Bushidosniper

Another thought(possibly theory?) i've come across is that religion was designed to keep humanity in order, as to not have complete chaos. What do you guys think? I, myself think this theory holds quite a bit of ground.

Bloozcrooz

I think you could make make a strong case with that theory. Ive wondered the same thing as well.

Guybrush

Designed by who? God?

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Bushidosniper

Must...resist...feeding...trolls...

khfreek

Just because he disagrees with you doesn't make him a troll, don't be disrespectful.

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Bloozcrooz

Just guessing but I think he is referring to us as humans. Kind of like the myth's of some man made diseases put out to control population. The same could be said for maintaining humanity?? Religion put into effect to instill some sort of ground rules for what to live by.

Guybrush

It makes more sense to think of religion as a byproduct, a consequence of our natural needs and capabilities. I believe humans evolved, so then we got smarter and smarter because it's adaptable, it's a good strategy for survival and genetic perpetuation. With that smartness comes curiosity, a desire to learn and understand our environment and the world we live in. If we have a desire to understand, then we have a desire to be able to explain it. Religion is a quick route to explain and answer many of life's questions and more, for example what happens when we die.

Humans evolving culturally and so on without the emergence of religion .. now that would've been a mystery.

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Dr_Rez

We would be so much farther as a race. I truly think technology and understanding of science in general would be far past where we are now. Think of all those years the church tried suppressing any scientific progress, then think if they hadn't how much extra time there would have been to discover everything. Theres a chance my motorcycle wouldnt have been wrecked and car wouldnt suck because I would have a hoverboard that fit in my pocket.

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MoonlitSunshine

There's also a chance that due to the lack of a controlling factor we'd still be in a Dark Age of Feudal warfare where due to the shifting power and constant struggle to survive no real advances had been made. Consider the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, the Chinese... you name an ancient, great civilisation, responsible for any of the pre-Dark Age discoveries, and they will have had religions. They will have had gods with their own ways and demands, but that didn't stop them from becoming fantastic centres of learning, education and invention.

I think people are often far too quick to shove all the blame for everything on Religion. In the words of The Eagles:

In Essence, religion may often be a catalyst for warfare, discrimination, and oppression, but it has never done anything that mankind couldn't and hasn't done of its own accord. When religion is used in a negative way, it is very rarely due to the religion itself. It is much more likely to be as a result of Power. Those at the head of a religious body have a frightening amount of power over their followers, and there is truth to the phrase "Power Corrupts". Given the opportunity to exert one's will on a large number of people, many will take that opportunity with no hesitation. For Catholicism, all it takes is for the Pope to state one thing, and then it is infallible law within the religion. Don't blame the religion itself, blame those who continue to abuse its power.

It is not religion that is responsible for all our woes, it is the people who use this concept to further their own aims, and if religion didn't exist, I'd be willing to bet that they'd just find something else to use to the same effect.

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RVCA

This is not a theory. It is a fact. Religion has been widely used as an instrument in controlling populations and societies.

-Karl Marx