Atheists: Isn't it amazing how much control the bible has had?

Question

Man has gotten far over the centuries, in science and reason. We have rejected many of our primitive beliefs. Men in the dark ages used to believe that leeches got rid of sickness. As of now, we know that is complete nonsense, and if nothing else worsens the problem. Yet, a majority of people STILL rely on and believe the teachings of the bible, a 2,000 year old book written by men who needed simple answers to unanswerable questions. The bible even speaks of practices that, in today's society are considered wrong! These include rape, slavery, and men having control over women.

As you are well aware, disagreements over religion have led to wars and deaths of many innocent people. It takes away the personal freedoms of others, even in America. The bible says homosexuality is wrong, so in some states, homosexuals aren't allowed to marry. The bible still has control over us. It has not been abandoned over the years.

I am both repulsed and fascinated by religion. It is just fascinating how in the modern times, there is still one thing that brings us back to the dark ages when brought up. Religion.

Isn't that amazing? Will we ever break free of this? Or will we always have believers and wars over religion? What are your thoughts? Theists, feel free to answer to!

Answer 1

Control was the Church, not the Bible.

The Church kept people working together for thousands of years, if people stopped believing in the Church then society would have broke down. So the Church for hundreds of years denied all the Bible disproves and hid a lot of information from the public that would have brought questions up.

Now adays we have a firmer society built on gain and trusts, so we no longer need the Church to hold society together and no longer need to hide facts from each other.

Not saying the Church isn't important still, it held a huge society together for hundreds of years, now adays it holds communities together, although in America the Church seems to have a big input on the entire country.

What was strange was how the Church defended the elementals of the four humours, a concept made by Pagans and enhanced by Greeks who were not Christians at all, when a contradicting idea to the four-humours arose the Church tried to disprove it as best as it could.

Curious that Christianity in the middle ages held onto ideas of the religions it tried so hard to replace and cover up.

Leeches we use now adays for removing infections from blood and for bringing blood flow back into amputated limbs.

Answer 2

Your local newspaper speaks of things that today's society considers wrong.

Is your newspaper calling you on to commit crimes? Is CNN? No, of course not.

Answer 3

Not amazing, rather disgusting.

It's not just the Bible, though.

Answer 4

It isn't the buy-bull that has any control, it's the unscrupulous people who use it as a tool to gain power over people.

Answer 5

sadly i fear that with the use of child indoctrination, general lack of interest in the sciences, unhealthy lack of self-esteem and abundance of self-consciousness, fear and more dangerously false hope, and this bazaar idea of valuing faith without reason, religion will be here for a long time to come.

Answer 6

Actually, we've come full circle on leeches.  They're now used in re-attachments of amputated limbs.

I think religion is the eternal crutch for some people.

I think that power politics is inevitable in any religion that gains enough members, so conflict with other religions is inevitable to some extent.

It doesn't have to be that way, but somehow it always is.

Perhaps if mankind gets more affluent and better educated, this will stop.

Answer 7

hmm, must be a really special book.  

http://livingwaters.com/good/

Answer 8

Give it a decade or two...

religion will eventually die out as more and more people have more access to PROPER education.

Answer 9

There is no way the Bible will be abandoned no matter what all the opposers try to do.  Millions of Bibles have been burned in restricted countries but it only made the body of Christ stronger, because Jesus is alive and real.  He's not a fantasy as the athesists think.  The Word of God abides forever.

Answer 10

Just imagine how many people died at the hands of Christians. And they go around saying Muslims are t.err.orists.

ROTFLMAO!

Answer 11

Hate to say this, Fairy, but recently qualified Medical Doctors have found that leeches actually help certain diseases.  

However, that has no bearing on my lack of belief in a god

Answer 12

I guess 200 years of real science don't eliminate 10 000 years of superstition that easily.

People will always need a hope, so religion will always be there.  

Answer 13

Actually leeches are used in medicine today.

Edit: No, no, no I agree with you. Just thought I'd correct that. I think as a race, well maybe "hope" is a better word, that with improved education and advances in science and space exploration eventually it will come to an end. However, there will still be wars, human beings will always find something to argue over.

Answer 14

Christianity held my country in an iron grip for centuries. At least, now the jackal has lost it's teeth!

Answer 15

i'm religiously confused.

i believe in science, but i also believe that there are greater questions, that still remain un answerable. and even the first of all cells had to come somewhere, and perhaps that was the result of some higher being?

however, i think religion has gotten really out of hand. churches are at the root of it, and the text of the bible has been interpreted in so many different ways. they stretch it everyday and the christians are pushing for the end of the world

i find it so ironic that such a loving god, could create so many wars over religion and genocides, throughout history.

the church created its own governing rules to restrict power, ages ago, to make themselves richer. they said priests couldnt marry, so they would inherit all their money and are constantly coming up with this silly rules. its a psychological mess, religion takes people at their weakest, where they dont have any room to move and captivates them, in a brilliantly yet disgusting way.  

Answer 16

Over 30% of the United States Constitution comes directly from the Bible. So apparently, you are still being controlled by the Bible.

Answer 17

The US is not the only Nation that doesn't allow g*y marriage. All Islamic countries, and that's a lot. Most of Africa, China, Kong Kong and Japan.  Most of those countries don't allow it because of their own religious beliefs.  Seperate from that. We were a nation founded on the Bible and created as One Nation Under God  and the more we pull away from that the more our Nations seems to suffer.  It's not a coincidence.  

Answer 18

A little generalising, there, but nothing that cannot be overlooked.

Not all religions are so counter-productive, but those that aren't tend to be unseen for the issues surrounding the mainstream. That's why the generalisation is worth overlooking.

I feel (and don't expect others to share my feelings) that my religion overcomes obstacles that some mainstream ones deny even exist. That so many simply reject outside thought, because it has to be 'that one way' and no other, is a major barrier to good religious practice. Pious, but not necessarily good. Mine allows almost any belief, and any practice, provided it keeps to a simple set of morals, of which one strongly emphasises tolerance of all others.

Religion is indeed an amazing thing. Most mainstream religions provoke their followers to reduce the diversity of religious thought, yet that diversity only grows because of this.

If Jesus was indeed real (I think He was, but not as a God or even a son of God), He would surely not be happy with the state of Christianity today. Of that I am certain. As a Pikan, I regard Jesus as having been a great man, worthy of the praise Christians put to Him. I feel the same way about Buddha, and note that though I see them both equally, as great men with very similar messages, they represented polar opposites of thought. Theist and atheist. Same stance, different source. This is why I made Pikanism with tolerance in mind.

Should you wish to read more, please feel free at http://www.pikanism.co.nr

((((hugs))))

~Loving Light~