Does organized religion create or destroy human equality?

[HUTCH]

As the title states, does religion create or destroy human equality?


I would like to hear both sides to this, from our believers and non believers.


Please be honost. Please no bashing of others ideas, they are entitled to thier beliefs just as much as you are.

Thanks,
Jared

[Neiladin]

I have just recently started to re-attend church after years of being an agnostic. And there's only one thing I can say about it thus far, and that is that the church, for all I have seen, promotes love of everyone.

They don't condemn the non-believers, they leave that up to the powers that be, so you cannot say that it destroys human equality on that point of conflict. They merely try tro show them the way.

What are your views on your own subject, it would help me better formulate an answer to your question. It always helps when you have grounds to agree or disagree ;)

[poopnut2]

Obviously destroys equality. Every religion believes it's right and that others are all wrong. I wouldn't blame it on the religion itself as I would a lot of the people associated with the religion.

[HUTCH]

Personally, I feel that it does. From the structure of the church to the people that attend. Once polity came about for humans, I feel that equality deminished very quickly, and since the church is pretty much moral politics, inequality came about.

[RyanB]

Most organized religions make a mockery of humanity, our government's so dangerous and outta control...

[talisman]

Organized religion is the root of everything evil that lurks in the heart of man.

[72Comet]

In the book of revalation God judges 7 churches and finds only 2 acceptable. That tells me that 80% of churches are not showing the compassion of equality that pleases God.

[SVT93Style]

I think in this day and age there are several churhes that are amazing and then you have churches that are misguided....What I find to be the largest culprit concerning this issue is the growing pains a church experiences durning times of growth. Lets face it, there are always bad apples amongst the bunch but that does not mean the whole bushel is bad.

The church does not destroy human equality but rather prompotes its thru love, compasion, service, understanding for all who not only attend but who dont. My church is filled with all kinds of people, I can remember one day that a 90 year old man was sitting next to a young kid with a moe-hawk and they were both in tears...

Anyone would would claim that the church destroys human equality is misguided or shooting words from the cuff. Maybe they have only attended churches that were bad amongst the bushel, or more than likely they have never attended at all.

[RyanB]

In the book of revalation God judges 7 churches and finds only 2 acceptable. That tells me that 80% of churches are not showing the compassion of equality that pleases God.

Umm 2 of 7 is 28.6% So thats closer to 70% being unworthy. But...I'll sell you some indulgences reaaaaaal cheap!

[MoonDog]

I believe it is the non-believers that is promoting inequality, not the church. The non-believers think they are more open-minded and therefore more intellegent than believers. I have either visited or been a member of nearly a dozen churches in my life time and I have never hear anything but love and compassion preached. Yet when I go to work or get on the internet or just watching tv I hear non-believers talking about all the hypocrites within the church and how christians hate them because of their lifestyles and how much religion divides. I dont look down on anyone because of what they believe yet I am looked down on daily because of what I believe. The church loves, the world hates.

[White trash wagon]

There is nothing inherently wrong with most religions, and I mean Jews, Muslims and Christians .

However organized religion, as practiced for the last 2000 years is the most destructive force known to man, It's caused most of the wars and even most of the "terrorism" we live with now. And of course religion is used to deceive, entrap & rip off millions of dollars from decent people. I'm not talking out my ass here, I have a relative who has made millions as a tele- evangalist, and this relative freely admits it's all a sham, and he's in it soley for the tax free millions.

The problem is people have agenda's & biases. So the religions continiously bicker, fight and split up. Remember, Judiasm, Islam and Christianity all stem from a common beginning, and now each division, has hundreds of subdivisions or sects.

Each group says "we're right, we're the only ones who follow the bible, you.....are WRONG". So these hundreds or even thousands of sects disagree, and some times if gets heated, and hate springs up. When groups reach this boiling point, they say: "God's on our side, we will destroy you" and can justify anything in thier minds since thier doing "God's work" and God's work overides man's laws.

Governments that seperate church and state can keep these forces in check.....for the most part. But in the US with the Christian Coalition and other similar groups using thier churches as political platforms, or political action commitees, the seperation of church and state in the US is in DANGER.

If our government morphs into a "faith based" government, with Pat Robertson at the helm as an american "pope" will WE be any better than the Taliban?

It's a real shame, as religion can be such a pure and beautiful thing, but in the real world, religion has been high jacked for financial and political gain.

Scott

[Pennywise]

Great post WTW.

[poopnut2]

The church does not destroy human equality but rather prompotes its thru love, compasion, service, understanding for all who not only attend but who dont. My church is filled with all kinds of people, I can remember one day that a 90 year old man was sitting next to a young kid with a moe-hawk and they were both in tears...

The kid is crying because he has a gay ass mohawk and his great grandpa is crying because he's ashamed of his great grandkid.

[HUTCH]

The kid is crying because he has a gay ass mohawk and his great grandpa is crying because he's ashamed of his great grandkid.


lol

[Mychael101]

I think it brings out the best and worse in people. I for one could care less about any belief system. I only believe in facts. I myself see it as a spiritual/emotional crutch, I see no need to believe in any "higher power". This is my opinion and have many heated conversations with plenty of people over it. You do what makes you feel better if its relying on yourself to take care of yourself that is great. If it means following a faith then thats cool too, just don't look down on me and don't try to force "your" religion on me.

[TexasDevilDog]

As the title states, does religion create or destroy human equality?


I would like to hear both sides to this, from our believers and non believers.


Please be honost. Please no bashing of others ideas, they are entitled to thier beliefs just as much as you are.

Thanks,
Jared

from Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Our founding fathers believed that God gave us certain rights that no one can take away, even government. What man gives, man can takes away.

[DarkWolf]

God != Religion.

Organized religion is and always has been based on alienation ("You're either with us, or against us." "Our's is the one true God/Religion" "If you don't believe in/accept X you're going to hell/hades/gehenna/etc") It's certainly not singular to Christianity, as all the "popular" religions preach the same alienation. The nature based religions (if you can call them that, they're more akin to spirituality or philosophy than religion) tend to see harmony in all things, and there's no hard and fast rule that says you have to believe this or else, etc.

Religion is a man-made concept, which automatically warrants suspicion in my opinion.

[ClockwrkOrangeS4]

God != Religion.

Organized religion is and always has been based on alienation ("You're either with us, or against us." "Our's is the one true God/Religion" "If you don't believe in/accept X you're going to hell/hades/gehenna/etc") It's certainly not singular to Christianity, as all the "popular" religions preach the same alienation. The nature based religions (if you can call them that, they're more akin to spirituality or philosophy than religion) tend to see harmony in all things, and there's no hard and fast rule that says you have to believe this or else, etc.

Religion is a man-made concept, which automatically warrants suspicion in my opinion.

I agree 100%

[Casper]

Religion is an exercise in the evolution of equality.

In a time where rulers traced their lineage back to gods, it meant they were superior and ruled by devine right. As the Canaanite religions evolved, the idea that a divinity would have a pact with an entire culture and not just the ruler formed the basis of judaism. Still not total equality, as they still saw themselves superior to other people. As this idea progressed, the jewish christians took it one step further and effectively ostracized their jewish contemporaries, allowing gentiles salvation as well as any others. The protestant reformation took it even further by denying any divine fatalism preserving a theocracy. Islam had branched that way as well, allowing conversion of any infidel.

A notable exception is Shinto, which held onto the divine right rule ideal through the last century. It has changed drastically since then, and while not dead, it isn't exactly thriving. Likewise Zoroasterism.

Hindu casteing is a parallel example of this evolution of equality; to maintain inequality, certain micro-levels of equality evolved. That too is fading as the western idea of true equality under a divinity permeates the globe. Even the new-age pagan burning-man types harbor modern ideals of equality, especially gender equality, that did not exist when their chosen religions were actually thriving.

[justinsn95]

Organized religion is the root of everything evil that lurks in the heart of man.

what makes you say this? (i hope it's not recent events) i ask because it seems that the older i get the more i despise organized religion. i am beginning to loathe it.