Why do people hate religion? (7 Viewers)

[dieburndie]

I just thought about what I just said, and my point was still relevant ("People blame god"). Even if you (robbie) were talking about people who hate religion generally, and not atheists, wouldn't a hatred for religion be usually based upon a non-belief in a specific god? If these religion haters believe in a specific god that they are capable of hating, and yet they still hate religion they are irrational, a minority, and irrelevant. So basically I was right, except for a very minor flaw in what I thought I was replying to.

 

[dieburndie]

Yeah that's probably not going to make sense considering the whole bunch of posts since then. I just didn't want to concede any ground.
Edit: And Not-That-Bright already made the point.

 

[ur_inner_child]

to confirm, I answered the *post* of this thread, not the title.

The title is different to the post.

When it comes to the title, I don't hate religion.

Also, there is a difference between hating God and hating religion which I feel some people are mixing up.

 

[Comrade nathan]

I hate religion, because when i was a alter boy, the Priest bashed my head with a bibble a few times. Angry man he was.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

As for why some theists hate religion, I think it's because in the information age religion is constantly under attack. People like religions because their fantasy is shared by a great many people, it gives them re-assurance - however it also leaves them open to attack because they're a big target. I think at the moment people are separating themselves more and more from the mainstream churches (in the west) to having much more personal beliefs, because these are much less likely to be criticised when you read a newspaper or turn on your tv.

 

[cheesman]

i am tolerant, but being human i have my faults and sometimes arent.

 

[scarybunny]

I wouldn't say I hated religion. It often inspires people to do very worthwhile, charitable things.

But there's a bit of a conundrum for religious people.
I think it's foolish to follow an exact set of rules from 2 millenia ago, when society has changed so much. I think many religious people would agree with me there, and say that their religion has changed a great deal, to cope with different circumstances. (for example, much of the Old Testament and even parts of the New Testament are no longer observed).

By the same token, however, I don't see how one can selectively follow a set of rules supposedly handed down by their god. Wouldn't this god have created these rules to transcend time? I understand that much of the change is created by the institution (through, say, Lateran Councils in Christianity), in order to keep a religion alive. Does it defeat the purpose of saying that religious doctrines come from God, if you're just going to disregard the inconvenient ones when society changes?

I'm curious as to how this works.

 

[*Minka*]

I dislike religion because it causes war, intoleance, lack of understanding, fear, bigotism, injustice and a whole lot of unfair bullshit.

 

[littlewing69]

I use to be religious. I think the most unappealing factor for me was its judgemental attitude towards worldly issues. Everything is always just black and white, right or wrong, never any grey areas. I was sick of being grouped with Christians who can preach tolerance and peace yet cause so much anger and intolerance towards others.

Basically, I was a severely tolerant Christian. I would practice my beliefs and was tolerant and accepting of those who were different to me. But then my religion encouraged me to look superiorly over them, feel the need to save them, identify myself as "different" to them.

Next was the idea of orbiting around a text. Whether or not it was 100% God breathed or not, the nature of reading causes problems. No matter what, you will always have different interpretations as a result of a text. Thou shall not kill means so many different things to people, and it is the most basic of the rules. And people are so willing to believe they are correct. I was sick of this attitude. Religion encourages the mentality of "you're wrong, I'm right".

If I had to believe in a God, he is more merciful than most religious people sort out to be. Its the people and their ignorance. It shades religious people from the more gruesome and more real things in life. So what if your belief makes you feel great inside even through suffering? So what if you find inner peace? Why shade yourself and believe in crap like fate and destiny when a baby will be born in Africa every few seconds and die straight away? Why is it so easy for you religious people to say that's fate as well and God planned it so? Life is so much more complex than that and you can just brush it off with something so insensitive as "God intended it".

I thinking the deciding factor, when I really really tore myself away was when I left my abusive parents. Ideas about fate and destiny really got to me, and I had so many people so freely assert their own opinions about me leaving my parents, whether it was a sin or not, or some crap. Really, if Christianity is truly the most tolerant religion, I have no interest in the rest.

And I think during this long transition of tearing away from religion and Christianity was through visiting this board. I had my opinions. I was able to admit there was no evidence to believe in God but other Christians would embarrass me by saying yes there is, and solid grounding ones too. Christians would come up and just laugh at atheists and say "ha, you're going to hell" as if that would scare atheists off. I hated the miseducation of some religious people, who would assume that those without religion are without morals, or that those without religion are more prone to becoming drug abusers, rapists, murders etc. I identified more with atheists when we work on the basis of logic and reasoning...

For now, I'm not sure. I'm still the searcher. I believe in God from time to time, but I don't let it blind me from the true grittiness of the world. I want to be informed, educated and aware. I don't want to blow it all onto "God intended it". I don't want to see a paralysed man walk again and not ask "how did this happen?" and just say God did it. I don't want to look lowly of others because my beliefs encourage it.

However, I do see value in religion. Quite a bit actually. I think where I stand when it comes to my spirituality is great, because I don't look lowly of anyone, and when I approach anything, any issue, any idea, I first inform myself of it as best as I can before I make an opinion. I make better decisions because I understand that not everything is all right or all wrong. I'm not saying that religion 100% clouds everyone. It clouds me and clouds most people. I like where I am, and if God exists, he'd understand why I choose to be where I am spiritually, as I feel that he'd understand why the intelligent atheist choose to be atheists.

please don't deconstruct my response. keep that to the "Does God Exist" thread... this was quite the personal post

Your journey has been a lot like mine. Good luck.

 

[robbie1]

I dislike religion because it causes war.

People cause war, not religion.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

People cause war, not religion.

Hey wow that's a real good call there.

 

[lengy]

So the Crusades weren't about religion? So the witch hunts weren't about religion?

 

[mr_brightside]

People cause war, not religion.

Yeah. People cause war. War's about religion.

 

[The Logical One]

Well actually, I don't think they do. You see, the problem with a belief that only you have (i.e. that you are napoleon bonaparte) is a very lonely belief because there's no one there to re-inforce it. It's also wrong because Atheists don't believe they're their own God's and even if they did wouldn't they still prefer to believe that their dead loved ones are still alive? That they will live on after death? All humans (generally) have these wants, I want it bad and I'm atheist.

Believing in a state of conscienceness after life, is a hope which even religion does not fully support. Spiritually though, we should coerse those under the age of 25-30 to believe in such things, as it is easier for them to live on. Vanity should never be taken for granted! It is mans greatest creation.

As to wheter the celestial being exists, it is inevitable. There is a creator, an omnipotent creator, who is responsible for this madness which we call the universe. (It isn't even self sustaining), which is proof that it may either not always create perfectly or creates imperfectness to test all those surrounding the creation.

I think another viable answer is space, it is inevitable that alien life exists, Intelligent, Alien life. It is our duty to contact these other species in order to better ourselves and our understanding of the creator of the universe. I do believe that entity which created our universe would leave hints for us to finding it. It does exist, it's inevitable, we are not unique or special as that we evolved naturally and the universe came to exist naturally, there is logically a driving force in the creation of 'this' universe. (Because, of the laws which govern It.)

A side note, 'why is it that atheists are better writers then religious people?' This has been on my mind for quite some time now.

 

[robbie1]

From a Christian perspective, religion does not cause war. How can it when the core of the Christian religion is to love your neighbour?

Christians can start a war, or engage in war (crusades)....but that dosen't mean "religion caused the war"...it was these deluded people who caused war.

Killing people completely contradicts the Christian faith, so how can you blame religion for war?

Thats all from me tonight, Im sure when I check in 2morow this thread will be up to page 10....with many more insults thrown my way because of my beliefs.

Look forward to it, goodnight.

 

[Not-That-Bright]

Believing in a state of conscienceness after life, is a hope which even religion does not fully support.

Which religion are you thinking of? Most religions I know of assert a consciousness after-life :/

Spiritually though, we should coerse those under the age of 25-30 to believe in such things, as it is easier for them to live on.

But they're much further away from dead than the oldies :/

As to wheter the celestial being exists, it is inevitable.

How so?

There is a creatior, and omnipotent creator, who is responsible for this madness which we call the universe.

Nice rhetoric... but you know... How so?

(It isn't even self sustaining), which is proof that it may either not always create perfectly or creates imperfectness to test all those surrounding the creation.

Nope you're making unjustified inferences.

I think another viable answer is space, it is inevitable that alien life exists, Intelligent, Alien life.

It is not inevitable. It is perhaps very likely that intelligent alien life exists somewhere else in the universe, however our universe is a very big place and spans a wide length of time... the chance of there being intelligent life out there, that can reach us, that is in our timeframe... seems slightly less likely.

I do believe that entity which created our universe would leave hints for us to finding it.

I think often these hints are human delusions. We see order in the chaos when all there is, is chaos. It's much like a puddle gaining consciousness and believing that it must have been created for a purpose... because I mean it gets rain all the time to keep it full and it has this hole that it exists in - it exists, so therefore something wanted it to exist.... but that's just a big ole falacy

It does exist, it's inevitable,

I'm sorry but it's not.

we are not unique or special as that we evolved naturally and the universe came to exist naturally, there is logically a driving force in the creation of 'this' universe. (Because, of the laws which govern It.)

Well there's alot more evidence that at least, once life got started on earth, we evolved naturally. Going all the way back to the beginning there's no solid naturalistic explanation, but it still matters little... you're claiming that there CAN NOT be a natural explanation - I submit that you better have some damn good proof for that

A side note, 'why is it that atheists are better writers then religious people?' This has been on my mind for quite some time now.

I don't know whether they necessarily are. But for the most part, atheists generally come from richer backgrounds, have high levels of education and above average intelligence. Perhaps that's why?

Anyway, to the 'Does God Exist?' Thread if you want to continue to argue.

-----------------------------------------------------

Robbie1

From a Christian perspective, religion does not cause war. How can it when the core of the Christian religion is to love your neighbour?

Do you not believe there is any situation where 'true' christians (as you see a true christian to be) would not go to war over their religion?

Christians can start a war, or engage in war (crusades)....but that dosen't mean "religion caused the war"...it was these deluded people who caused war.

Well the problem is that they engaged in the war for religious reasons... There's no purpose in arguing about whether the 'pure' christian doctrine would allow for such a thing because it does not exist, it was accepted by mainstream christianity at the time that the crusades were needed, due to religious beliefs. Therefore the religion (at the time) did cause the war.

Killing people completely contradicts the Christian faith, so how can you blame religion for war?

Because it doesn't, just the selective little parts you choose to read - or better yet, get told to read by your preacher.

Thats all from me tonight, Im sure when I check in 2morow this thread will be up to page 10....with many more insults thrown my way because of my beliefs.

You think you do not deserve such criticism with the ignorance you post?

 

[Serius]

i hate organised religion. The actual concept of religion as in a god or a person holding certain morals is not all that offensive to me. My problem is religious people are usually very illogical and adamant in their beleifs. Religion is most likely a form of brain washing. Those who beleive in a god but aside from that are normal rational people who will actually accept your ideas and that god might not exist iam cool with.

 

[jemsta]

Yeah i agree with you there
God gave all humans a freedom of choice, basically for them to do whatever they want.
It's not as if God wanted this to happen, he wants more people to turn to him, but its because of Satan's power that people start to commit all these things such as murder, stealing, lying etc.
Stong christians however, would be able to avoid the Satan's temptation of sinning.

 

[withoutaface]

People commonly dont have a religion these days, this thread is for all the athiests, existentialists and people who are religion confused, why don't you have a religion? Religious people? No time? Being pressured by religious people?

When i talk about religion here i mean the relationship with God or Buddah or whatever/whoever people choose to worship, not the whole go to church, get baptised, take communion, get circumcised, have a bar mitzvah, go on a crusade or whatever activities churches tell you to do thats not directly related to a relationship with "the one" as the matrix so nicely puts it

I appologise if this thread offends anyone by not including the one they worship, not in capitals, incorrect spelling etc.

1. Being anti-religion does not make someone "confused".
2. I don't have a religion because I don't believe in God. Simple as that.

 

[littlewing69]

From a Christian perspective, religion does not cause war. How can it when the core of the Christian religion is to love your neighbour?

Yet objective data shows that millions of Christians engage in wars, even at this very moment. Most other religions have similar pacifistic intentions but these too are cast by the wayside when convenient.

Christians can start a war, or engage in war (crusades)....but that dosen't mean "religion caused the war"...it was these deluded people who caused war.

There are many instances in the OT of God starting/winning wars.

Killing people completely contradicts the Christian faith, so how can you blame religion for war?

If religion gives a grounds for combat, it is clearly to blame. And, many many times, Christianity has, at least ostensibly, been to blame for conflict. I would suggest that often the war can be more adequately explained in terms of economic and political factors, but the fact remains that Christianity, like other religions has often been used, rightly or wrongly, to promote warfare.

Thats all from me tonight, Im sure when I check in 2morow this thread will be up to page 10....with many more insults thrown my way because of my beliefs.

Look forward to it, goodnight.

Get off your cross