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[Urist is dead tome]

Sure don't. Another reason why religion (or lack thereof) should be kept as a private matter. No picketing on street corners. For anyone.

[malimbar04]

Sure don't. Another reason why religion (or lack thereof) should be kept as a private matter. No picketing on street corners. For anyone.

This gets into a fuzzy area of whether its' ever a good idea to purposely avoid saying something. I personally try to stay on the side of telling people what I believe. If we get into an argument then only a couple of basic things can happen. I might be right, and plant an idea to correct their idea, thus the other person learns something. I might be wrong, and through superior argument the other person plants an idea in my head to correct what I was thinking. If neither of these things happen, and we are trully on equally shaky ground, then both of us are wiser for considering the other position. Those are all good things. The only thing I see left is if the other person (or myself, I never know) completely rejects all opinions and becomes hostile.

[Il Palazzo]

Well, I guess we could all agree that organized religion in any form is bad news.
I suppose this thread would never have any reason to exist if every person kept their beliefs to themselves.

[Siquo]

Organised religion does have its benefits, or at least it used to have them before civilization. Too bad that most of the world still isn't civilised, and therefore it hasn't lost its use.

So I ask an organised-religion-hater: What's the alternative you have to offer to a poor starving (insert any continent name that starts with "A") farmer with no hope of a better life for either him or his children?

[Il Palazzo]

Well, I'm no great philosopher, but how do you need organized religion to let you seek consolation in your own belief in afterlife?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

So I ask an organised-religion-hater: What's the alternative you have to offer to a poor starving (insert any continent name that starts with "A") farmer with no hope of a better life for either him or his children?

Somthing that starts with "I" and ends with "nternational aid groups". What are you advocating we do?

[Zrk2]

Organized religion justifies their belief in the afterlife because humans believe that if many people believe something then it must be true.

[Siquo]

Lol, as if most of them ever see any of those. There's a reason poor people are more religious. They apparently need it a lot more, and usually haven't got the education to make up their own religion.

I'm not "advocating" anything, I'm just saying that organised religion usually finds fertile ground to grow in places where "hope" is far away. If you disagree with organised religion, what do you propose as a substitute?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Lol, as if most of them ever see any of those.

Some do, and more will over time. Just because we cannot help everybody doesn't mean we should refrain from helping anybody.

There's a reason poor people are more religious. They apparently need it a lot more, and usually haven't got the education to make up their own religion.

I would say that religion flourishes with the poor because it tries to. Poor people are, as the name would suggest, poor. Like you said, they don't recieive as high of an educational standard, but it doesn't have to do with "making up their own religion". It has to do with being exposed to rational arguments about the subject of religion and making their own choices, rather than having the faith of their parents perpetuated upon them and knowing nothing else.

I'm not "advocating" anything, I'm just saying that organised religion usually finds fertile ground to grow in places where "hope" is far away. If you disagree with organised religion, what do you propose as a substitute?

Education and actual help from other people instead of religion-backed promises that almost never pan out and take all of the credit on the off-chance that they do. People in bad situations are capable of helping themselves, they just need to be given the chance.

[Leafsnail]

Why can't we just focus on Bill Reilly's argument about the tides?  I mean... I've never studied them, but I know how they work as a piece of general knowledge.

Lol, as if most of them ever see any of those. There's a reason poor people are more religious. They apparently need it a lot more, and usually haven't got the education to make up their own religion.

I'm not "advocating" anything, I'm just saying that organised religion usually finds fertile ground to grow in places where "hope" is far away. If you disagree with organised religion, what do you propose as a substitute?

Grassroots religion?  I mean, most of the people in poor areas did have small, local religions before bigger ones came in and told them theirs was better.  Is there any evidence that those with a tribal religion are less happy due to it?

[Siquo]

Grassroots religion?  I mean, most of the people in poor areas did have small, local religions before bigger ones came in and told them theirs was better.  Is there any evidence that those with a tribal religion are less happy due to it?

Good point, but how is that not organised, they're still listening to one guy who says he knows it all?
They converted because the bigchurchguys brought schools, hospitals and western wealth with them. Everybody likes gadgets

[malimbar04]

Grassroots religion?  I mean, most of the people in poor areas did have small, local religions before bigger ones came in and told them theirs was better.  Is there any evidence that those with a tribal religion are less happy due to it?

Good point, but how is that not organised, they're still listening to one guy who says he knows it all?
They converted because the bigchurchguys brought schools, hospitals and western wealth with them. Everybody likes gadgets

It depends on how small you're talking about, and what you consider organized. I would think you could have a loose faith in certain traditions without having a formal structure, with leaders and so forth. It could have no particularly holy heros, and be taught from parents to children. I can't think of any decent-sized religion that has no spiritual leader, but I can imagine their being one.

[ECrownofFire]

Lol, as if most of them ever see any of those. There's a reason poor people are more religious. They apparently need it a lot more, and usually haven't got the education to make up their own religion.

I'm not "advocating" anything, I'm just saying that organised religion usually finds fertile ground to grow in places where "hope" is far away. If you disagree with organised religion, what do you propose as a substitute?

First of all, you tell me what organised religion's purpose actually is, then I'll tell you something that can fulfill that purpose. Right now, you're telling us to find something that does X thing, without telling us what that thing is. What exactly is the purpose of organised religion that you want to prove there's no alternative to?

[Max White]

Also, we don't "enslave" the monkeys and make them build us cars, so why would you think we'd do that to an alien life-form?

I have my 20 year plan back!

[Leafsnail]

Good point, but how is that not organised, they're still listening to one guy who says he knows it all?
They converted because the bigchurchguys brought schools, hospitals and western wealth with them. Everybody likes gadgets

Not necessarily.  Such beliefs can often just be passed down as a loose cultural idea without any real organisation.  I mean, I guess organized religion could eventually emerge, but the point being made is that it isn't necessary to be happy when poor (even if you require the idea of an afterlife to keep you going),