What is Religion to you?

[buttons]

Religion is a tool of oppression for stupid people.

or is it that religion makes you 'stupid'? many religious people are born in to it (so i agree with whoever said brainwashing) so have no choice and it becomes the norm for them. it doesn't make them stupid and stupid people don't become religious. how often do you see the stereotypical chav with no qualifications coming out from church? i don't see where you're coming from, seems you just like to throw the word stupid around, how clever


i believe in a higher power but not necessarily in the form of God, i justt think it's human nature. personally for me religion is something that brings people together but also tears them apart. in my experience it was a way for our family to get together. my gran and grandad were catholics and super old fashioned. they attended mass regularly. my mum and aunts all label themselves catholics but not practising or whatever. religion was never brought upon me, my brother's or the rest of the grandchildren which i'm pretty bummed about because i think it's had a huge positive impact on my mum and auntie's lives. i used to go to mass with my gran and grandad because i was a curious child (and my gran's minime ) and loved the whole closeness it brought to me with them, not with God. athiests say religious people (well mostly christians w.e idk) contradict themselves which i do agree with but most them do too, what with celebrating christmas, marriages, having funerals etc and the ones who don't tend to be those really annoying people who somehow think they're more superior just because they don't believe in God. i'd rather spend an evening with the positive, friendly, full of hope, maybe delusional people from my church over a bunch of negative nancies.

unnecessary? maybe if you've never experienced and yes it has caused war and destruction but i think it's also been beneficial but just my opinion, i'm glad i've had a little experience and will probably take up religion more as i get older, if i ever have kids i wouldn't mind if they wanted to go to church neither.

[Circadia]

A bunch of made up stories which people believe if they have nothing left to live for.
I might seem totally socially backward to you but i have a valid reason to be like that, so don't murder me.

[-:Undertaker:-]

I'm not sure, I believe in God and heaven and I think the Bible has been essential to the western world for basing our morality upon, something which is being eroded and we are seeing the results. I guess you could say I lean towards the agnostic/Church of England for my religion. I can't prove God or heaven to anyone, its a faith - I believe in it and I will only find out when I die.

It does always amaze me though, that avid football/music fans who idolise people who are corrupt, teach no values and are of no use in terms of education or teaching values are usually the first to criticise religion as 'stupid' and its followers as brainwashed - this avid hatred of religion I find very strange indeed.

[Rozi]

I agree with Undertaker's point (OMG :S) that avid hatred of religion is strange. There aren't 2 polar opposite opinions of religion and, although I'm not myself religious, I see many beneficial points to religion, as Jen outlined. To brand religion "stupid" and worthless is, imo, just stupid in itself, and fairly immature.

[kasi]

what is religion to me?
religion is ******.

[Technologic]

It simply has no place in my life, I have no problem with religion itself just the select few who use it as a tool to discriminate and spread hatred.

[Wig44.]

Religion is a tool of oppression for stupid people.

My point of view exactly. I haven't checked all of this thread but I'm sure somewhere the argument that 'with no faith in society there will be anarchy and people will go around killing everyone so religion is a good thing' has come up. My response to this is that there is a growing number of athiests who have no problems abiding to laws without the fear of a vengeful deity's fist looming over them.

[Aaron]

I've no comment on religion, not into it at all.