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benefits of religion.
52 Answers
are there any?
can anyone tell me what benefit religion has on our lives - other than simply believing it it.
what practical day to day use is it?
what does it give us that we could not achieve if religion have never existed...
what would change in our lives if it just vanished tomorrow and had happened?
we know its existence is not required to make us good people.
charity would still exist without it.
i cant really think of anything that relies solely on religion for its worth and that would make the earth a worse off place if it wasnt there...
any ideas?
cheers
can anyone tell me what benefit religion has on our lives - other than simply believing it it.
what practical day to day use is it?
what does it give us that we could not achieve if religion have never existed...
what would change in our lives if it just vanished tomorrow and had happened?
we know its existence is not required to make us good people.
charity would still exist without it.
i cant really think of anything that relies solely on religion for its worth and that would make the earth a worse off place if it wasnt there...
any ideas?
cheers
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There may be moments in life when all practical solutions, logical conclusions and well thought out plans are of no more use. There may seem to be no answer to the problem. It is at times like this that people may say to themselves "God help me !" It doesn't matter who "God" is, it is simply having faith in something beyond the self and the known. This is not religion, it is survival but religions have claimed this territory for years.
We have a family friend who is quite religious. She has last year lost two baby grandchildren and she finds solace in believing that God has a better plan for them.
Totally a case of grasping for a reason for cot-death, but it gave her something to cling onto and I believe it somehow lightened her misery.
Go figure!
Totally a case of grasping for a reason for cot-death, but it gave her something to cling onto and I believe it somehow lightened her misery.
Go figure!
For starters... all of the political movements that acted to free people in history (at least modern history) were religious in their concept. Here in the U.S. (and Britain, for that matter) the end of slavery came about solely because of religion (as the organizing force). In England the end of slave transport by ship came about because William Wilberfoce's perserverance to end it. He was an Evangelical Christian and wrote and spoke freely and often about the abuse and almost singlehandedly forced the new law against the trade.
Here in the U.S., the Underground Railroad, which provided transport for runaway slaves via safe houses was supported by several denominations. The Civil War, during which 1/2 million lives were lost was primarily a Christian response to ending slavery.
We (my family) has financially supported a young couple who went to Nigeria as newlyweds over 20 years ago. They began a school for children and the wife, being a Registered Nurse opened a free clinic in rural parts of the country. They have had three children, all born in Nigeria. They are part of a legion of missionaries around the world seeking to help the peole they serve, prompted primarily because of the tenets of their faith.
Most of the early scientists, Newton, Kepler, Galleli, Descartes, Pascal, Linnaeus, Faraday, Mendel, Pasteur, George Washington Carver and a host of others were all Christian and were motivated by their faith.
Many of the great minds who were authors were Christian... one of my favorites is England's own C.S. Lewis, who had influence on millions.
Many of the great univerities both in Europe and here in the U.S. were started and flourished as Christian institutions... Harvard, Yale, Princeton and manyothers, while in England Cambridge, Oxford, and St. Andrews in Scotland.
Many hospitals here in the U.S. were begun solely as Christian institutions... I suspect the same for England since our histories tend to run parallel in matter religious.
These are but a few. Look, it would be easy to say that non-religious or even athiest entities could have begun or been all the things listed above... but they weren't or didn't.
Here in the U.S., the Underground Railroad, which provided transport for runaway slaves via safe houses was supported by several denominations. The Civil War, during which 1/2 million lives were lost was primarily a Christian response to ending slavery.
We (my family) has financially supported a young couple who went to Nigeria as newlyweds over 20 years ago. They began a school for children and the wife, being a Registered Nurse opened a free clinic in rural parts of the country. They have had three children, all born in Nigeria. They are part of a legion of missionaries around the world seeking to help the peole they serve, prompted primarily because of the tenets of their faith.
Most of the early scientists, Newton, Kepler, Galleli, Descartes, Pascal, Linnaeus, Faraday, Mendel, Pasteur, George Washington Carver and a host of others were all Christian and were motivated by their faith.
Many of the great minds who were authors were Christian... one of my favorites is England's own C.S. Lewis, who had influence on millions.
Many of the great univerities both in Europe and here in the U.S. were started and flourished as Christian institutions... Harvard, Yale, Princeton and manyothers, while in England Cambridge, Oxford, and St. Andrews in Scotland.
Many hospitals here in the U.S. were begun solely as Christian institutions... I suspect the same for England since our histories tend to run parallel in matter religious.
These are but a few. Look, it would be easy to say that non-religious or even athiest entities could have begun or been all the things listed above... but they weren't or didn't.
I agree with Naomi. I am a non-believer but I can see a use in religion in that it helps some people to get through life. I would never take that away from them as for some it is a need or even a necessity. So my philosophy is live and let live, if it helps you to get through life then go ahead but don't expect me to join you.
well yes... who is to say that those things couldnt and wouldnt have been done by atheists - had there been many about in those time - or just quite simply because it was a good things to do... ?
the world now is full of charitable atheists who do wonderfully kind things.
my point was - what things can ONLY be of benefit through religion , what things need religion to be of benefit... none of what you mention 'needs' religion to have happened, and mentioned a load of good things that happened doesnt really answerr the question.
along side all those things there is doubt many good things done regardless of religion just because they are right...
some of the people who do those things may have been religious but they are doing good because they want to - it doesnt necessarily mean they were motivated by it
the world now is full of charitable atheists who do wonderfully kind things.
my point was - what things can ONLY be of benefit through religion , what things need religion to be of benefit... none of what you mention 'needs' religion to have happened, and mentioned a load of good things that happened doesnt really answerr the question.
along side all those things there is doubt many good things done regardless of religion just because they are right...
some of the people who do those things may have been religious but they are doing good because they want to - it doesnt necessarily mean they were motivated by it
Clandad - “... Look, it would be easy to say that non-religious or even athiest entities could have begun or been all the things listed above... but they weren't or didn't...”
You missed out the words, “or couldn't” at the end of your above sentence. It may have escaped your notice but the religious community generally don't take kindly to the non-religious. For instance, in your country it is well known to be political suicide in most states if a political figure declares themselves to be an atheist. The intolerance by the religious of atheists throughout history and to this present day has been and is well documented. It has only been in the last 50 years or so in certain 'western' countries that it has become socially acceptable to declare oneself an atheist. Prior to that, an atheist couldn't expect to be anything other than a social pariah liable to be ostracised, assaulted or worse.
So please don't try and stigmatise atheists with the illegitimate claim that they have done nothing to improve society when it is the religious who have blocked them at every turn. It's a disingenuous and spurious argument.
In all of the examples you gave above, not one of them couldn't have been carried out by an atheist. You speak about William Wilberfoce and his exemplary stance on anti-slavery laws and you claim that he sought to abolish it because he was a Christian. I would respectfully suggest that you are wrong on this matter. I would argue that he sought to abolish slavery despite the fact he was a Christian for in several books of the Bible, slavery is encouraged and in one particular passage, condoned by Jesus himself (Colossians 3:22: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”).
The fact that a Christian saw through the lie that slavery is neither sinful nor immoral goes to show that Wilberforce was acting in an overtly non-Christan way. He was distancing himself from his own holy scriptures and adopting a far more humanistic stance. I find it incredible that you can credit a man such as Wilberforce as displaying the ideologies of Christianity whilst blatantly ignoring that fact that slavery is rife within the Bible and is actively encouraged and lauded within that very text.
You missed out the words, “or couldn't” at the end of your above sentence. It may have escaped your notice but the religious community generally don't take kindly to the non-religious. For instance, in your country it is well known to be political suicide in most states if a political figure declares themselves to be an atheist. The intolerance by the religious of atheists throughout history and to this present day has been and is well documented. It has only been in the last 50 years or so in certain 'western' countries that it has become socially acceptable to declare oneself an atheist. Prior to that, an atheist couldn't expect to be anything other than a social pariah liable to be ostracised, assaulted or worse.
So please don't try and stigmatise atheists with the illegitimate claim that they have done nothing to improve society when it is the religious who have blocked them at every turn. It's a disingenuous and spurious argument.
In all of the examples you gave above, not one of them couldn't have been carried out by an atheist. You speak about William Wilberfoce and his exemplary stance on anti-slavery laws and you claim that he sought to abolish it because he was a Christian. I would respectfully suggest that you are wrong on this matter. I would argue that he sought to abolish slavery despite the fact he was a Christian for in several books of the Bible, slavery is encouraged and in one particular passage, condoned by Jesus himself (Colossians 3:22: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favour, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”).
The fact that a Christian saw through the lie that slavery is neither sinful nor immoral goes to show that Wilberforce was acting in an overtly non-Christan way. He was distancing himself from his own holy scriptures and adopting a far more humanistic stance. I find it incredible that you can credit a man such as Wilberforce as displaying the ideologies of Christianity whilst blatantly ignoring that fact that slavery is rife within the Bible and is actively encouraged and lauded within that very text.
wildwood... i am not being picky but i quite clearly stated in my post that i wanted answers OTHER than COMFORT.
i am well aware that religion offers comfort to people - but that is in their heads, and applies only to them.
you have again given me an answer that amounts to nothing more than comfort in someones head.
that is not a practical day to day benefit
i am well aware that religion offers comfort to people - but that is in their heads, and applies only to them.
you have again given me an answer that amounts to nothing more than comfort in someones head.
that is not a practical day to day benefit
Many charities have been set up Solely because the founders were relgious.
The Red Cross and the Red Crescent were set up by religious organisations.
All the missionary schools were set up by religious people. I know several people who teach in them under difficult conditions and it is their religion that stops them giving up.
The Salvation Army hostels and canteens and help centres are run by religious people.
Some of these may have happened without religion but religion acted as driving force.
The Red Cross and the Red Crescent were set up by religious organisations.
All the missionary schools were set up by religious people. I know several people who teach in them under difficult conditions and it is their religion that stops them giving up.
The Salvation Army hostels and canteens and help centres are run by religious people.
Some of these may have happened without religion but religion acted as driving force.
Well my answer would be that being a committed Christian (or whatever) takes the worry out of life. All problems, uncertainty or indecision can be handed over to God, so that the bearer of the problem need no longer spend time fretting about it. The answer will come to them via prayer or the problem will (by the hand of God) be sorted one way or the other.
Answered as someone who was involved with evangelical christians for quite some time endeavouring to 'find' God but never did, so pretty much an atheist now.
Answered as someone who was involved with evangelical christians for quite some time endeavouring to 'find' God but never did, so pretty much an atheist now.
//religion was the driving force.//
How do we know that? It may have been done under the banner of religion, but perhaps an innate sense of humanity was the driving force, and those that instigated all of these things simply happened to be religious – as were most people in the past. There are plenty of religious people who don't appear to have a scrap of humanity in them - so I think it takes rather more than religion for a human being to genuinely empathise with his fellow man and to care enough to do something about it.
How do we know that? It may have been done under the banner of religion, but perhaps an innate sense of humanity was the driving force, and those that instigated all of these things simply happened to be religious – as were most people in the past. There are plenty of religious people who don't appear to have a scrap of humanity in them - so I think it takes rather more than religion for a human being to genuinely empathise with his fellow man and to care enough to do something about it.
Clanad, the god fearing christians that you gave as examples of religion inspiring good works were not christians out of choice. They were christians because they had little choice. Anyone who had atheistic tendencies was rejected by the 'great and the good'. Look at how King Edward was manoeuvered out of his position as king by a manipulative and scheming Archbishop of Canterbury, just because he didn't like his lack of enthusiam for the church. If you are going to claim the good stuff for religion then you have to admit responsibility for the bad stuff too.
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