Religion - Does it tear people apart, or bring them closer together?

Yeah I know roughly where he lives. No rush, whenever u have a spare day or sommat.
Bollox to it, I'll show u where the church is and I'll also describe the hypocritical losers that go there (they aint all bad) so u can get them at the same time, on a Sunday.

i should wait until sunday service and do it infront of everyone, then go streaking around the church and leave. lol

Me n an ex always said that one day we would go into a church (Not the one I went to lol) and partway through we would stand up, pissed, and say "I beg to differ" We thought that was a freaking hilarious idea at the time.

Be careful with the streaking thing, some of the raging hypocrites might get a kick outta it.

lol that would be sooooo funny to stand up and say that

We picked out the church we wanted to do it at, and ironically I live just over the road from it now

we should all get together one time,get arseholed and go do it

Hell yeah

Girl_Anachronism wrote:

Right, I saw a group on here about Mormons, and it got me thinking on another subject while I was replying. (post can be seen here https://unsaneculture.forumotion.net/theology-101-f11/mormons-beliefs-t42.htm#455)
Religion, as a whole is meant to be a good thing right? Then why does it tear so many people apart? It could be argued that religion even causes war, and doesn't prevent it like it should, right? It breaks up relationships, makes love harder to find (in extremist cases) and in many situations, actually makes people fear and loathe others.
Is religion really a good thing?

Anything can be turned into something bad. Religion has caused lots of terror through the centuries. Wars, yes have been caused by religion. Lots of problems have been caused by religion.
I think that most of the problems are because we are people--humans with human failings--religion isn't supposed to make you a slave to tradition--but lots of people use it for that. I think people (as a whole) are looking for something to believe in--religions, jobs, families, hobbies--whatever. They would like that particular 'thing' whatever they choose--to fill all those needs they have. Nothing does that. Not religion, not people, not anything.

That might be true with the strict monotheistic religions because they don't allow for changes in society, people, and the world, god is looked at at one entity, and one gender, so how could a religion with so many basic flaws fulfill the needs of those who follow it?

There are other religions that account for all the necessary changes everything goes through and does promote proper equality between all living things, and with pure equality a oneness with all living things. Whilst it may not fulfil everything its a start, and has a much better chance with the fulfilment of peace all around and inner peace as well...

Her post referenced religion--as a whole--and as a whole, I still think it's probably caused more grief than not.

I daren't say it's caused more grief because of Christianity and other monotheistic religions. if countries were allowed to worship their own gods, and Romans never went round trying to convert people to their own religions, then, parts of rome breaking away to form the deviations of Christianity, then going around and trying to convert people to those, then yeah, I think it would've been much less grief.

in-fact, I might even say it wasn't the religions, but the power possessed by those that preached them...and Rome had nearly all the power back then...

Nuthouse Orderly wrote:

I daren't say it's caused more grief because of Christianity and other monotheistic religions. if countries were allowed to worship their own gods, and Romans never went round trying to convert people to their own religions, then, parts of rome breaking away to form the deviations of Christianity, then going around and trying to convert people to those, then yeah, I think it would've been much less grief.

in-fact, I might even say it wasn't the religions, but the power possessed by those that preached them...and Rome had nearly all the power back then...

Your post begs for factual correction regarding the Romans. Romans were actually tolerant of other people's religions PROVIDED that they recognized the emperor's own divine right to rule. This is why the Roman Empire actually ADOPTED, albeit in modified form, the religions of the peoples it conquered. That would include the religion of the Celts whom they ran out of northern Italy back in the day when the Roman Empire was naught more than a mere glimmer in the eyes of Romulus and Remus.

Religious tolerance and religious adaptation was a long-established tradition of Rome even in its earliest beginnings. It's why there's such a commonality between Roman and Greek mythologies and there exists such a term as "Greco-Roman". Greek was ruled by Rome in the post-Alexandrian era.

As a Muslim who has totally lost her path, religion can tear people apart. I have things I've experienced which have thrown me well off. What makes me angry is that some Christians take one look at me like they're ridiculing me instantly for being a Muslim. Like I've mentioned over at Free Spirited, I went to a christening just out of being a good friend/family member to someone and it was in a church. I felt out of place instantly, but I sat there and dealt with it. Then at the end of the ceremony when everyone goes up to the front for ''bread and wine'', everyone in the church went up (every single person!) except me. The mum of the kid comes back, gives me some snidey look, and says ''Oh so you're not going up there then?" like I was some sort of criminal. So in senses like this, religion can often exclude and alienate, and that's why I am growing to dislike it so much. We're all human beings, regardless of what we believe.

Religion has always been about tribes, bar none. That's why it's been such a great tool of empire. No empire has been able to exist without its controls.

If you were to go church hopping among the bazillions of different Christian denominations, you'll discover they're pretty snobbish regarding other Christian denominations to the point of accusing other denominations as being "anti-Christ". The majority of evangelicals have felt this way for almost their entire history about the Roman Catholics. They definitely hate Mormons. English-based Protestants look down their noses at "holy rollers" and Shakers and Baptists, and Baptists are so fragmented that they dislike other Baptists.

Religious snobbery is what they do; no need to take it personally.