Religion is evil

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I have my personal faith. I believe in God and Jesus. But I don't believe in religion. Religion is the institutionalization of faith.

Faith gives you a personal relationship to God. Institutionalization is evil, no matter where it is found, because it pulls the person away from the friendly environment.

Institutionalization pull you away from God. It alianates God. It makes God speak to the masses, instead of speaking to you as an individual.

The Church is evil because it institutionalize God. It puts you in an institution, and thus pull you away from God.

With personal faith, you can discuss with God. But when God no longer speaks to you alone as an individual, but to the masses, the individualism is lost.

I hate the Church for institutionalizing God. I hate the Bible, the Quran, the Torah. They all institutionalize God.

One learn much better by talking to one person at a time and having a direct conversation, rather than having to listen to someone who speaks to the masses.

I believe you are, strictly speaking, expressing a hatred of organized religion. I am not religious at the moment, however I do share this view. I tend to view each individual religion, and denomination differently from one to another.

Merriam-Webster has the definitions of religion, and theism. Of course you can look up other related words as well.

This is an interesting and complicated discussion. One that I do not wish to get into right now because I have a headache .

Thats why I enjoy philosophy. Its open and not organised. Pick what makes sense.

I may be an egotheist but I argee.

Believeing in a God is not wrong but needing a priest or iman makes you a slave.

One must find their own God.

I agree that organized religion is evil, and I know a lot of people that agree also. The fact that "apologetics" are an accepted part of Christianity (to use a popular example) is disgusting.

"Wait, if Adam and Eve only had four kids, doesn't that mean those kids had to be incestuous? And isn't incest wrong?"
"Erm... uhh... Well, you see, God made OTHER people to populate the world." Or some such rubbish.

Rather than listening to someone else to decide what you believe, find things out on your own. I don't care if you find it in the comfort of your own home, or out in the wilderness; just find it, and don't try to push it on others.

I like what Wayne Dyer said " A truth is a truth until it is organized"...

Come again?

1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

You are a part of a Religion, you just don't realise it, znd/or you choose not to recognise the fact.

There is no proof for God's existance, by saying that your relationship with God isn't Religious you are saying that it is provable that he exists, but it is not.

A little too simple. I am NOT part of a religion. I have beliefs but that doesnt mean I'm automatically religious. There is faith, then there is religion. There should be NOTHING in between you and God. People kill for their religion but speak secondly of their God. Always religion thats killing.

That definition is sooooo BROAD. Sounds more like a definition to Philosophy

My relationship with God is spiritual. I can feel that. Sitting in a church listening to outdated propaganda? Not at all! Compare Buddhism with any other "religion" and you will notice a difference between how 'God' is perceived. Quite frankly, during my meditation last night, I made myself have less faith in a God but more faith in the universe/existence itself.

Yeah, when people organize and institutionalize a philosophy that's when human arrogance, ignorance, and all the stupid stuff merge their way in and actually take more importance and relevance than the truths presented by the philosophy itself. Its like a music scene as well, it's really intelligent when its underground because it tends to just draw intelligent, alternative, and deep thinkers - however mainstreaming it brings in the idiots who want cheese and end up defiling the heck out of it.

Everything contains some evil if you look hard enough, but yes religion has evil in it too, especially the evil people who pretend to be religious and are not. Give others a bad name.

Without organized religion, though, the current "target of our hatred" could get even bloodier.

explain this so I understand where you are going

Humans have always had an internal group to detest and deride. If you look throughout history, anytime social progress is made in acceptance, a new group will always emerge forward as the next target. Yesterday's good might be tomorrow's evil.

Essentially, one of the few things organized religion can really get right is to preach a level of acceptance, and make it standard. At the same time, by working together and maintaining a small level of distaste, two things happen:

1.) Gritting teeth, the followers can deal with a group because of their devotion(assuming they actually understand it).

2.) However, rage elsewhere WILL boil over, creating a level of chaos. Though since many religions have their connective ideas and archetypes, there can be a level of order and peace established later.

Yes, a new group does emerge, but is that new group increasing in size or decreasing? Most hatred stems from misunderstanding. A muslim will not understand a christian unless they are 'open minded' enough to do so. This is why all religions can live under one roof (i.e. Canada) while they cannot in a closed society, such as Iran or something.

One thing that I cannot argue with is "following." Following anyone, be it in knowledge, or down the street, or in a 'religious' sense means you've given up YOUR choices and conform to a groups. I'll never view this as a positive traits and any negativity that derives from following is at the result of simple 'following.' I question everything and everyone. If someone says they think christianity has all the answers, I want to know why! If someone says cheese makes them sick, I want to know why. I'm not much of a person to just dive into something, I need to know what it is and base it against my beliefs which are pretty much made up of all the common beliefs spread throughout all religions. These ideas came from something.

I imagine if more people were independent thinkers/doers, this world would have a lot less evil brought on by mass beliefs. You've no reason to kill another religious person (of different religion) until you hear the talk that either gives you the idea (murder is illegal no matter what the motive) or someone TELLS you to do it. Independent thinkers dont do what others tell them to do without thinking first. Its what makes them independent and not followers.

The key is not to have everyone as an independent thinker in terms of spirituality/religion(this would be chaos), or a strict tell-my-how-to-think(this would be stagnant order), but instead to find a good balance.

People will always hold collective belief. It's our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness. After all, it is collective perception that builds the reality we live in to begin with. As for the new group, it will increase, hit a peak, become accepted/tolerated-- and then the next shall emerge. It may even be recycled.