How is religion destructive to the human race?

Question

Now I know some people don't agree with this question but for the sake of answering this question don't say it isn't.

Answer 1

Well one way that religion could potentially be destructive to the human race is via the wars that get fought under the name of religion. What if World War III gets sparked off because of an Islamic fundamentalist terrorist attack?

Religion also tends to be a very conservative force in the world. Religion can suppress free speech and thought, which might be harmful or beneficial to humanity.

Answer 2

It's destructive if it causes a person's mind to shut down.

If religion becomes more of the means to an end for another person or persons, such as in cults the cult leader's objective is to thoroughly brainwash the cult's followers and indoctrinate them to his teachings and, ultimately,  to him.

Religion is also destructive if it causes physical or mental destruction to other people.   (example:  Radical Islam).

Religion is destructive if it makes a person fearful, neurotic, depressed.

Answer 3

I don't believe that religion is destructive to the human race!

I blame some of the people that suppose to teach it , and I blame the ones that take it to a certain extent of fanaticism , religion teach us right from wrong and this is what it always been ,than came along different ideas and different beliefs but the fundamentals are based on the good intentions.

It's up to us to take the right road and make the right choices in life , let's not blame our failures and mistakes on religion.

"The road to h**l ,is paved with good intentions" I read a while ago .

Answer 4

It can be destructive in that people have a stronger motivation to think that they're right.  When you think that a thought or idea is divinely inspired, you don't need to listen to reason.  So you get completely unreasonable ideas (i.e. the crusades or running planes into buildings).

For the record, I have a strong relationship with God and it is the best thing in my life.  But I do see how religion can be destructive.

Answer 5

"Religion is destructive to the development of man ?" In what why can I ask? In the first place man has to have an understanding of religion and the feeling that when it's over, life still may go on in another form or way. This gives man the push for a better existence, the feelings of love, for himself and, family.

       For the sake of answering this question, I will say "it is" and, not be sorry.

Answer 6

in general terms, the religion comprises of life or belief based on an essential relation of a person with the universe, or one or several Gods. In this sense, as different systems as buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and sintoísmo can consider religions. Nevertheless, in a accepted sense of a current form the term religion talks about to the faith in an order of the world created by divine will, the agreement with which constitutes the way of salvation of a community and therefore of each one of the individuals that play a role in that community. In this sense, the term is applied mainly to systems like Judaism, Christianity and Islam, that imply faith in a creed, obedience to an established moral code in the sagradas Scriptures and participation in a cult. In its more specific sense the term alludes to the system of life of a monastic or religious order.

Answer 7

Because it is a lie that creates  the dangerously delusional who would place us under their version of theocracy. It also drains the world of much needed resources that could be used properly, instead of supporting the leaders of the deluded.

Answer 8

Religion has been a mixed bag -- I wouldn't say destructive, exactly.

But among it's bad points is that it requires and thus encourages believing irrational things for bad reasons.

And it confuses people morally -- things that are not immoral are considered immoral for largely silly reasons.

And all too often it inspires, and pretends to justify, violence and other forms of mayhem.

Answer 9

en·mi·Ty (NM-t)

n. pl. en·mi·ties

Deep-seated, often mutual hatred.

Those of us concerned should be searching day and night for a way to eliminate enmity in religion as well as in the hearts of All mankind.  And yes I am trying to do my part as I believe it is  a social responsibility not only to our selves and others alike but rather and even more so, our children and so on .

Answer 10

It has beliefs in male dominance and some religions place lesser value on the female. This is reflected in the culture, contributing to many of the social problems of domestic violence and even male violence. Sorry guys  I was asked!

Answer 11

In the beginning of man, there was man. Man saw fire on a bush and one day, decided to touch this "god or god sun" with a stick, as this is probably what was thought of a fire on a bush/tree. As the first man touches the fire with a stick the other men watch this act. He may find that there is a new small fire on the stick, a smaller god came from the bigger one perhaps. But ofcourse, you touch fire-it hurts. A sure warning sign that the god doesn't want to be touched. Surely, the first man to do this was stoned to death thanks to the superstitions of his tribe/cavernmates.

Following, in all primitive cultures, simple phenomena has mythological meanings and explanations. For example, a tornado is a god finger or a god of wind, etc. So noone investigates further into what causes it. Ofcourse, that has no destructive nature, but what about disease? Not only did some cultures (even advanced ones such as the Mayans) make human sacrifices to gods, but these sacrifices later brought disease through rotting flesh of beheaded corpses and stick bound heads. With no way of investigating how disease worked, the only explanations possible were godly punishments, thus, godly rituals and more sacrifice was necesary. Medicine is a difficult science to evolve in a highly religious, primitive civilization.

In more advanced historic times, the Church was in charge of many disgraces, be it political or economical in purpose, they always ended in bloodshed. From neglecting the genius of Galileo, to claiming Darwin to be insane, all the way to making schools educate children in a discriminatory and antiscientific way. Not to mention the crusades and other endeavors which favored only the rich and "humble" men in power at the time.

In regards to Judaism, from the times when the mythology of Jesus was born, there was already an antisemitic notion, a notion that helped build a hatred which killed millions of people over various periods of time. From Russia and Spain, to World War II, religious view influenced the hatred of a minority, not in a righteous manner. (Jews were viewed xenophobically as rich, greedy and treacherous) Thanks to their unity, they are successful in business, and this further led to more discrimination and generalizations such as the one I just commited.

Other religions also show destructive nature in humankind. When two groups of different religious ideology are placed together too long, conflict arises. Yugoslavia and Israel come to mind as central conflict zones.

Even though the church had its hand in many dreadful things which may be considered destructive to our species, some were immoral yet constructive. As the study of the anatomy of many "heretics" and "witches" has broadened much of the scientific view of medicine; analogous are the studies by German scientists on POW's in the Second World War.

Religion constantly battles scientific knowledge and hinders its progress for ideals that are based entirely on faith. Condoms, abortion, cloning, stem cell research may all be condemned by one religious institution or another, regardless of how these technologies and many, many more may improve our way of life.