Do people really need faith and religion?

Do people REALLY need faith and prayer and the belief that something's out there rewarding the good and torturing the evil? Do we really need to teach people these beliefs and tell them about things like god, karma and other things? Is it all necessary, or is it just in our heads?

I think religion would help us all but since theres people who have there own ways of not beliving in god....and some who bash the religions 🙄 then its up to them

Consider the idea of the noble lie; not every person is naturally empathetic and morally correct (Or there would be no need for laws); therefore we must invent something to believe in for people to live up to those morals.

Well, I believe what I believe is true (dur), but one thing just in general about why faith is good is because it gives people a reason to keep going. Hope that there's something better, you know.

Originally posted by Captain Falcon
Do people REALLY need faith and prayer and the belief that something's out there rewarding the good and torturing the evil? Do we really need to teach people these beliefs and tell them about things like god, karma and other things? Is it all necessary, or is it just in our heads?

Originally posted by PuffyCheese
Well, I believe what I believe is true (dur), but one thing just in general about why faith is good is because it gives people a reason to keep going. Hope that there's something better, you know.

Because being alive just isn't good enough. I'm sure God is pleased with that.

"I give these pitiful humans life, free will, and reign over the entire planet, and they still aren't pleased!? Greedy buggers. I should have made a sex slave."

Originally posted by Arachnoidfreak
Because being alive just isn't good enough. I'm sure God is pleased with that.

Being alive sure doesn't seem to be enough for some people these days. Mostly because people get drunk with possessions and wants. That's why people are so unhappy in the U.S.

No. I don't think people today need religion. Or at least most people. I understand that in ancient times, medieval times etc that it could keep them going, and was a valuable tool. "My life is hell, I work from 5 till six, there is never enough food, 7 of my 12 kids have died and now I have the plague... but I've been good and when I die I'll go to heaven, so yeah, I'll obey the King because that's what a good person does."

Now, I, myself, would probably be agnostic (I don't think there is a God, but I can't say that certainly), though I do like Ganesh in concept and Buddhism as a philosophy. Now, I have never felt empty, sad, or lacked direction because I don't have "a god." I never needed an old book to tell me what's right. I never felt like setting old people on fire because I don't believe in a god or robbing a bank. I think that people can, and do, get on fine, better then fine, without religion. I listen to people say "but religion gives hope" - for some maybe, but once again I have seen no evidence you can't have hope or happiness without a god. Nor that a person can't live a 100% full, lawful, good, life without some guidance from a higher power.

the thing is, religius people are in a way, delusional. They don't understand how life works which scares me and isn't right. Not only that but they are wasting their lives. Religion can find happiness and peace and relaxation, but so can drugs.

In a way, religion is the most popular drug their is.

Actually there are quite a number of people who NEED religion in their lives. Around half of world's population in fact.

Some people need it, some don't. In the ancient times, religion and God's were used to explain the events people could not otherwise, today many organised religions are about political agenda NOT about religious - hence it is very needed to certain people.

Who was it that said that when it comes to people, some will respond to a deity or religion and the others will respond to a tyranny?

Anyways, just because half of the world believes in a religion doesn't mean they "need" it any more than a junkie "needs" his fix.

Originally posted by PuffyCheese
Well, I believe what I believe is true (dur), but one thing just in general about why faith is good is because it gives people a reason to keep going. Hope that there's something better, you know.

Hope is for the weak.

We are all weak, and all need Hope. It's choosing to admit it, to where our problems detail themselves.

I like my way of putting it; Religion is a drug.

Originally posted by Janus Marius
Who was it that said that when it comes to people, some will respond to a deity or religion and the others will respond to a tyranny?

Anyways, just because half of the world believes in a religion doesn't mean they "need" it any more than a junkie "needs" his fix.

Religion is needed for a lot of people - just because you live in the West, where religion is not regarded as anything important or of value, does not mean that the whole world is like that.

West does not equal the whole world, and the values in the West do not equal the values in the rest of the world. While this may seem hard to comprehend, it is the reality.

If people did not need religion, or some kind of spiritual belief, they would have abandoned it for science.

For the big part, religious people need religion to control the masses -some ordnary people need it because they find sense and peace in it, others because it can justify their prejudices and fears.

Originally posted by debbiejo
I feel that there should be special centers for information on these topics. Then one could find out all they wanted. BUT, The rule should be let everybody decide for themselves, not convert others, and keep it apart from government. ...I see religion as a control mechanism. Spirituality differs IMO. It's just trying to connect.

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
Religion is needed for a lot of people - just because you live in the West, where religion is not regarded as anything important or of value, does not mean that the whole world is like that.

West does not equal the whole world, and the values in the West do not equal the values in the rest of the world. While this may seem hard to comprehend, it is the reality.

If people did not need religion, or some kind of spiritual belief, they would have abandoned it for science.

For the big part, religious people need religion to control the masses -some ordnary people need it because they find sense and peace in it, others because it can justify their prejudices and fears.

No.

Originally posted by MC Mike
No.

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
Religion is needed for a lot of people - just because you live in the West, where religion is not regarded as anything important or of value, does not mean that the whole world is like that.

West does not equal the whole world, and the values in the West do not equal the values in the rest of the world. While this may seem hard to comprehend, it is the reality.

Firstly, I appreciate the idea that I can't understand something because I "live in the West". With that kind of logic, I guess I can't judge the eastern samurai on morality when it comes to the ritualistic "cross-roads cut"; where the samurai tests his new katana blade on any wayfarer who happens to wander by. I guess I can't understand nor judge that act because my values aren't universal. Yeah, cultural relativity is a poor excuse for me being able to share my opinion based on what I know about the human psyche, morality, and religion.

If people did not need religion, or some kind of spiritual belief, they would have abandoned it for science.

Really? In one sense, they have. How many educated people do you know who prefer prayer and mysticism over tried and true medicine? However, when it comes to dealing with other truths, the human mind prefers to wander. Is that neccessarily right and healthy? Has religion solved the world's problems? Has it led to better understanding of human beings and the nature of the world? Or has it perpetuated a self-absorbed collective ignorance that goes on to further narrow-mindedness?

It's also human nature to want things we can't have, and to fall into bad habits from which we live in denial and refuse to escape. Drug addicts have this failing, as do alcoholics and gambling addicts.... I mean, there's millions of alcoholics in the world... Is alcoholism needed? No, it isn't. It's unhealthy.

For the big part, religious people need religion to control the masses -some ordnary people need it because they find sense and peace in it, others because it can justify their prejudices and fears.

Is that a need? A real need? I can "need" a razor with five blades instead of three, or "need" a computer with more expensive RAm instead of less. Are you sure it's a need and not an influenced want?

RELIGION IS A DRUG.

To some people it really is. Only because they're scared NOT to take it...