Religion, A Benefit To Mankind? Or Not?

[jomifl]

Would mankind now be better off had religion not been invented? supporting reasons for your opinion can be as controversial as you think the AB thought police will allow.

[pixie373]

Definitely not a benefit, imo. It holds back science, thinking and self-responsibility, as people believe they already have the answers/excuses they need. It also prevents individuals from genuinely looking at the gaps in their life and solving those, because they have something to fill them with. It's self-psychiatry.
I can't think of any advantages that are only around because of religions. Except Christmas :-)

[sandyRoe]

And Easter, Pixie.

[pixie373]

Easter eggs- yes.

[sandyRoe]

People have only to put on their thinking cap for a minute and all the good things that spring from religion come to mind.

[jomifl]

crucifixion springs to mind, along with burning at the stake and stoning to death errr not much else.

[sunny-dave]

According to one of my more voluble female friends (no names, no pack drill - just think 'small and Irish') :

"If the bloody Catholic Church hadn't subverted so much intellectual effort into 'theology', then mankind would have got round to inventing a comfortable bra ...."

As a mere male of the atheistic persuasion, I can't help but agree ...

[ludwig]

china doll
// Would thefe havd bden other inspirations? //

If you're going to assume that without religion we would still find 'novel ways to hurt each other', it makes sense to also assume that without religion we'd still find novel ways to create magnificent art and literature, and be kind to each other as well.

If we don't need religion to make us destructive and immoral, we don't need it to make us creative or moral either. The religious might disagree of course.

[sandyRoe]

Every religion has its good and bad points.

[pixie373]

Please tell us, sandy. Still can't think of anything...

[sandyRoe]

You've already mentioned one, Christmas presents. And I added another, Easter Eggs

[pixie373]

Oh. Is that it? We would still have birthday presents and cadbury's creme eggs, though. So religion is probably more trouble than it's worth.

[Khandro]

Naomi; That is a pretty crass blog you present us with, - assertions without a scrap of support.

//// Our ancestors were using these structures at least 500,000 years ago. If you were suddenly plucked from your life and sent back in time to live with people in Indonesia about 15,000 years ago (or even Ethiopia 150,000 years ago), you would be able to figure out what is going on. The basic social roles, responsibilities, and civil rules would seem somewhat familiar to you, and you'd fit in pretty fast.////

Really? How he knows that, he doesn't say. If you were dropped into a pack of wolves, it wouldn't take long to "figure out what is going on" how you would "fit in", I can only guess. :-)

[jomifl]

Sandy, the church only did half the job re. easter eggs since chocolate was not a gift of the church.

[jomifl]

xerus, that would be faith in the natural kindness of your fellow man I presume.

[naomi24]

Khandro, and that from someone who has no hesitation in supporting without a jot of evidence the unaccountable fable that is religion. You are funny! :o)

[naomi24]

xerus, // im talking about ones own personal experiences of the divine. //

If you don’t mind me asking, what are your experiences and how do you know they emanate from ‘the divine’?

[jomifl]

There you are xerus, you experience something that you can't immediately explain so attribute it to the 'divine'... Only because the church has conditioned you not to look for rational explanations to things but to take the easy option and not think about what the real explanation of your experience really is.

[Khandro]

jomifl; it seems to me that xerus is saying the exact opposite and is not, nor does not want to be, 'conditioned' by the church.
Have you ever considered it might be you holding the "easy option" hand?