Why the dislike of religion?

[Tabio Amen]

We're able to get along pretty well without supposing the existence of a metaphysical layer of reality. All of our science and technology is predicated on the idea that what we see is what we get. No rockets have ever crashed because they failed to take into account the hand of god or the gravity of ghosts. And, on the other hand, predictions based on supernatural premises never seem to work, or work a lot better without the supernatural component. Prayer doesn't do better than placebo in curing people, and brain damage seems to affect the faculties attributed to the soul.

Even ethics does better when secularized. Following the Bible in the 21st century means either stoning gay people to death or knowing in the back of your mind that your belief system is inconsistent. Consequentialism has its faults, but it at least strives for internal consistency and comprehensiveness whereas divine command theory and deontology don't even do that.

That's my problem with religion, anyway.

[Mu Rho Ni]

Religion for me just doesn't seem practical to me, and even if there was a mystical power trying to guide us to the path of righteousness it's long since given up. First off because of the whole, my religions better then yours effect which is very noticeable especially in southern baptist (I live in the bible belt), where even if you believed in the same exact thing, but it just had a different name, they'd condemn you to burn to hell for the rest of eternity and would gladly tie you atop the pyre, all the while thinking there doing a good deed in the name of there god. That's one of the problems i have with religion but it's not the biggest, the biggest problem, is the bible, and how many times it's been edited, yet people still act like so in so 2,000 years ago wrote it down, exactly like it was written in there King James bible... who did a pretty large amount of editing, just picking on King James edition because it's probably the most well known edit... However getting back on track, even with small things such as translating it to a new language, stuff is still lost and edited, not out of any ulterior motives, but instead just simply because your trying to translate something that is metaphorical, that scribe would have had to try and interpret what was written and then make the translation. I have other reasons for why I disagree with religion such as the fact that there are about 3,000 different flavors Christianity how can all of them be right... Now while I say "Problem with religion", I really mean problem with Christian based religions because, I don't really know anything about Islam, Hindu, Tao, Etc. so I can't really say that much them that and they aren't really prominent in the country or at least where I am so I guess they fly under the radar more for me... that and they don't pop out of every dark corner ready to smack you with a bible as if they where a major league batter >w>

i understand where your coming from. I too live in the bible belt and sometimes i just wanna take all the religious folks here and give them a good slap to the face and be like  "NO! NONE OF THAT! SHAME ON YOU!"

[Hesper Scott]

I... am an atheist. I mean, I have no belief in any variety of religion or religious theory whatsoever. I don't actually think that I'm "more right" than someone who is religious, because neither atheists nor people of religion have that much proof to back up their claims. Anyway, religion isn't supposed to be about having all the answers, right? I mean, isn't it supposed to mean that though you don't really have proof, you have faith because you're certain that God will be there? It's like a trust fall. Shouting that somebody is going to catch you has no point, because it won't make it more or less likely. Besides, part of the whole thing is humility and acceptance. You're not SUPPOSED to shove your belief in everyone's face. I don't, at least I don't think so. I'm just answering because I was asked. No, I don't hate religion. No, I have no special reason for not believing, it's not morally right or wrong to believe.

[Alsek]

I don't have any problem with religion.  In fact,  i'm very strongly religious myself.


However,  I don't believe my religion calls me to attempt to force others to follow it,  by myself through violence,  or by making a police force (basically men with firearms) force others to follow my religion by passing laws.  The whole idea of having a free nation is that people are allowed to practice their own beliefs,  and that ideas and beliefs be allowed to be adopted by those who would voluntarily wish to hold them so long as they don't take away the rights of other individuals to make their own choices...  Even if they're not choices we agree with.


A lot of the tension between theists and athiests comes when one side tries to force their views on the other side by using the government (and therefore men with guns) to force their beliefs on others who don't agree with them.  Traditionally in the US at least,  (i can't speak for,  because i don't know whether this is the case in, other countries) the side that has tried it's hardest to push their beliefs through force have been the religious.  However,  this feels like it's changing to be the other way around sometimes when you have things happening like the government forcing catholic charity hospitals to offer something like a condom or contraceptives for free when their religion expressly forbids it's use.  It would be like ordering a Hindu to offer free cow meat if they opened a homeless shelter...

Rather than pushing at each other to force our ideas,  I think for the most part we would get along if we just agreed to promote the idea that we are free to make our own choices so long as we're not harming others. 

[WhiteStorm]

However,  this feels like it's changing to be the other way around sometimes when you have things happening like the government forcing catholic charity hospitals to offer something like a condom or contraceptives for free when their religion expressly forbids it's use.  It would be like ordering a Hindu to offer free cow meat if they opened a homeless shelter...

That sounds to me more like they want people to know that when they go to something calling itself a 'Hospital,' they don't have to look it up and shop around to find one that believes in providing the services they need first, because there are standards they can expect from it.* In that case the Catholics are not required to actually use contraception if they don't feel like it, rather, like anyone else, they can't simultaneously run a 'Hospital' and choose not to meet the relevant standards. On the other hand, if it was only required of Catholic hospitals, then they'd have grounds to think someone was intentionally screwing with them...

Incidentally, you can provide perfectly healthy food that doesn't involve cows; it's harder to provide contraceptives without contraceptives.



*Within reason: obviously the equipment and personnel to do everything a hospital can potentially do is not going to be available everywhere in a given nation.

[Flarei]

I am religious, but I follow a religion not many follow, or even take seriously anymore. I don't have a strong disliking towards any other religion, though I believe many have been corrupted in a certain since. But no worldly being is perfect, so I don't take the actions of man in the name of their book personally.

[Wereaibo]

All I know is that God shouldn't be blamed for the idiocy of some of his followers. I sincerely believe that those who use religion as an excuse for bigotry and hatred will find their afterlives to be fairly unpleasant. I don't hate religion but I do hate some of the ideas certain whackjobs come up with in the name of religion that are just excuses to persecute others. You can wrap it up in a pretty bow all you want. But don't wrap a turd and try to convince me it's a diamond.

[T-Yoshi45]

I've been a follower of the lord Jesus Christ son of God for as long as I can remember and organized religion to this day makes me a bit sick.

I feel like everyone is trying to force what they believe on everyone around them. That's absolutely wrong, what one believes spiritually has to come naturally otherwise it's all for not in my opinion. I feel like most churches are going "follow our beliefs or rot in hell!" when I don't think God would want that, they all claim to be right when most likely none of them are hardly close and it's turned into this idolized mess. Nowhere in the Bible did it ever say thou must follow this sect of Christianity.

I like what Alsek said, I personally believe that the followers of any belief should not force it on anyone, in opinion they are merely to follow and represent the belief and present it to others.

[Aloneness]

Other: I generally feel that most people at least where I live... haven't the faintest understanding of there own religion... They just simple take what there priest says as the complete story... and while I've never really taken the time to sit down and read one of our 100+ year old family bibles upstairs which I'm venturing to guess are somewhere between 600-1200 pages of dictionary font text, I some how don't think most people fully cover there material before they start spewing there religious stuff onto others...

[charcoal]

Some homophobes

[kynikos]

I think it's just polarizing human nature. We have "us" and we have "them," and if something's wrong it's because of the other group.

I agree that there are problems stemming from religious individuals, but I don't agree that it's religion itself that's bad. It's still a little archaic because it's slower to change its norms than other aspects of culture are. My father and stepmother were reading a magazine this Christmas, and on front was an advertisement for an article challenging the supposed inferiority of women in Christianity.

[Aloneness]

We have "us" and we have "them," and if something's wrong it's because of the other group.

Well said *nods in agreement*

[Mylo]

I just don't like the extremism in some sects,  but then again,  I don't like illogical extremism anywhere.

[Aloneness]

I just don't like the extremism in some sects,  but then again,  I don't like illogical extremism anywhere.

illogical extremism, can there even been logical extremism?

[Amducious]

im undecided.

[KCfox]

I like Jesus, he's so nice.
So is santa and his elves. I love Christmas!

Can't wait until Easter

[Yip]

illogical extremism, can there even been logical extremism?

I think it's technically possible , but I don't think it matches the world we actually live in.

For example, if it were true that there were a god that sends all but a few to hell, and if they gave a free past to small children, then it logically follows that we should kill our children while they are still young. Even if it dooms us, it saves them. This would be completely logical, except that its not because the premises are untrue.

It's stuff like this that make me think that, for a lot of religious people possibly even most of them, they don't really believe what they claim they believe. If they did they should follow it to the logical conclusion. Instead they "believe in belief" as Daniel Dennett puts it.

[JD]

I dislike religion for a couple of reasons
1. I simply do not belive in a higher power
2. Religious people try to shove their doctrines at you and expect you to adhere to them, some of which can be annoying but a lot are completely offensive, such as the anti-gay doctrines in christianity and several other religions.
4. Religious people believe that theyre still right even when given hard evidence that they arent
3. Religion is detrimental to society and civilization. For example, it gives people a false idea about how the world works, which impedes scientific and technological progress. Also, over the millennia, religion has killed countless people. In addition to rampant human sacrifice in certain religions, religion has sparked countless conflicts over the years, the crusades, the salem witch trials, and countless other wars all of which resulted in innumerable hordes of people being sent to their deaths. i refuse to subscribe to something that has sent billions of human beings to their deaths and hindered the progress of mankind!

[the lone shadow wolf]

JD gas a point it has caused many differences between many people that are a teeny bit irrational some even killed people because of religion

[The Rockin Hyena]

I think people dislike religion for several reasons. They think it is cool to be against good, they blame God because life is not perfect, they are afraid of what people will think if they are seen praying, people with religion have been ungodly towards them. As for me, I give God the glory!

[Keitsu]

I don't mean to disrespect anyone who's religious but listed below is why I don't believe in Christianity.

I dislike religion/don't believe in God because:
- I was forced to go to church as a kid
- They preach boring things (Usually it's the same thing or they have one thing drawn across several hours)
- The Bible is ambiguous and it can be interpreted as literal or figurative. Thus leading to several denominations and religious disputes
- I don't believe that a "god" is in control of every single thing. I find it stupid that people thing everything is caused by god. "It was Gods will"
- I've been to 3 weddings (all ended in divorce), 1 funeral and some of my family died when I was very young. (Mothers father, mothers stepfather, non-blood related Auntie whom was a neighbor). Some family I never knew because they died before I was born. People die all the time. It doesn't matter if your religious or not.
- I don't believe that god would make people suffer. If god existed then how come so many people suffer?
- I don't believe in heaven or hell. The concept of judgement and redemption does not make sense to me.  If a good person never heard of Jesus do they go to hell? (there's allot of what if's) There are several ways that are all different concepts of how people get to heaven (Purgatory, asking god to forgive your sins, accepting Jesus, sacrificing animals, baptism)
- The whole "God hates fags" thing just annoys me.
- People make decisions based on religion and they are led as a crowd (it influences their ethics and they have trouble thinking about the actual issues). In Australia gay marriage is not legal and it is common practice for churches to preach against it because they don't want it to lead up to "bestiality" to be legalized. (stupid argument). They also don't want gay people to adopt children because they don't want the kids to be influenced by gay people.
- There are several religions based off the same god. Islam, Christianity and Judaism all believe in the same god. Judaism and Islam don't believe in Jesus and have different worship styles while Christianity believes in Jesus but is split into 41 thousand denominations which is because of opposed views and the ambiguity of the bible.
- If god did exist it is likely that the bible is a biased view from god's perspective.
- If Lucifer was an angel then how come he has the powers of a god?
- If god created us then who created god? Or did he just exist. Like us? However... either way you look at it we somehow exist.
- So god made people live in a desert? that must of sucked.
- If god can move mountains and he is all powerful how come there is no divine intervention?
- There are rules made by religion to make sure that it continues though generations such as the 10 commandments (Bible), "don't test god",  the right to kill anyone who does not conform to your religion (Quar'an) as well as the continued conversion of people to try to "save them" so that they can have eternal life. (No. I'm not racist. I've studied Islam and know that only religious extremists do this)
- People who preach continually that others must led god lead their lives or ask god what to do
- The whole. We are mortals, we are sinners, we are not worthy... pathetic thing.
- Anything to do with "sexual immorality" is a sin..(talking about thoughts when sexual attraction is natural)
- The large amount or religious hypocrites
- My parents telling me to read my bible when I have a view other than the one they get from their religious beliefs.
- People using the term "Atheists" incorrectly and thinking that anyone who is not in their religious faith is against them.
- Misconceptions spread about Evolution though religious communities.
- People who say that you can't live without god when other people are clearly doing that.
- People think that your either with "God" or "Lucifer". All the bad things are blamed on Lucifer even though God is supposedly in control.
- Religion can be used to control people, gain influence and capital.

"Faith" is believing in something that does not have proof. So stop trying to prove it!

[Purrrl]

I disagree with religion because of the fact that it is simply illogical - Apply Occam's Razor here, the evidence for there not being a God that created everything blah blah blah, and that the scientific views are correct makes far less assumptions than the religious viewpoint. Furthermore, most religions are based off of their holy books, and  define their gods as omnipotent. Omnipotence is impossible due to the fact that it is paradoxical (google the omnipotence paradox), and thus those books are incorrect on that count, and if they are incorrect there, where else are they?

Now, why I DISLIKE it:
How it spreads is primarily through exploiting the impressionable minds of young children - in other words, religious people are expected to bring their children up as religious. As young children are impressionable, most will become set in this way from early and thus will not really have as much of an opportunity to make up their own minds, which I really do dislike. Not to mention the range of contradictions that have been seen in  religious texts, the fact tht religion is divisive, etc, etc, etc.

[Silver, The Wolf]

I am personally religious, but I do disagree with a lot of people who are religious. First, saying that religion and science can not coexist is insane, as both are at their core built on faith. A faith in your observations being true in science,and a faith in god in religion. And also, there are too many religious people who use religion as an excuse for bigotry. I have quite a few homosexual friends and they are great people. I guess all in all what I am saying is stop being a prick on both sides and I'm cool.

[Yip]

A faith in your observations being true in science...

Actually, that's not true. Which is why in science everything is always tentative, subject to potential change if new evedeince is found.  Also, the scientific method specifically includes peer review so that others can test your claims by making their own observations and such.

By comparison, religion tends to usually state things in absolute terms, and often will refuse to even consider that they might be wrong.

Science does everything it can to eliminate bias, whereas religion intensifies it.

[GrayWolf448]

my reasons to dislike it
-no facts to support the existence of a god/spirits (blind following)
-current religions slow down the progression of the human race (not accepting scientific discoveries as true/more reasonable)
-current religions are a threat to the well being of the human race (discrimination, laws that prevent science/equal rights, reasons for stuff)
-believing that god will make things better, and that any suffering is there for a reason (i do not see any logical reason for suffering, there are always other methods)
-the fact that people will follow god for the sole reason that he created them.
-the gods that people follow today should be considered an enemy to humanity if they existed (punishing people for stupid reasons, forcibly holding control of humanity at the cost of our well being, ect)
-convincing people to do things with fear (i'd much rather prefer them to be convinced with logic)

the fact that people support such gods is what bothers me the most. sadly alot of my family are christian (lucky they aren't that strict) while they dont bother me directly i dislike the fact that they follow a most likely fictional being that wants me dead/for me to mindlessly follow it.