Is religion a force for good in the world?

[Simon]

Excluding the existence of any supernatural powers, or any comment whatsoever on the fallacy or truth of religious belief, and based only what we have seen [i]as a direct result of religion in this world[/i], can we see that religion is a positive or negative influence on the world as we know it?

Thoughts and feelings, questions, queries, doubtful points, moans, groans, itches, bitches, theories, queries, unwanted pregnancies; all is welcome here. Spill your mind into text.

:)

[Omicron Nexus]

Any charity work or alike a theist can do in the name of their diety, An atheist can just as easaly do in the name of just being nice.

[Shinji Ishida]

TBQH, Religon has had a negative impact on the world. Although religon brings people together, it has also been the basis of most major conficts.

[Omicron Nexus]

Religion brings people together in the wrong way.
Through prejudice and hatred towards gays, Atheists, Other religions. Heck, Even other denominations of the same fucking religion.
It's a bunch of bullshit.

[Claire What'shername]

That's a complicated question.

I would say the negative and the positive balance each other out, but then of course I am not languishing in some unknown torture camp somewhere. I may have a 'rich white kid' perspective on this, but I wouldn't say it matters what people are fighting about. if there was no religion here tomorrow, we would fight over different thing.

[Shinji Ishida]

Are you so sure? Ppl fight when there are conflicting beliefs. Religon is one of the biggest things that ppl don't agree on. There would be far less conflicts if we all believed the same things. I also follow a religon, but I won't deny that it's had a negetive impact on social and physical interactions

[Peter Medeiros]

There would also be fewer conflicts if there were no elections, or if every single industry was run by a monopoly, or if there was only one gender. Heck, there'd be a lot less conflict without humans. Apparent absence of conflict is a negatively defined (and therefore unhelpful) criteria for "the good," don't you think? 

 

Conflict is intrinsic to the human condition, with or without religions for people to hijack. 

[Geekyforscience]

Religion can inspire people to do good, but they would do good without religion.

[Jackalope Joe D'Antonio]

I think in general is a good thing. All religions teach a code of morality and only except the good into there respective heavens and send the bad to there respective hells. Though some people will take religions to the extreme I think in general religions are a force for good in the world

[Contradiction]

Talking about heaven and hell is invalid. The point is what the religions do on earth, which everyone can agree is real.

[Srikanth Krishnan]

You could argue that religon is simply a way to justify various actions. You could say that the Crusades were simply to take more land and Christianity was only justifying that by saying God ordered it thus. Now that does make me a blasphemer and im sorry if that offends anyone. But really If god wanted Jerusalem in Christian hands from the Crusades.... why didn't they hold it? And honestly With the massive similarities in almost all religons we could all believe the same thing just different ways. A christian's god may equal to a muslim's allah. Would God/Allah take the holy land... from himself? And for the record im hindu and absolutly unbiased. Just using that as an example.

[Srikanth Krishnan]

Soooooooooooooooooooo Basically it really depends on whose hands it is in. Its a weapon and works completely for whoever weilds it. Also we've all been saying that it can be both and it depends for 41 pages now. Can we all just agree thats it?

[Contradiction]

Not exactly. There's been plenty of "worthwhile" debate.