Weekly Poll: Does Religion Play Too Much or Too Little of a Role in People's Lives?
Religion is very important for a lot of people — so important, in fact, that it's common for religious believers to be incredulous that others don't accept their religion and may not accept any religion at all. They just can't imagine why others wouldn't care about religion, personally, and may even object to religion. There is so much religion all over society that you can't escape it, no matter how much you might want to. Is this a good thing, or is there perhaps too little religion?
Not many atheists are likely to think that religion should become even more popular and common, but there have been atheists who think that religion is necessary for social order — they may not need religion themselves, but the rest of society is too unreliable to go without. There have also been atheists who are adherents of atheistic religions and they'd like to see those religions become more common. So why it may not be normal for atheists to approve of an increase in religion, it's not impossible either.
Comments
I don’t have a big problem with how much or how little religion there is out there. My main problem with religion of any degree is when people try to gain special privileges solely because of religion, mainly through the force of government. What makes my blood boil is when I hear some right-winger advocate the passage (or repeal) of a law, or get public funds, on the basis of religion. [”We need this law because it is god’s will….” or “We need this law because the bible says so….”]
However, when I see polls which say that atheists are distrusted or otherwise not worthy of holding public office only because they are atheists also saddens (and disgusts) me. While refusing to vote for an atheist violates no laws, I would certainly blams religion for that viewpoint being so prevalent.
This poll ignores the possibility that I find it helpful for certain people, harmful for some, and neutral for others. I am generally against religion, but I can respect that certain people may need it at certain times in their lives or some such.
Religion is created by men to control the masses. Religion uses God as reason for its existence. The fact of the matter is that religion has become a label and a category that people align themselves with. What are we truly saying about God when we try to define Him? Is not God bigger than our definitions? Religion tries to capture God in a box to help promote their agenda instead of experiencing God to try to better understand His agenda. If we will search for God and try to experience Him ourselves instead of what someone tells us then we will be able to throw off religion. God will be looked at in a different light, and then and only then we will experience compassion in this world.
Way too much religion.
Religion, though is simple. If someone tells you that there is an omnipotent God that knows you personally, then the answer is that you don’t need religion.
If there isn’t any God, you also don’t need religion.
Any time someone trys to preach to me, I have two standard comments that make them go away:
1) “I will worship any God that you can produce”
2) Show me a magic Golden E Mail that you have been chosen by some God to be his messenger. If you don’t have one, then you are a Con Artist, trying to get inordinate respect by pretending to be an expert on something that doesn’t exist.
They usually then quit.
This is why religionists preach, but never want to debate.
PS
I am ashamed of both Presendential candidates for giving in to Rick Warren, the Elmer Gantry of the month, and allowing him to conduct an inquisition. Warren doesn’t represent America, and the answer by each candidate should have been that it would not be in the spirit of the Constitution to allow such a display of patronizing a particular religion.