Religion the Root of all evil?

Well i think...

Organised religion in my opinion is not a healthy thing. Without giving you a boring history lesson, the reason why lots of religions began was because of ignorance. Simple example - cave-man wonders how the rock infront of him got there, he goes and asks an older person, he doesnt know so he says a 'god put it there. Honestly pick up a good history book and read about the Roman, Constantinople. I can see why one might want these answers, however whether just believing it because someone (or in some cases a book) tells you too is just lacking in common sence. Second reason why organised religion is so popular is because they often promise a good life after death, just as long as you are obedient to the last breath, which once again I can understand, I am sure if I was living in the desert, or was a slave and my life was complete shit and all I had to do was not eat pork, go to church on sunday and conduct the occasional crusade once every century, sure, then bring on my 72 dark haired virgins. I like good morals and I like good ethics which most of these religions promote, however why should you have to follow rules and get out of bed early on sunday to enjoy life, and afterlife. If you leave the earth with a clear conscience then I am sure you will be able face the unkown that is death with confidence. Well thats all I feel about dwelving into the matter, if anyone wants to have a go at me, I will be glad to reply.

oh just one thing, if we didnt have religion about 50% of the funniest jokes on southpark wouldnt exist, so i gotta hand it to religion for that one, cheers

many things can actually fullfill the role of being the root of all evil.

Money, Greed, Ambition, Gender, Religion and ect.

in actuallity, there is no such thing as evil that is actually apparent in this world. There is only an ideal of evil that lives in the minds of all humans.

so now, wat is evil?
for many people, evil is someting like killing a fellow human or stealing. Evil is torture, evil is sex, evil is the corruption of minds and so on and so on.
Evil-eÂ·vil
â€“adjective
1. morally wrong or bad; immoral; wicked: evil deeds; an evil life.
(www.dictionary.com)

now wat is morally wrong? Morality is determind my man. so in other words, evil is only evil if society declares a deed or something wrong.
And how does society declare something evil? They know wat is good.
And how do they know wat is good?

they dont... :/
Wat is good and wat is evil cant be deteremind because no one can actually determin wat is good or not.

So people get the majority and taboo wat the majority thinks is bad.

if one wants to learn wat is evil then one must learn wat is good.... however how does one learn wat good or evil is?

that is a question u need to ask God or whoever u believe in.

:/ anyway those are some of my philisophical thoughts :/

sorry if i bore u guys

There is no such thing as evil. Our interpretation of an act makes it evil, not the act itself. I bet Osama Bin Laden never thought of himself as evil, he thought of us as evil, therefore, in his eyes, the act was justified. It is not fair to say that one person is evil when he may think the same of you.

Nothing is evil. Not islam, not anything.

yup

Humanity can't exist without what society has called evil, because most of it comes from instinct. If religion was taken out, then everyone would be struggling to attain power and control over eachother. Even if it meant becoming evil. I beleive one of the reasons religion was created was to stop this from happening by making an all-powerful figure to be the alpha male of humanity. Catholicism has God who sends people to hell for sinning on purpose and not stopping, people who beleive this begin to fear God. Human instinct is to move away from things that are harmful or what they fear, so if they beleive God will punish them for doing wrong, then they will do what society and God has claimed to be right.

To be perfectly honest, the only way you can be judged is from your own morals. If you know something is bad and you do it anyway, that's bad. If you do the wrong thing without knowing the right thing, then what else can be expected from you?

What i think we need to establish here is exactly what we mean by "religion".

"Religion" is not necessarily "a religion" (e.g. christianity, judaism etc), but in fact classes all "religion" together. That is one definition of religion. Here is religion's other, broader defintion:

"Belief in, or the worship of, a god or gods."
                                               - Chambers 21st Century Dictionary

This means that any form of "belief in a god(s)" is considered to be a 'religious' belief.

Religion is not necessarily the Root Of All Evil. It may be the Root of Some Evil, but not all. Don't forgot that some of the most evil people that have ever existed have been atheists (do not believe in god(s)). People such as: Stalin and Mao (Hitler's religious beliefs are debatable).

If one is to call Religion the Root Of All Evil, then one must assume the notion that all Evil acts are Caused by Religion.

This cannot be the case - as many evil acts do not result from, or have anything to do, with religion (belief in a god/gods).

We must ask ourselves:

      - How many evil acts are committed as a result of religious belief?
       - How many evil acts are justified with religious belief?

We must consider the rarity of religion being a cause for acts of Evil. Religion may even prevent such acts from occurring:

        - A person may refrain from killing another person because
          they believe that they will go to Hell for it

My view is that Individual Belief Is The Root Of All Evil. Indeed "Evil" itself is based on "Individual Belief". As has been mentioned by people in this thread, it is one's own morals that may determine their reason for committing an evil act. Stalin believed in what he was doing to Russia. He did not justify this with any religious belief - he did not even acknowledge religion or God/Gods.

Religious Belief is a component of "Individual Belief", but is not "Belief" as a whole - after all, one's morals and values aren't decided purely by one's religious beliefs.

This is a ridiculously long post. I think that Internet Debates Are The Root Of All Eye-Strain.

While you can't class religion as the root of all evil, I think it's acceptable to say that all conflict stems from it. Although that's evolved now. People seem to see it as a culture difference, when in fact, you could probably trace this back to geographical location, and then inevitably onto religion.

religion is created to answer questions. In a sense people use religion to mask their fear of the unknown. In the end religion is a load of crap and only weakling believe in it

Speaks for itself...
Watch it all!

I saw this comment on YouTube amongst many:

Dear fellow contributors,

  I recall my father telling me of his opinions on this matter in theearly 1950s.  And he was passing on his father's beliefs.

  This debate has gone on for centuries, although mostly in quiet and well-regulatedcircles.  Many organized religions have fostered both sides of thisissue.  Those who believe, who have "faith," will never be wonover with such rhetoric.  Those who see a truth in your argument need notbe convinced as they are already on your side.

Religious discussions of this nature run in cycles.  In the late 18thcentury, many people in the UK and the American Colonies were debating thisvery issue, yet both sides used the "will of god" as one of theirrallying cries during the American Revolution.  The same thing occurredduring the American Civil War -- both sides (actually there were five"sides" to that conflict) obtained the support of followers bystating that they were fighting "god's battle."

Religion is not inherently good or evil, it is a social covenant.  Thepeople who use religion, religious argument, religious pressure, and who hidebehind the cloak of religion, should also not be called evil: they areusers.  They use the mask of religion to gain power, wealth, and tosatisfy their personal needs.

Far better people than us have debated this issue, and neither side everwins.  May I suggest that there are far better forums that one dedicatedto business, education, and information technology for this discussion?

You have the right to post as you see fit, but why spend your energy andemotions in a location where what you way will be noticed by only a few? I recommend using BeliefNet for suchissues.

You might also wish to read this article:  http://www.beliefnet.com/story/147/story_14762_1.html

You might also with to pick up a copy of Alan Weisman's new book: "TheWorld Without Us."  Even reading a synopsis of this wonderfulmasterpiece will make you realize that this debate, now and forever, ismeaningless.

no man is evil man is saint.