Why does the world need religion?

S

soccer_12

Guest
Please answer a question that has been troubling me for quite sometime.

I could see why the world needed it long ago when times were tough and people looked for a solution. Now as the world moves on it seems like religion is holding us back, creating conflicts and isn't doing much good anymore.
 
lol it is not a matter of whether we need it or not; the fact is that it is there.  Whether you are a religious person or not there is always conflict; and it doesn't matter what religion you are, whether you are Buddhist or Chrisitan, because it will always be here on earth.
 
Yeah its not the fact that we need it (from a literal/non religious POV) but the fact that it is there, it has always been there and always will be. Simply put the world doesn't "need" religion it just has it..always has always will.
 
if youlook at moral decay in the USA Children becoming more unrulely and the randomness of murders, as well as tragic events like columbine, none of this was happening one hundred years ago, the reason I feel this has happened is because the schools and society are telling kids that they are nothing more than an animal who has survived and come to the top of the food chain and it doesnt matter what you do, push who ever you want down aslongas it brings yourhead up a little higher. whats the value of a human life if we are nothing more than a mere acciedent, of random chance.
 
What is this weird perception that people have that the world is in a spiral of decay? Times aren't getting worse - they're getting better. Frankly too many people go around with a rosetinted idea of how great the fifties were - forgetting that the fifties actually benefited a rather limited subset of the population. For example, the prosperous fifties in America must be kept in perspective with the remembrance that only the white middle and upper class actually had it good back then. The african american's still had segregation and no vote! Inner city children had virtually no schooling, and working class lived on the brink of poverty!

Just remember - people have never been as Christian as they were in the 14th century. And life has been getting better and better for all of us just about every year since then!
 
Watching the 6pm news produces more evidence for LoJs position then Eons.

And Eon, just because people in the 14th Century called themselves Christians doesn't mean what they were doing was actually in line with Christian doctrine.
 
Soccer, some people feel they have some kind of missing part to em, some use drugs n alcohol but useally doesnt help. and people find that hole fixed when they practice a religion. thats me 2 cents
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (LionOfJudah @ Jan. 17 2004,12:09)]if youlook at moral decay in the USA Children becoming more unrulely and the randomness of murders, as well as tragic events like columbine, none of this was happening one hundred years ago, the reason I feel this has happened is because the schools and society are telling kids that they are nothing more than an animal who has survived and come to the top of the food chain and it doesnt matter what you do, push who ever you want down aslongas it brings yourhead up a little higher. whats the value of a human life if we are nothing more than a mere acciedent, of random chance.
Click to expand...
Yes but the US is probably one of the most religous contries in the world and in other parts of the world there isn't as much violence, there has always been and always will be violence in youth. I don't think that its the teachers falt that it is increasing, it is the parents responsiblity to raise their children properly it doesn't have to be by going to church they can teach there children what is right and what is wrong without religion. But I guess that some people need a fix to their problems and religion is a place to turn too. It is not the only place but it seems to be a popular one. It just that with all these people taking all there religions to the extreme which were created hundreds of years ago which do not usually follow modern ways in most cases. The most deadly people are people who have been brianwashed by religous leaders, who want power, using religion as a tool to control us.
 
yes thats very true soccer religous leaders have brainwashed people. like the sucide bombers that target isreal are promise 70 virgins in heaven (i heard allah was running out though :p), and mormans think they get to have their own planet, or is that later day saints oh well. yes their is diffrent brianwashign that goes on, however Christianity is really not a religion, its a life style and a personal relationship with Jesus.

and BTW WELCOME TO CGA
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]James 4:4
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
Click to expand...
Maybe the US is one of the most religous countries in the world. And maybe it is one of the most evil. But I've never been anywhere else and can't really say.
Religon has always made conflicts, if you are refering to the conflicts in Iraq today, i think those are more because of oil. However, the crusades were purely about religon. Many times I do things that are hipocritical of christianity, I sin and then I go and do it again and try to change, but its not always easy. Times were tough and people were looking for a solution. I say times still are tough. Not necessarily for me, I've had one of the easiest lives so far out of anyone I know. I said easy, not good. Alot of the times, I don't do enough for God. I don't read my bible as much as I should. I don't do devotions whole heartedly, mostly just to get them done. Really, religon hasn't made that much of a difference in my life. But God is real, and hes not big on religon. He doesn't care as much as we think he does about what denomination I am, or what the mission statement of the church I go to is. I think he cares more about my relationship with him. And He does make a difference in my life.
 
hehehehe for me i prolly should read my Bible more often. i dislike rereading everything though. and devotions i never really understood. now with Iraq is mainly a political thing on how Iraq broke varuos rules of the U.N. and is now paying for it. weither or not he had WOMD he still broke enough rules to be invaded and taken over. now the oil thing is just kinda a perk
tounge.gif
 
The conflict in Iraq wasnt what I was refering to but most of the middle east is controlled by so called musliuem extremists who are using the Khiran (sp?) as a way to control the people.

Anyways the thing I'm getting at is that why do you need to practice a religion, does it really make a difference to read a book, go to church, not to eat a certain food, wear a certain symbol, be afriad if you don't applogice to God for making a mistake. As far as I see it, you can be a good honest person and have a more enjoyable life, have more free time and not feel different than others, without religion and without God.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (soccer_12 @ Jan. 18 2004,9:41)]The conflict in Iraq wasnt what I was refering to but most of the middle east is controlled by so called musliuem extremists who are using the Khiran (sp?) as a way to control the people.  

Anyways the thing I'm getting at is that why do you need to practice a religion, does it really make a difference to read a book, go to church, not to eat a certain food, wear a certain symbol, be afriad if you don't applogice to God for making a mistake.  As far as I see it, you can be a good honest person and have a more enjoyable life, have more free time and not feel different than others, without religion and without God.
Click to expand...
This is true. For a while, you can feel good, and have a great time without God.

For a while. Sooner or later though, the time comes when it's time to pay your bill. Judgement comes with death. There is no way around this. Sin and the care free lifestyle you espouse, comes at a price and a heavy debt. The question is, has your debt been paid or not. I know mine has.

But let's forgo the eternal rewards of following Christ, and think of just this existance.

A majority of God's laws allow you to live a happier and healthier life.

A prime example is sex. It's been proven that if you wait until you are married to have sex, you are statistically going to have more, better sex, than promiscous single and married people who were promiscious prior to marriage.


And to answer your question. Yes it does matter. Reading a book, helps us to see the sin in our lives. Going to church, helps us to relate and strengthen each other. Eating a certain food? That's actually a hit at foods that often carried harsh parasites that we now know how to prepare properly.

And it's not apologizing to God for making a mistake. To apologize means that we EXPECT to be forgiven, that we are on equal footing with the person that we are apologizing to. Safe in the knowledge that said person has probably done something similar to someone else. We can't apologize to God. God is a perfect being, we do not DESERVE the forgiveness He bestows upon those who merely ask for it.


Why does the world need religion? It doesn't. But each of us NEEDS Christ. Each of us NEED a relationship with the Creator and His son. And each of us NEED to seek out that Son, and ask for His blood to cover our debts, with the small payment of following His teachings, which are neither hard nor troublesome. Now if you call that a religion or a relationship is up to you. Yet it doesn't change the fact that Christ is needed.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (soccer_12 @ Jan. 18 2004,9:41)]The conflict in Iraq wasnt what I was refering to but most of the middle east is controlled by so called musliuem extremists who are using the Khiran (sp?) as a way to control the people.  

Anyways the thing I'm getting at is that why do you need to practice a religion, does it really make a difference to read a book, go to church, not to eat a certain food, wear a certain symbol, be afriad if you don't applogice to God for making a mistake.  As far as I see it, you can be a good honest person and have a more enjoyable life, have more free time and not feel different than others, without religion and without God.
Click to expand...
You see... thats why we can't establish a good solid arguement... because I believe my God is real and you don't.  All you see religon as is something that people use to control other people and in many cases that may be true.  But there are things that I can't deny.  Thing that I've seen, things that I've heard, thing that I've felt that make me know that God is real.  It's not about being afraid of not apologizing to God.  Its not about reading a book or going to church.  (While those things are good)  And its most certainly not about having the most "enjoyable" life by what you mean.  I take it to mean that you mean a life without rules and morality (neccesarily).  But you said that being a "good honest person" was important to you.  Why?  I mean if there really is no God than why in the first place do you have morals?  You might say that the world tells you that good people with good lives have good morals and because of that, that you value morals.  But if you think back to a time before you really knew anything, anything at all about the world, I think you will find that you had morals to begin with.  You might call it a "conscience."  Over time of course, after sin, your conscience would go away. Its the little voice in your head that tells you not to do whats wrong and to do whats right.
      Anyway, one of my favorite verses is this
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Click to expand...
 Satan represents the theif in this verse and Jesus Christ was the one speaking it.  I don't think he was just talking about eternal life.  I think he ment that life on this earth would be the best if we followed him.
 
Good person? There are no good people. We all fall way short of that, religion has nothing to do with it. How can you yourself tell whether your a good person or not? I mean truly no one is gonna say Im a horrible person who does bad things (unless of course your like a maniac or devil worshiper which gets back into religion).

Good person? By what standards are you a good person? You don't have religion so you aren't using them as a set a rules. What rules are you using to justify whether you are a good person or not? Please explain...Ill finish the rest of this post later after your done. I just don't feel that you can justify "good person".

R
 
hmm... Kidan posted while I was watching a movie and then dead aim posted right after me.... I hope you don't feel overwhelmed soccer.
And also I'm kinda new to the religious discussion and I noticed that putting returns and paragraphs makes it looks pretty and easier to read (Kidan's post)
laugh.gif
so I will do that in the future. As opposed to putting it all in one big gelatious mass... *WHUMP*
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top