not perfect.

You may view religion as a perfect guidance as a moral compass, but what you didn't realize about religion is that, it is the ONLY thing to deters humanity's lack-of-intelligence moments when they are at its most emotional state. Those who deny this has no understanding of the human psyche.

I was implying that the human psyches are the causes of sex and violence, hence war, be it with religion or not.

Religion has become a tool for war, and yet you blame it on religion and call it the "cause", when the cause is ACTUALLY HUMAN NATURE.

This post has been edited by Deadlocks: Nov 16 2010, 05:58 AM