|
Discussion: Why do people make excuses for religion?
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 11,186
|
Why do people make excuses for religion?
So I continually see people make excuses for the major world religions when they are full of misogyny, homophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry. Why do people do this? They wouldn't do it for anything else so why religion?
Religion was created as a tool to oppress people and to get the general population to do the bidding's of the higher-ups. It was created in a time when society was a very different place and is not particularly relevant nowadays.
Now before anyone @'s me I'm well aware there are lovely people from all religions, I've met some and I am friends with some. I'm not trying to say all religious people are ignorant. I'm just wondering why some people excuse religion simply because it's old and a lot of people follow it, I think it's silly.
Thoughts?
xox
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/1/2012
Posts: 9,673
|
People need something to explain their existence and purpose in life. If religion is that something then they are going to make an excuse for it.
|
|
|
Member Since: 9/1/2013
Posts: 6,762
|
They grow up believing in a certain religion and people who teach them that specific religion always sugarcoat the hideousness and violence it contains. It applies for almost all religions imo
|
|
|
Member Since: 2/2/2009
Posts: 20,174
|
Most of the people are uneducated and just need to have something to believe in. Something bigger than them to give their miserable lives some sense. Poor them actually.
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 4,721
|
They're terrified of the truth.
|
|
|
Member Since: 4/3/2014
Posts: 3,847
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Lily Gaga
Most of the people are uneducated and just need to have something to believe in. Something bigger than them to give their miserable lives some sense. Poor them actually.
|
This
Almost all religious people are uneducated (bar politicians)
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 8,579
|
Because not all religion is about oppressing others and it can be used for incredible good.
Why do people constantly excuse people like you trying to shove your (presumable) non-belief in religion down religious people's throats?
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 11,186
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Repo
Because not all religion is about oppressing others and it can be used for incredible good.
Why do people constantly excuse people like you trying to shove your (presumable) non-belief in religion down religious people's throats?
|
The bad far outweighs the good and I think that's clear for anyone to see.
I'm not shoving that down their throat, I'm asking them to explain something? I didn't say "You must become an atheist!". Also a big difference is that religion is the cause of a lot of suffering and intolerance in the world, atheism isn't .
xox
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 8,579
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Abyssy
The bad far outweighs the good and I think that's clear for anyone to see.
I'm not shoving that down their throat, I'm asking them to explain something? I didn't say "You must become an atheist!". Also a big difference is that religion is the cause of a lot of suffering and intolerance in the world, atheism isn't .
xox
|
I agree, the bad of atheism promoting intolerance towards religion and an OBVIOUS attempt to pull people away from God and basic morality far out weighs any supposed good that comes from it. Why do people tolerate it?
Sounds pretty stupid, intolerant, and one-sided, no? Maybe you should look in a mirror.
Hate and intolerance would exist with or without religion, as dictators like Stalin prove. Don't delude yourself. As for force, you're seriously saying religion is inherently evil and basically the root of all evil, that's the definition of forcing a belief down someone's throat. Just because you aren't screaming "CONVERT!" doesn't change that.
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/6/2015
Posts: 18,803
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Repo
I agree, the bad of atheism promoting intolerance towards religion and an OBVIOUS attempt to pull people away from God and basic morality far out weighs any supposed good that comes from it. Why do people tolerate it?
Sounds pretty stupid, intolerant, and one-sided, no? Maybe you should look in a mirror.
Hate and intolerance would exist with or without religion, as dictators like Stalin prove. Don't delude yourself. As for force, you're seriously saying religion is inherently evil and basically the root of all evil, that's the definition of forcing a belief down someone's throat. Just because you aren't screaming "CONVERT!" doesn't change that.
|
Absolutely.
You're basing this claim on a small, vocal minority of religion.
And also, these people are going to be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc regardless if there was religion or not. You're not going to solve anything by trying and making it seem as though it's any religion's fault that some of the people want to interpret their respective books in a way that fits their already skewed perception of equality. If you want to stop them, it's about educating them not just trying to blame and shame them into trying to accept equality cause all you're going to do is make the discrimination internalised.
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/29/2009
Posts: 3,772
|
Europe
I love how Europe went from being a total religious dick (christianity) to not caring for religion at all. OK there are quite a few (under-developed) countries which would put religion above democracy and human rights... but thank god i'm not living near any those countries.
Islam remains the religion with the worst global perception while the asian religions are quite volatile.
The US lives in a limbus trapped between being a religious superstate and a free country. Basing your life on religious values, especially handpicking and interpreting them as you please is sth that is very very backward and the US is a leader in this.
But Islam... the fact that muslim ppl put their religion above everything (not all but the majority) is really really sad, imo. Religion was designed to oppress ppl and not to save them. Especially when you use social and cultural beliefs that are thousands of years old and which have no basis in today's reality anymore. Religion is sth that rarely can adjust and the little good it causes and caused is more often destroyed by the evil it invokes.
|
|
|
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 11,186
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Repo
I agree, the bad of atheism promoting intolerance towards religion and an OBVIOUS attempt to pull people away from God and basic morality far out weighs any supposed good that comes from it. Why do people tolerate it?
Sounds pretty stupid, intolerant, and one-sided, no? Maybe you should look in a mirror.
Hate and intolerance would exist with or without religion, as dictators like Stalin prove. Don't delude yourself. As for force, you're seriously saying religion is inherently evil and basically the root of all evil, that's the definition of forcing a belief down someone's throat. Just because you aren't screaming "CONVERT!" doesn't change that.
|
A belief in God - and equating God with morality - is not a universal concept that applies to everyone, where as oppression, suffering etc. are things that everyone can face regardless of their religion or lack of. It's not the same.
I didn't say it wouldn't, I'm very aware it would. Religion isn't the root of all evil, humanity is. But humanity created religion as a tool to oppress. Also I think you are misunderstanding part of what I am saying, I don't have an issue with people believing in God(s), spirits, afterlife etc. what I have an issues with is them aligning themselves with an outdated organised religion which was founded on bigotry on hatred. If people just believed in whatever they believed and didn't have to be part of some old group, that would be great.
xox
|
|
|
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 8,579
|
Quote:
Originally posted by Dylobs
Absolutely.
You're basing this claim on a small, vocal minority of religion.
And also, these people are going to be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc regardless if there was religion or not. You're not going to solve anything by trying and making it seem as though it's any religion's fault that some of the people want to interpret their respective books in a way that fits their already skewed perception of equality. If you want to stop them, it's about educating them not just trying to blame and shame them into trying to accept equality cause all you're going to do is make the discrimination internalised.
|
You make an excellent point as well. A lot of the people who use religion to TRULY oppress others (vs. "I don't agree with homosexuality but you do you and I'm totally good with that!") are inherently hateful, homophobic/racist/sexist/etc. people. They use religion to justify it, but it'd exist with or without religion.
Obviously I think you CAN criticize major religions, but you should be making the criticisms specific to that religion rather than lumping so many different things together. For example, if you have an issue with what Islam teaches about woman's roles in society, criticize Islam specifically. It certainly does NOT teach the same thing about woman that, say, Christianity does. If you take offense to the Catholic teaching on birth control, criticize that specifically, but don't try to lump in Lutherans, non-denominational Christians, etc. without understanding their specific teachings about it. You can't lump these together as a blanket criticism, they're too different.
Quote:
Originally posted by Abyssy
A belief in God - and equating God with morality - is not a universal concept that applies to everyone, where as oppression, suffering etc. are things that everyone can face regardless of their religion or lack of. It's not the same.
I didn't say it wouldn't, I'm very aware it would. Religion isn't the root of all evil, humanity is. But humanity created religion as a tool to oppress. Also I think you are misunderstanding part of what I am saying, I don't have an issue with people believing in God(s), spirits, afterlife etc. what I have an issues with is them aligning themselves with an outdated organised religion which was founded on bigotry on hatred. If people just believed in whatever they believed and didn't have to be part of some old group, that would be great.
xox
|
If you asked some people, gays aren't being oppressed because homosexuality is an unnatural choice that goes against how humans work (RE: reproduction) and they're trying to keep things normal. All people will have a different view of what is and isn't oppression and what is and isn't morality. You obviously don't have to agree with all this stuff, but my point is you shouldn't be stereotyping religion as evil and problematic.
Make the criticisms specific to THOSE institutions and groups then, not religion in general. As I said above, you can't just lump all these groups together, say religion causes oppression, and call it quits and act like you made an actually valid point. You haven't, you just look like you hate religion period.
|
|
|
|
|