Religion and places of worship - the cause of the world's problems today?!

[nev]

Religion and places of worship - the cause of the world's problems today?!

I recently heard a speech where the speaker was very critical of all religions and "extravagant places of worship". He was especially critical of the Christian faith. He conveniently quoted bits out of the bible in an effort to show how harmful religion is. His claim was that it is religion (especially Christianity) that is the cause of the worlds problems today.

Being a subject that is always rather topical I thought I would share my thoughts on the matter. You/your readers may not agree with what I say but it should get our minds working, to decide one's personal opinion on this matter.

Places of Worship

Temples, Mosques, Churches etc are places of worship. They are places we build and dedicate to worship our God. When built they should be a reflection of the community that builds it. Neither God nor people nor the community itself would give any credit for building something that is beyond or beneath the means of that particular community.

Places of worship are also such that anyone can visit and find peace,experience reverence and meet the related worshipping community. It is a place that anyone from any religion should be able to visit and feel that
they are in a place dedicated to worship - not by the richness or plainness of the building but through the ambience created by the community within it.

I believe that places of worship are of great value and benefit not only to their community but also to society on the whole.

Where these places have been built at unacceptable financial cost or in the face of human suffering; it is the greed and ambition typical of human beings that is to blame!

Religion

Religion is a following of faith. All who have similar faith subscribe to a particular following and therefore belong to the same religion.

To be truly religious though, one has to believe from the heart and let one's actions be guided by this belief.

Throughout history humankind has perpetrated injustices against its own. It is people to blame for that; not religion!

There are many different religions in the world.

All religions have two important things in common -
- firstly they proclaim the existence of a greater being we call God;
and
- secondly they advise that achieving salvation in our lives depends on our treatment of ourselves and our fellow human beings.

Followed correctly most religions have great value and depth in what they communicate.

In the Christian religion for example it is the message of Jesus Christ which is the basis of the religion. If human beings then decide to behave differently, it is them who are responsible - not the religion!

Some of the religious writings are those by prophets or messengers who human like us all translated God's message to their own way of thinking - we are all educated enough to consider these in context. In any religion it is easy to
corrupt its teaching by taking bits out conveniently to expound our own views or even to mistranslate parts completely.

I am a strong Christian and my beliefs and actions are dictated by belief in and relationship with God. I have however made, and continue to make mistakes. These mistakes are not based on what my religious faith teaches me but as a result of my own personal weaknesses! To say anything otherwise would be dishonest!

When we want to therefore consider the wrongs of the world - let us first look at ourselves and ask ourselves how we treat ourselves and then how do we treat others. When we see things wrong let us be brave enough to blame ourselves
first, not religions, or communities or anyone else for that matter. That will be a good first step to making this a better world to live in.

Thank you.

[illuminati]

Regarding the speech:

In this increasingly secular world, I find this man's assertions hard to believe. The amount of practicing "Christians" in Europe has plummeted.

The amount of practicing Muslims in Europe is skyrocketing.

Is it really an argument about "religion"? Or is it really a discussion about "sects" and conveniently using Christianity as the fall guy again?

I don't remember the last time the Mormons caused a war. I am having a hard time remembering when the Church of Christ led a revolt. Maybe I can't recall the last time a Quaker strapped a bomb on himself/herself and killed innocents.

Do you know any radical Episcopalians? Presbyterians?

Sure, someone is going to bring up Northern Ireland but that is a false canard. They've always hidden behind "religion" for their dirty political deeds. I can't find anyplace in the New Testament that condones violence.

[Ted]

nev and illuminati are both correct in many ways. However the real problem is not religion per se it is the exclusiveness that each maintains. One is better then the other etc. The radicals and extremeists are also part of the problem but they latch on to exclusivity and push it even beyond the basic tenets of their individual faiths.

It is time to get rid of exclusivity and recognize the validity in all the worls major faiths. This would lead to the peace in the world that the Q'ran and the Bible etc. all teach.

Exclusivity is a sin in no uncertain terms.

Shalom
Ted

[capt_buzzard]

Ted, I go along with what you say here. But its the Sin thing I cannot gasp

[Ted]

Capt

I don't view sin as "wrong doing" so much as any thing which separates us from the love of God which is eternal and unconditional.

Shalom
Ted

[gmc]

posted by illuminati

Do you know any radical Episcopalians? Presbyterians?

Oh yes. To use somebody elses words.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/st...195568,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Ar...371165,00.html

http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=132774

From the last above which is a forum stumbled upon. Top ten signs you are a fundamentalist christian.

10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9- You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8- You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7- Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

6- You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5- You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4- You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."


3- While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2- You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1- You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

Sure, someone is going to bring up Northern Ireland but that is a false canard. They've always hidden behind "religion" for their dirty political deeds. I can't find anyplace in the New Testament that condones violence.

Not just Northern ireland, speaking of where I live we are increasingly seeing the church trying to stick it's nose in and tell people what they can and cannot teach in schools, religon is a divisive force in society because of "religious" groups that insist that they and only they have the right of it. Little kids learn sectarian chants at their parents knees and their parents smile fondly on. There are pubs round here that catholics know not to go into and vice versa, I'm not a local so they haven't sussed me out yet. Go five miles down the road and nobody cares what religon you are.

The Free Presbytarian kirk of Scotland blamed the Tsunami in the far east on the failure of the people there to respect the sabbath. Incidentally, according to them espiscopaleans are all going to hell because they are little better than papists, idolators all of them.

I have no quarrel with christians, in fact i know nmany devout chruistians for whom I have a great deal of respect,- or any other faith but too many of them seem determined to tell us all what to do and if given half a chance would do so. My idea of a nightmare would be to see fundamentalist christian groups like you have in the US gaining in popularity here and trying to impose their daft ideas. It's bad enough with what we have already.

Bigots are bigots whatever their religon fundamentalist christian/muslim whatever is always seems to be an oxymoron. Of course I am bigoted about bigots.

[capt_buzzard]

The good Rev. Dr Ian Paisley MP Northern Ireland, is doing a fine job in his own area in getting rid of the scum in Irish politics. I don't alway's agree with the Rev.