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The world is a better place without religion. Discuss

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Original post by Trill
When most of our laws are written they were based mostly on religion and majority are still in effect. What we consider to be good/bad is governed by religion even if you aren't religious.


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I have to give you credit for that

Original post by fartinugget
I think so.
Religion doesn't benefit the world greatly in many ways.
The belief in a "God" is slowly diminishing due to the fact that "God" was originally used to fill the gaps in knowledge that we didn't know because science hadn't discovered it yet.
Without religion there will be less pointless teachings to follow.
Following on from that we get our morals from our parents and the place we grew up in so none of the "God gave us morals" in here.
We were all raised by some way learning what's right and wrong, we don't need a religion to tell us this.

Most argue the world would be better WITHOUT HUMANS!!!
I actually really want to say yes because I think a lot of bad things in the world is the root of religion happening, but at the same time I know that religion gives people's morals such as it's bad to steal, kill etc...

So I don't know, kinda 50/50 on this. However I think it's stupid that people genuinely need a book to understand that it's wrong to go around on a stabbing spree.
Original post by Mrs.Grey

Rabbits have no religion therefore your argument is invalid xD.
Original post by sleepysnooze
...what?



culture =/= religion
religion is beliefs without evidence, culture is a set of identity-based traditions, history, languages, perhaps values, etc


Western culture functions exactly like a memetic religion Crypto-Christians (White Atheists) have their own values, we have concepts such as universal human rights which have no underlying absolute basis, but which we have decided to impose by force. Threatening to create hell on Earth (bombing their cities) for Muslims when they fail to conform to Western expectation is absolutely equivalent to Catholic Inquisitors threatening to torture, rape and kill heretics in the middle ages.

Western religious history, is particularly rich, WW2 is one such example. I want to make absolutely clear I despise the Nazis with a burning vengeance, but the way the West deals with WW2 is without doubt an exercise in religion rather than a history. We talk about the evils of the Holocaust and the Nazi death camps, but largely fail to acknowledge the mass rapes of German women, the genocidal bombing campaigns, the Jewish refugees left to die by the West and the imperialist reasons behind the war in the first place. There are other such examples including the English civil war, the end of Apartheid, civil rights and the American revolution.

All of these have at their core a theme of powerful evil, a theme of oppressed good, but somehow in every such example, the weak underdog wins and the supposed powerful evil loses. The important thing to remember is that these exercises have little basis in reality, but are in every respect an attempted to create an accepted narrative which reaffirms Western ethical beliefs.

These religious beliefs are affirmed by the Western religious classes made up by university professors, journalists and media moguls which ensure the accepted narrative is never called into question and which punish those who dare to call it into question

Original post by sleepysnooze

why don't you think the sons and daughters of these immigrants will slowly become atheists too? christians became atheists, why not muslims?


This is false. The sons and daughters of Christians are not Atheists in the true sense of the word, they are cultural Christians.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Passion Fruit
Western culture functions exactly like a memetic religion Crypto-Christians (White Atheists) have their own values,


values =/= religion. you're redefining religion.

we have concepts such as universal human rights which have no underlying absolute basis,

nobody claims that they have an absolute basis

but which we have decided to impose by force.

as opposed to what, allowing people to have their rights violated? what's the point of the government, then?

Threatening to create hell on Earth (bombing their cities) for Muslims when they fail to conform to Western expectation is absolutely equivalent to Catholic Inquisitors threatening to torture, rape and kill heretics in the middle ages.

*sigh*

Western religious history, is particularly rich, WW2 is one such example. I want to make absolutely clear I despise the Nazis with a burning vengeance, but the way the West deals with WW2 is without doubt an exercise in religion rather than a history.

nope

We talk about the evils of the Holocaust and the Nazi death camps, but largely fail to acknowledge the mass rapes of German women, the genocidal bombing campaigns, the Jewish refugees left to die by the West and the imperialist reasons behind the war in the first place. There are other such examples including the English civil war, the end of Apartheid, civil rights and the American revolution.

All of these have at their core a theme of powerful evil, a theme of oppressed good, but somehow in every such example, the weak underdog wins and the supposed powerful evil loses. The important thing to remember is that these exercises have little basis in reality, but are in every respect an attempted to create an accepted narrative which reaffirms Western ethical beliefs.

again, this has nothing to do with the equalence of these things with religion. the concept of good and evil is a very simple idea that doesn't rely on the supernatural/mystical - it is based on subjectivity, sure, but not religion.

This is false. The sons and daughters of Christians are not Atheists in the true sense of the word, they are cultural Christians.

a cultural christian can still be an atheist - a "cultural" christian as a concept isn't even based on religion but based on the traditions of it being followed, e.g. christmas (santa-mas, really...)
Biased opinion as I am a Christian, but religion is always present in the lives of those who choose to accept it. My faith has got me through the toughest times, when I didn't have friends to talk to, I had God, when something bad ever happened, I could pray and hope that God would hear me and make things better. I believe there is some sort of God, and even if he can't answer my problems and prayers, it's at least nice and refreshing to know that someone must be there, listening to me, when no one else isn't.
So actually, I think the world is a good place with religion - it teaches us morals, loving others whilst also caring for ourselves, it promotes peace. Yes, there are individuals of all faiths who do wrong, but you can't assume that because of this, religions teach all followers to do wrong as well, because it doesn't. The world is a better place than it would be if we didn't have religion. It's what we choose to do with out faith that makes the world a bad or good place, and the majority of believers use their faith in a good way like God taught us to do.
Original post by sleepysnooze




again, this has nothing to do with the equalence of these things with religion. the concept of good and evil is a very simple idea that doesn't rely on the supernatural/mystical - it is based on subjectivity, sure, but not religion.



As Westerners our values are completely intertwined with supernatural beliefs. We attempt to bring into being equality of gender representation because of the belief that biologically there is no female or male brain, so called blank state theory, but we simultaneously believe that transgenderism is real, even though these two beliefs are in direct contradiction with one another. We also attempt so reform criminals because of the belief that they able to have their brains mended to turn them into functioning members of society. These are not beliefs in the existence or a deity, but they are nonsensical supernatural beliefs which an actual Atheist would never subscribe to.
If the world had never had religion, it would be completely unrecognisable no one could conclusively state whether it would be better off or not. So much of our early study of the world was done through religion, by religious organisations or their agents and most early (I say early we are talk less than a millenia ago) place solely devoted to gaining and keeping knowledge were religions.

Yes today religion or organised religion seems like a handicap or something dragging us down but even as an atheist I have to acknowledge some of the monumental good religion has done as much as I recognise the monumentally bad.
Original post by sleepysnooze
lol right, so our progressive western values of acceptance of homosexuals, the equality of women, etc, is based on religion


Yes they are.
Original post by Passion Fruit
Yes they are.


...even though the bible says otherwise.
Original post by Passion Fruit
As Westerners our values are completely intertwined with supernatural beliefs. We attempt to bring into being equality of gender representation because of the belief that biologically there is no female or male brain, so called blank state theory, but we simultaneously believe that transgenderism is real, even though these two beliefs are in direct contradiction with one another. We also attempt so reform criminals because of the belief that they able to have their brains mended to turn them into functioning members of society. These are not beliefs in the existence or a deity, but they are nonsensical supernatural beliefs which an actual Atheist would never subscribe to.


this isn't to do with religion though - you might think these things are wrong, but they're not religious
Original post by sleepysnooze
...even though the bible says otherwise.


In the gospels Jesus chose underdogs as his friends, prostitutes, poor people, criminals.
Original post by Passion Fruit
In the gospels Jesus chose underdogs as his friends, prostitutes, poor people, criminals.


Original post by XOR_
Rabbits have no religion therefore your argument is invalid xD.


Original post by fartinugget
I think so.
Religion doesn't benefit the world greatly in many ways.
The belief in a "God" is slowly diminishing due to the fact that "God" was originally used to fill the gaps in knowledge that we didn't know because science hadn't discovered it yet.
Without religion there will be less pointless teachings to follow.
Following on from that we get our morals from our parents and the place we grew up in so none of the "God gave us morals" in here.
We were all raised by some way learning what's right and wrong, we don't need a religion to tell us this.


This is a bit irrelevant but i had a question very similar to this on my RS paper today. "The world today does not value religion. Discuss this statement."
Original post by sleepysnooze


Neither the Old testament nor the New testament are the basis for modern Christian or Jewish laws.
Original post by Passion Fruit
Neither the Old testament nor the New testament are the basis for modern Christian or Jewish laws.


so now you're agreeing with *me*
Original post by sleepysnooze
so now you're agreeing with *me*


No, but when analysing Christianity it's prudent to focus on the figure of Christ and his new covenant (a Greco-Roman construct) rather than obscure parts of the Old Testament nobody reads.
Original post by Passion Fruit
No, but when analysing Christianity it's prudent to focus on the figure of Christ and his new covenant (a Greco-Roman construct) rather than obscure parts of the Old Testament nobody reads.


if you knew anything about christianity you'd know that without the old testament, the new testament makes no sense. why is jesus trying to forgive us? what is original sin without adam and eve? what are the 10 commandments jesus defended without moses (whom prescribed a lot of absolutely bonkers laws on top of these)? etc

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