Religion: Sign of rudimentair barbarism or prosperity?

[gyzzzmo]

Like the title sais, do you think that religion is something we should be proud of as human, or is religion something from the bronze age that we should ban (if we could) because of all the wars religion seems to cause?

[shortyshort]

BOTH. 

[pianochick93]

Neither.

The general principles of religion are good (kindness/morals etc.) but it's when people force those things on others or interpret them so that they could mean harm that it gets bad.

[dnephi]

Rudimentary?

[chopininov]

Please close this thread. The trolls are approaching.

[helena37]

Like the title sais, do you think that religion is something we should be proud of as human, or is religion something from the bronze age that we should ban (if we could) because of all the wars religion seems to cause?

Religion doesn't cause war, people do. Man has gone to war for many other reasons other than religion and will probably continue to.

 Even the most notorious wars supposedly caused by religion (the Crusades, the 30 years war, the Islamic Jihad movement today) seem to be examples of men misrepresenting religious teachings to advance their own power and influence or advance their own political causes.

 I guess I would say the religions  that promote the value of life and decent morality are things we should be proud of but the way people have misinterpreted them we should be ashamed of.

[gyzzzmo]

I agree it might not always have been the cause of a war, but in many cases leaders have used religion to get people for wars. So maybe the reason for a war is usually money/power, but religion makes the wars possible.

[term]

So maybe the reason for a war is usually money/power, but religion makes the wars possible.

Think again.
You suggest that those who abused their power would respectfully stop their aspirations if there was no such thing as religion, implying that there are no other ideological and cultural ideals that could be used. The main idea is to use something that is associated with the identity of the people, be it culture or ideology, and use it to get public agreement and support for wars which serve the purpose to acquire wealth, land, cultural influence and whatnot, by claiming that there is a threat to these ideals. Sounds familiar?

 How is the point you are trying to make in line with two and more centuries full of non religious and most brutally fought wars? A fundamentalist religious person might even be tempted to say that technological progress has brought humans to the edge of self destruction, since spears and swords have never killed as many people as bombs and rockets. While this argument is regressive in nature, its comparable to yours since it confuses cause and effect; i.e. technological progress with wrong use if it and, in this case, religion and the abuse of it.

[pianochick93]

Religion doesn't cause war, people do. Man has gone to war for many other reasons other than religion and will probably continue to...
... I guess I would say the religions  that promote the value of life and decent morality are things we should be proud of but the way people have misinterpreted them we should be ashamed of.

That first bit of yours is good. The second bit was a much better way of saying what I was tyring to. . Thanks.