The benefits of religions?

Are there truly any, besides their social guidelines that would exist in any civilised society anyhow?
What positive contributions to this world came from religion, and are we better of with or without them?

The social guidlines aren't the benefit of religoin.

Religion CAN address the spiritual needs of a person.

That is true indeed, but isn't the faith in that case not just a mere make-believe entity to which one can relate to and gain comfort by?
I think true spiritual envelopment is within one's self, and not in the faith of some higher being or person.

Yes, but spiritual development can be catalyzed by a supernatural being. There is no one way to do it. Humans will seek comfort, always, even atheists do it by simply saying "it was out of my control."

All spirituality involves probing "forces" that are at least partially beyond human perception. Perhaps its a bit extreme to create a being, but as long as it remains unconscious and inactive in daily life...its not really a big deal. To each his own.

Its when "god" starts judging, interfering in daily life, and becomes conscious that we call Houston.

This leads to the indoctrination of religion, which is where its evils stem from.

Originally posted by Pandemoniac
Are there truly any, besides their social guidelines that would exist in any civilised society anyhow?
What positive contributions to this world came from religion, and are we better of with or without them?

Religion has, throughout history, been an important part of political control and directing the masses. Indeed, it is hard to imagine certain cultures ever getting off the ground if they hadn't had it.

Unfortunately for religion, we had a period called The Enlightenment.

Liberalism, Nationalism, Eagltarianism, Constitutions, Democracy, Communism, Socialism, Facism...ahhhhh.

Since that period, religion as a system of government has and always will be doomed.

But its hard to imagine socities developing without religion (a tribe without its spiritual leader?) There are very few exceptions, and those exceptions are among the most advanced cultures in the Pre-enlightenment world.

Under control of Islam, countries in the middle ages, there were huge advances, and now, the Islamic countries are about 50 years behind, so I guess for every Golden Age, you get a Dark Age with Religion

Originally posted by Imperial_Samura
Religion has, throughout history, been an important part of political control and directing the masses. Indeed, it is hard to imagine certain cultures ever getting off the ground if they hadn't had it.

True, it creates unity and has led to certain prosperous events by that.
But it has also been the cause of just about every war in our history...

Originally posted by Alliance
Unfortunately for religion, we had a period called The Enlightenment.

Liberalism, Nationalism, Eagltarianism, Constitutions, Democracy, Communism, Socialism, Facism...ahhhhh.

Since that period, religion as a system of government has and always will be doomed.

But its hard to imagine socities developing without religion (a tribe without its spiritual leader?) There are very few exceptions, and those exceptions are among the most advanced cultures in the Pre-enlightenment world.

True. And I was also thinking of it as a tool of governments in the ancient world - the use of divinity, in the hands of a small elite, to gain that authority. In most ways I believe civilisation has moved well beyond this in the modern world - religion no longer has inherent politically benefits simply because it is religion - rather it is doing what it should do - address those who need its spiritual questions.

True, it creates unity and has led to certain properous events by that.
But it has also been the cause of just about every war in our history...

Or not so much the religion or the god it represents, but rather the politically skilled way it is used.

The best part is Islam saved us from the Christian Dark ages.

Things go up and down. It'll turn around again. The Cold War is responsible for much of the conservatism in the Middle East.

Hopefully, once that generation dies off, we can move past that.

We have been slaughtering each-other over such differences for centuries, I wouldn't hope for things to cool down anytime soon.
Leads me to my main point; we all want the same in our faith of our religion, so why are we so willing to shed the blood of those alike?

Because people are ignorant...and never had a true Jeffersonian education system.

Originally posted by Pandemoniac
We have been slaughtering each-other over such differences for centuries, I wouldn't hope for things to cool down anytime soon.
Leads me to my main point; we all want the same in our faith of our religion, so why are we so willing to shed the blood of those alike?

Because while one can generalise and say "we all want the same things in a religion" (which is debatable) people want everyone else to believe a certain way. They want to believe they are right. Pure and simple. Their holy book, scroll, whatever says "this is the way it must be done, and one who doesn't do it this way is wrong."

People don't think. They lack the power of relatavistic thought. Remeber that this concept is historically a relatively recent development. It needs time to sink in.

Which leads us to the main question; is religion a positive or negative influence?

Neither.

It is both. The good is indistinguisable from the bad...assuming that religon encompasses spirituality et al.

The interesting stories that we get from them? Mythology is fascinating.

~ Kryzula

Indeed. As is religious artwork.

I believe that has nothing to do with religion at all. Mutual respect and coexistence need no religion at their base. I think religion only distorts the possibility of such.

Can i get a refernce check on "that," please?

Mutal respect and co-existence do not need religion at their base NOW, but they did until the Enlightenment.

(techinally they didn't before the Enlightenment either, but there was no real theory as to where else it could come from.)