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Or later.
Mormons and Joshua Smith circa 1835
Scientology and Ron L. Hubbard circa 1956
Sun Myung Moon - Messiah circa 1970
etc
Religions are in many ways like corporations and businesses. The bigger they get, the more smaller ones they will drive 'out of business' and the more clients they will amass.
Once Christianty had cemented its foundations in the 4th century the ball got really rolling. Once rulers and populace alike embraced the religion and started to teach it to their children, the fail-safe system was in place.
I'm convinced that if you could somehow isolate all children born from tomorrow onwards from all religious education and ensure no person is taught religion as fact until they reach adulthood, all religions would dissapear from the face of the earth forever within 100 years despite all the best efforts religious people could master- certainly in developed countries anyway. Third world/remote parts might take a little longer.
wherever and whenever religous belief has been stifled ...it has blossomed.
Complete and utter bullshit tbh.
And that would be a good thing?
Nope cos people in poverty tend to look more towards God. Heaven as a reward for a tough life is a tempting idea and God is seen as the way to this.
Did I even imply it?
1. Religion and morality are not necessarily linked. I.e. you don't need to be a religious person to be able to tell between right and wrong and have a moral compass.
2. Even if religions themselves didn't meant for it to happen (and then again given some of the 'advice' the major religions give to their subjects, it's no wonder it did), the fact remains that organised religion has been the cause of more suffering, hatred, wars, death and misery than anything else in human history. Perhaps man is simply not suitable for religion. Perhaps we can't handle it. Either way, man's use of religion has caused far more harm than good to mankind, and even today religion is at the forefront of most conflicts, wars and disputes. We'd be far better off without it.
I've said that children should not be taught unproven and improbable beliefs as fact. They can still be taught a history of world religions.
Why on earth should we mix up religious beliefs with education? Can we teach children other things as well? Can we tell them for a fact that the earth is flat, or that there are seven-headed aliens from Alpha Centaury that like nothing more than a crispy human for breakfast, or the Spaguetti Eating Monster is real?
I don't get what the motivation for the materially uncomfortable would be though either- to say thanks for the marvelous starving strength of faith test? ok, sarcasm aside- wouldn't a believer be angry/upset/disollusioned if their god made them suffer, even after following all the rules, and heathens around them prospered? Yup, I just don't get it.
You should all go and read Bill Bryson's wonderful Short History of Nearly Everything, and read all about how, basically, scientists make nearly everything up off the top of their head.
I agree but what's your point? Religion is about God, not morals. The Bible even says that we sin. Repentance of sin is the way to God. (Not that I believe in it I'm just playing Devils Advocate)
Got a source for that? I don't think it is anywhere close to being the biggest cause of suffering. The biggest cause of suffering has been wars between countries and countries invading other countries. WW2 alone c.60 million people died. Do you really think religious wars have killed that many over the years? And that's just WW2 I'm talking about, there's loads of other wars where religion was not a factor with many casualties.
No, man can handle religion, very well in most cases. Certain individuals have used religion as a tool for violence and usually there's always some sort of ulterior motive when they use it. All religions practice peace and tolerance, sure there may be a few passages in all books that say otherwise but generally it gives a good message.
You have the right to be an atheist but religious people also have a right to be religious. I find it slightly worrying and totalitarian to some degree that you wouldn't mind seeing religion removed from society in the near future.
and if the bible is right in all chritians are brothers then the churches are responsible for spurring on brother to kill brother.
I think some people are psychologically inclined towards religion so it's always going to be part of the human experience...but getting rid of indoctrination and allowing people true freedom of religion - including freedom from brainwashing as a child - is definitely the way forward.
Religion has been the main cause of wars, conflicts and repression of citizens throughouout thousands of years of human history. Religion-caused conflicts are as strong now as they have ever been, and just one look at the world today would make you think they will continue to exist well into the future.
I don't know about absolute numbers we get down to add up victims of world wars and so on. But it isn't just about body counts- it's about repression, distrust, animosity and influence on peoples and countries alike.
How could it be authoritarian if I am not suggesting that religion should be eradicated by force?
I'm simply saying that if people weren't programmed as children religion would die off. And if that were to happen it would be on account of people not subscribing to it any more, rather than me or anyone else attempting to ban it or eradicate it.
But that's not the religion that's causing that. It's the humans who are in control and who corrupt the religion.
Religion isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I wish that were true, but I doubt it actually. How did the first seed of religion start? Not through being taught it by a parent, else it wouldn't be the first init.
I think the first religious people worshipped nature. Like the sun, moon and trees and stuff like that.
it does seem to be pre programmed into us or hardwired if you like.
If you didn't tell modern people about religion they would replace it with science.
you just can't bare the thought of something more important and bigger than you.
That;'s because most people aren't scientific, and they get all that scar tissue of thought that you get from indoctrination at an early age.