
It has often been said that a man needs religion to be “whole” and “good”. There are many arguments for and against this stance. People who call themselves religious give the following reasons for the necessity behind religion:
- Religion helps to regulate our conduct and behavior. It gives us values.
- Religion relieves stress.
- Religion gives us something to believe in.
- Religion offers the path to a self-sufficient life.
- Religion creates a happy, healthy, and holy body and mind.
Do you agree or disagree?



#1 Religion helps to regulate our conduct and behavior. It gives us values.
See Middle East…
I think Religion gives us belief and since of a hiring being to regulate our actions. Those without fear of a superior tend to be much more destructive and dangerous to those around them.
Please elaborate
Killing people in the name of religion is not a value I care to subscribe to, nor do I see its place in a civilized society.
It was sarcasm…
I assume you meant “higher being.”
But why do we need to answer to someone? Do you need someone to tell you to be nice to others? If religion didn’t exist I don’t think the world would be too much worse off.
People need a bigger purpose to live for. The idea that life is a “what you see is what you get” kind of situation scares the vast majority of people. Most can not accept that when you die, thats it. Religion is founded on this fear that there is nothing out there greater than what we see around us.
Proof that people who do not believe in a higher being are more destructive and dangerous?
As a counter point I would like to point to Hitler, the Crusades, Muslim Extremists, Christian Extremists and the Inquisition just to start with.
When was the last time you heard of an atheist blowing up a bus station to teach people who believe in God a leason?
/survey
I wouldn’t say I “NEED” someone to answer to but I understand and believe there to be certain things beyond my control that go my way because I believe in and follow a higher being. Without that I do not believe we would have sustainability that exists in the world.
My belief in Christianity is backed in my thinking it is the only true religion. All the others are faked and thus leads you to your weak uni-bomber and plane-taker-downers.
All because atheists don’t commit crimes (according to you), they also don’t do anything good for society. No atheists fund raisers for the homeless, no donations to needy mothers, no collections for the family whose home burned down or lost their home to foreclosure. Religion (Christian religion) teaches us this and also its importance to help one another. Not to say that without it, no one would aid anyone else, but it definitely increases the numbers of helpful adults.
For the person who might not believe, they are wise enough to know that things happen; they happen because they happen and there is no set path and the things beyond your control happen because someone else caused them to happen.
Natural disasters? Warm oceans met with some cold oceans and they started a fight. I fail to see how God plays a role in the uncontrollable. Just because it is unexplainable, does not mean it one day we can’t explain it.
So, other religions are “faked” because they choose the call the same God you believe in by a different name?
And I never stated that atheists do not commit crimes. I simply pointed to the obvious truth that people that profess to worship a “God” have historically proven to be more destructive and damaging to those around them.
And of course atheist (and agnostics) have never done anything good for society. Sigmund Freud, Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, Ayn Rand, David Hume, Ivan Pavlov, Carl Sagan, Mark Twain, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Karl Popper, Francis Crick, Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, and Milton Friedman, just to name a few, have had little to no positive impact on the world we know today….
Please remember, Christians do not have a monopoly on the idea of good will and faith towards fellow man.
I missed this post mainly because I was looking at your response to mine.
Now that I’ve read it, it seems you really need to get out and see the world beyond the church. Great things are done by the church but many people do greater things beyond it and without it.
I agree. But aside from the NFL, NBA, MLB, and movie stars who need tax cuts, who contributes the most to society?
I mean I see homeless people everyday. One NBA star could get 5 homeless people meals, shelter, and put them on the track to supporting themselves, but they don’t because its not enough to file. But if a earthquake hits Africa, or sunami hits Myanmar, then everybody has 20 million to give.
We live in a very wealthy nation, everyone born in the US has an opportunity (not equal, but a chance nonetheless). Plenty of people give what they can, and it is there choice to give or not give at all.
People give to the 3rd world devastation (like Haiti now) because it is the right thing to do, they might only give $10 but they give something. Now giving a bum $10 isn’t really helpful but is $10 really helping Haiti? Every little bit help regardless of how much a person has.
Just because I make more than the next man, I am not require to give more…ever thought I might work harder than him? Why give my hard work away?
I’m confused on your stand. It appeared that you said $10 in Haiti is helpful and giving a bum $10 is pointless. Then $10 in Haiti was pointless, but end result was every little bit helps.
So from the end, I would concur, every little bit helps. But the way I see it, Haiti will get help. My $10 will do Haiti no good. I could feed 2 bums downtown with $10 and make it much worth their while.
Government and big philanthropist groups will help Haiti. They will be alright. Wyclef, Brad, and Angelina will give a few million and make their tax cut early this year, no sweat.
Point is, if they were really that concerned about people in need, they would have taken those millions and got the homeless off the street when it 12 degrees for an entire week in NYC.
Not my best, I’ll give you that.
Wow…we’re way off subject and I agreed with you a long time ago. Churches do good, but so do people without churches.
As one of my favorite characters puts it, “All creatures want to believe in something bigger than themselves. They can not live without blind obedience. And to escap the pressure of that trust, those in whome faith is placed in turn look for someone higher than themselves. And then those people in turn look for someone even stronger. That is how all kings are born. That is how all gods are born.”
Sure that guy is a megalomaniac, but its true.