Religion, is it a force for good or a force for evil?

[Soph0571]

Good points: Charity, personal peace, joy and comfort for those who believe. Inspiration, hope, a sense of belonging to a community. A sense of purpose. Religion can help organise thought. It helps form a basis for moral and ethical codes. Religion brought us music and good teaching. Belief in the afterlife can ease suffering after the death of a loved one. Looking at that list, a lot of it is more about faith than religion. Religion doesn't give you peace, faith does? Maybe?

Bad points: Makes people judgemental, it can lead to intolerance of those people who partake in 'evil' things. Inspires war, hate, intolerance, bigotry. Makes people believe that everyone should act just like them and it can overly define right from wrong. It excludes people. It is often dated, not quick to move 'with-the-times’. Religion can over-regulate with stupid rules for the faithful to ensure power and control over them and allow them to condemn others who are not just like them.

So - religion a force for good or evil?

[True Dough]

1. Both! n/t

[Throck]

4. +1

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

7. +2

[Blues Heron]

2. More like a force for stupid

here, turn off your brain and read about a MAGIC MAN AND HIS MAGIC DADDY!

[Throck]

3. Are you assuming one religion?

[Blues Heron]

5. They're all pretty similar

magic this, miracle that etc etc

[Major Nikon]

15. Not all

Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the largest religions on earth and do not have deities as part of their core doctrine. Meanwhile there's no shortage of irreligious people who still believe in metaphysical hocus pocus.

[Blues Heron]

10. back atcha buddy

[KPN]

6. Well, if nice guys come in last as they say.

then evil outweighs good on the broad scale. On the other hand, at the individual level, good can obviously outweigh evil. But then there’s the issue of complicity.

[True Blue American]

9. Both!

Over thousands of years it has been used as evil. Much like we are seeing today but on a much more terrible scale

That is why our Country was founded on Freedom Of Religion.

Right now many are trying their best to impose their beliefs on us all. The man reason people are rejecting it as they study Science. Many of the fables are just not believable in the light of facts.

[MineralMan]

11. Religion is just an extension of human nature.

So, it can be used for good or for evil, depending on the human worshiping it.

Religion is indifferent in that regard. Humans will be humans.

[Cartoonist]

12. I noticed one small mistake in the OP

Religion brought us music and good teaching.
_

I'm pretty sure music came into being on its own. Teaching myth as fact is not good teaching.

_

Why do people who believe in stuff they can't validate call realists bigots?

[Major Nikon]

14. Not to mention the erosion of critical thinking skills

When women are taught they should be subservient to men while otherwise intelligent and well educated women go along with and promote that garbage, you start to understand why teaching myth is a pretty bad idea.

[Major Nikon]

13. Religion is a tool used for manipulation

As such it's inherently corruptible and lends itself well for nefarious purposes. Whatever good anyone can attribute to it would still exist without religion and arguably we'd be better off without so many skimming off the top.