HDC Weekly Debate: Does religion still matter today as it did about 40 years ago?

[_____V_____]

Well, does it?

And why?

[hammerfan]

I think it depends on who you ask. To me, no, it's not as important as it was, say, when I was a child. The only thing that was open on Sundays back then was gas stations and churches. NOTHING else was open, not even grocery stores. But then, I'm not as religious as I used to be. I think a lot of that has to do with the horrible experience I had at the last church I went to. There are times when I miss the ceremonies, especially at Christmas time. I also miss the sense of community. But that last church left such a bad taste in my mouth, I don't think I'll ever go to church again.

I still believe in God, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but I'll honor them in my own way.

[fortunato]

Whether or not you're a believer, it will always be important. It's just that religion changes to suit the times. Plus, when you say "religion", that can mean anything from specifically theistic beliefs to more vague spirituality. It's been a part of human nature as a whole, though, and I think it always will be.

[The Villain]

Of course it's still important. It's always going to be important. It's a driving force in a lot of peoples lives and even those that aren't overly religious or even religious at all always seem to talk about it and acknowledge it. It must be important if were having this conversation.

[wizard of gore]

yes,i still pray to satan every day

[FreddyMyers]

I choose science over religion.

[leezuki]

well i follow zen buddhism so i say yes. if there was no religion and people did not believe in god then there would be more violence then there is now. i just believe in the here and now.

[cheebacheeba]

I think it's equally important to those who perceive it that way.
Some people follow a structured religion, I do not.
I follow a code of ethics and live my life in a way that I believe to be basically good...so for me, if that fits into any given religion sure, ok.

if there was no religion and people did not believe in god then there would be more violence then there is now
I don't know about this...many conflicts have arisen on account of belief systems being challenged or opposed by others.
Just IMO, this would only be correct if there happened to be some kind of universal religion. Which there never will be.
That said, who knows - we've never (at least not for a LONG time) lived in a time where there has been one religion, or no religion.

I think it matters, if it matters to you.

[fortunato]

I don't know about this...many conflicts have arisen on account of belief systems being challenged or opposed by others.
Just IMO, this would only be correct if there happened to be some kind of universal religion. Which there never will be.
That said, who knows - we've never (at least not for a LONG time) lived in a time where there has been one religion, or no religion.

Even if there were one world religion, there'd still be plenty of different approaches and interpretations to that religion, and still plenty of conflict. It's the relative subtleties within and between religions that cause a lot of violence. It's the difference between peace and jihadism, for example.
Emo Phillips has a great bit related to this, actually:

ZBKIyCbppfs

[Straker]

Religion is definatley dying out and has been in a steady decline for some time. Even practising religious people tend to cherry pick what they want to believe and how they want to believe. It's really just a case of the way people are educated. Most European countries tend not to have a heavy religious structure within schools anymore, the same can be said for Australia, Japan, Canada and probably plenty of other countries too... Often countries/ areas with heavy poverty and low education tend to rely more heavily on religious education and teachings. As long as there is poverty and inequality in the world religion will continue to be a part of our world but its certainly not as relevant as it was 40 years ago.

[RZR666]

No.

I think its about time they stopped teaching it in schools too, either stop teaching Religion or Dinosaurs/Evolution. Kids don't need both.

[realdealblues]

I can't speak for around the world but in the USA I see less Religion and more Spirituality. There are less people following traditional faiths and more exploring "New Age" philosophies.

Many people are looking less at Religion from it's old school standpoints as "literal" and more (as it was intended in my opinion) as "metaphorical".

There have been SO many things mistranslated and taken out of context. Simple things like the term Satan being originally mistranslated from the word Sultan to more complex ideas such as the idea of what "Church" really is and why as 1 Corinthians 14:34 states: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law." Anyone who honestly thinks that a female person is not allowed to speak in a building has missed the true concept behind these teachings. I think more and more people are leaving these old ideals behind.

So in response to the original question. I think you see less people following an organized, dogma and more people believing in a personal spirituality that sees the world more for what it truly is. I don't know that Religion is as important as it was 40 years ago, but I think Personal Spirituality is.

[GhostlyChills]

Religion will always matter. Religion rather you goto church or not is rooted in a persons ethical values, people think between right and wrong, good and evil, rather to sit in jail or not. It's not like deciding for or against going to a tanning booth for the day. God will be with you the day you die, not satan.


http://www.horror.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=27&pictureid=208

[wizard of gore]

God will be with you the day you die, not satan.






no one knows if thats true, god boy

[Posher778]

God will be with you the day you die, not satan.






no one knows if thats true, god boy

And people who actually pray to Satan are idiots.

[wizard of gore]

And people who actually pray to Satan are idiots.

and people who take jokes seriously have brains the size of a fish

fuck that was a lame comeback,what i really meant was HOW DARE YOU OFFEND MY MASTER!!

[newb]

I think it's equally important to those who perceive it that way.
Some people follow a structured religion, I do not.
I follow a code of ethics and live my life in a way that I believe to be basically good...so for me, if that fits into any given religion sure, ok.



this

although religion has come under attack in my State. The Governor renamed the Christmas tree "The Holiday Tree". A school prayer that's been hanging in the auditorium for 50 years was ordered to be taken down because one student found it offensive [ she was backed by an atheist group] and ongoing now is a fight by another atheist group to remove a monument in a local fire department's parking lot that was dedicated to a soldier that died in WW1. It has a cross on it so once again it's deemed offensive. It's been there since 1921

[wizard of gore]

this

although religion has come under attack in my State. The Governor renamed the Christmas tree "The Holiday Tree". A school prayer that's been hanging in the auditorium for 50 years was ordered to be taken down because one student found it offensive [ she was backed by an atheist group] and ongoing now is a fight by another atheist group to remove a monument in a local fire department's parking lot that was dedicated to a soldier that died in WW1. It has a cross on it so once again it's deemed offensive. It's been there since 1921

thats really cool and open minded.its not just for atheist,but christmas and all that shit dominates the western world and would kind of fuck off other religion type,i mean were not all christians and they just use xmas and easter and shit for making money

[bwind22]

Religion serves a few critical purposes and thus, will always matter. Morality and mortality.

Morality - Religion gives us (as a society) guidelines as to what is right and what is wrong. Most laws across the globe are derivitaves of one religion or another.

Mortality - It eases pain when a loved one has past on to think they have gone to a better place as opposed to rotting in the ground. It also gives folks that need the comfort this nice happy thing to look forward to after their own imminent demise.

As long as no one knows what happens after we die and society deems knowledge of right and wrong vital information, religion will always matter.

Of course, we can't forget about the folks out there using religion to their own ends; amassing devout followers, raking in the cash, pushing a political agenda, etc... There will always be people doing those things too. Religion matters to them for entirely different reasons... It's their bread and butter.

And finally, whoever said there would be more killing and crime without religion needs a history lesson. The Bible is the most violent book ever written. More human beings have died in the name of religion than any other cause ever (Crusades, Holocaust, 9/11, etc...)

And yes, I do note the irony of stating how religion gives us morality and then discussing the violence that goes with it a few sentences later. The violence comes from 1 religion declaring they are the only true religion and imperialistically forcing itself onto others.

Anyways, that's my 2 cents. I vote yes, it still matters and probably always will.

[wizard of gore]

my favorite George Carlin quote:p
"Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man…living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time.
But he loves you.
He loves you and he needs money. "

:DLOL,so true

[The Villain]

this

although religion has come under attack in my State. The Governor renamed the Christmas tree "The Holiday Tree". A school prayer that's been hanging in the auditorium for 50 years was ordered to be taken down because one student found it offensive [ she was backed by an atheist group] and ongoing now is a fight by another atheist group to remove a monument in a local fire department's parking lot that was dedicated to a soldier that died in WW1. It has a cross on it so once again it's deemed offensive. It's been there since 1921

Why should a Christmas Tree be renamed? It's used during Christmas for people who celebrate it. It's not used on other holidays so calling it a Holiday Tree is just stupid.

So a statue is made of a soldier who died defending our country and an atheist group wants it taken down because there's a cross on it? How is that offensive? Do atheists hate the sight of a cross? Are they vampires now? Why should every religious symbol be removed for one group? How does that statue have anything to do with them? What if the soldier was a christian? Doesn't he have the right to display his belief's proudly? Atheists act like they are open minded but are so much more critical and offensive towards other religions then any other religious group i've come across.


my favorite George Carlin quote:p
"Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man…living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time.
But he loves you.
He loves you and he needs money. "

This just proves my point. This is such a horrible misunderstanding of the christian religion and offensive to me despite it just being a joke.

Hey i know, i'll be like an atheist and petition for that quote to be removed from this forum.

Freedom of speech and the right to practice and celebrate one's religion go both ways.

Do i think Christianity should be treated like the standard religion that all must follow? No

Do i think that Christianity should only be taught in school's and not other religion's? No

Do i think that all religious symbols, practices and beliefs should be removed from school's and otherwise because it could offend someone who doesn't believe in it despite the fact that other's do? No

[newb]

Why should a Christmas Tree be renamed? It's used during Christmas for people who celebrate it. It's not used on other holidays so calling it a Holiday Tree is just stupid.

So a statue is made of a soldier who died defending our country and an atheist group wants it taken down because there's a cross on it? How is that offensive? Do atheists hate the sight of a cross? Are they vampires now? Why should every religious symbol be removed for one group? How does that statue have anything to do with them? What if the soldier was a christian? Doesn't he have the right to display his belief's proudly? Atheists act like they are open minded but are so much more critical and offensive towards other religions then any other religious group i've come across.




This just proves my point. This is such a horrible misunderstanding of the christian religion and offensive to me despite it just being a joke.

Hey i know, i'll be like an atheist and petition for that quote to be removed from this forum.

Freedom of speech and the right to practice and celebrate one's religion go both ways.

Do i think Christianity should be treated like the standard religion that all must follow? No

Do i think that Christianity should only be taught in school's and not other religion's? No

Do i think that all religious symbols, practices and beliefs should be removed from school's and otherwise because it could offend someone who doesn't believe in it despite the fact that other's do? No

I agree with ya

I normally don't get into discussions concerning religion or politics....they usually all go bad. Some people believe it's their way or no way....I ain't one of em....I say whatever floats your boat...if you want to believe in God, Buddha, Mohammad , A giant Glowing Beer Bottle....as long as you respect others and their beliefs.....it's all good....we're just all humans .....being

[Straker]

Atheists act like they are open minded but are so much more critical and offensive towards other religions then any other religious group i've come across.


That is a bit of a stretch isnt it?.... I dont think anyone has committed any acts of genocide based on their lack of a belief in a god.


Hey i know, i'll be like an atheist and petition for that quote to be removed from this forum.


Atheists are simply people who don't believe in god... They arent a little group of people who go around trying to get shit they dont agree with removed.... Atheism isnt a religion or a belief structure or a sect or a group of people. It is just a word that means someone doesnt believe in a god. You are probably an atheist yourself... either that or you believe in every god from every religion.

[wizard of gore]

Why should a Christmas Tree be renamed? It's used during Christmas for people who celebrate it. It's not used on other holidays so calling it a Holiday Tree is just stupid.

So a statue is made of a soldier who died defending our country and an atheist group wants it taken down because there's a cross on it? How is that offensive? Do atheists hate the sight of a cross? Are they vampires now? Why should every religious symbol be removed for one group? How does that statue have anything to do with them? What if the soldier was a christian? Doesn't he have the right to display his belief's proudly? Atheists act like they are open minded but are so much more critical and offensive towards other religions then any other religious group i've come across


This just proves my point. This is such a horrible misunderstanding of the christian religion and offensive to me despite it just being a joke.

Hey i know, i'll be like an atheist and petition for that quote to be removed from this forum.

Freedom of speech and the right to practice and celebrate one's religion go both ways.

Do i think Christianity should be treated like the standard religion that all must follow? No

Do i think that Christianity should only be taught in school's and not other religion's? No

Do i think that all religious symbols, practices and beliefs should be removed from school's and otherwise because it could offend someone who doesn't believe in it despite the fact that other's do? No

i started to post all the things you said that are wrong about all the things you just wrote,but then thought fuck it theres too many,and i hate arguing about religous bullshit,especially with ignorent people who wouldnt understand,my girlfriends a christian and me and her have enough confilct as it is

[cheebacheeba]

i hate arguing about religous bullshit,especially with ignorent people who wouldnt understand
Ignorant

I disagree with some points made about atheists...most I've known simply don't give a shit, rather than attack religions.

Most religions seem to have a knack for having a go at other religions though.

Though neither of the groups above are 100% that way - it's usually only the elements that misrepresent the groups that speak the loudest, and unfortunately cast the impression that they're all like that.

How this thread is going though...this is why I don't openly talk about religion...it always just turns into bullshit.
People taking offense like they created the religion themselves or something.

Folk ought to focus more on what religion means to them, rather than what their religion should mean to others...and those that have ill opinion of it, need to understand that a persons choices are their own and their reasons only have to be valid to them, and not you.

[wizard of gore]

well that was probably the best post yet
and yes i cant spell
starting a thread like this is just asking for a neverending debate,damn you V ,damn you to hell!!

[cheebacheeba]

and yes i cant spell
Haha nothing personal, I just jumped on the irony.

well that was probably the best post yet
Thanks, but I think everyone's raised some good points...it's just such a fucking subjective topic with many so personally invested in their views, always bound to be some kind of drama.