POSSITIVE SIDE

OF
RELIGIONS
POSITIVE SIDE OF RELIGION

The evolution of human and cultures, religions have had a history of

providing significant positive experiences as well as harmful experiences
for individuals and societies. We will focus on The Positive Side of
Religion.
Religions usually originate from particular experiences, which some
call religious,and or which are variously described as awe, wonder
,presence of God.
Any particular religion is a culturally evolve system, in which the
person involves develop and share common understanding, beliefs and
practices and form community bonds of identity and support. Many
religions claim a mentor who is revered and remember as an exemplar
for their beliefs, values and practices
the beliefs provide meanings of life and death, and guidance in
relation ship and behaviors.
 Religious rituals not only aid in the understanding of beliefs,
but also in facilitating new religious experiences in solitude or in
community.
Ant its best, a religion can provide the following:
1. Meaning, Purpose and Hope, based on the beliefs and
values, often expressed in myths and stories.
2. Community gathering for rituals of worship and symbolic
celebrations of religious holidays.
3. Personal identity as part of a group with similar world views,
beliefs, values, practices and life styles relationship of
commitment to giving support and caring critique to one
another.
4. Opportunities in community to identify and provide neede
action and service to meet needs of wider community and
world
5. Rituals and practices experienced in community for life
transitions of birth, commitment, forgiveness, and death.
6. Private rituals that support identity, calmness, stability, and
hope.
7. Educational opportunities providing history and
understanding and cultural traditions and beliefs
translation of religious symbols.
8. Guidance for living in right relationship with other persons
(respect and caring for the out group as well as the in
group)
NEGATIVE SIDE
OF
RELIGION
THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF RELIGION ON SOCIETY

For as long as humans have had the ability to reason,

they have attributr the natural phenomenon and the world
aroundthem to dieties, spirits and supernatural forces.
Religion has played a huge role in the development of
society and civilization throughout history.
Most notable negative impact on society religion is
discrimination and continues today in places all over the
world.
RELIGION IS HARMFUL TO SOCIETY
Religious may cause more harm in society and for
individuals than the benefits it produces. Not every
religions or religious belief may result in all, or even any of
these harms.
The facts that religion is harmful makes the
conclusion of Pascals Wager much more ambiguous.
Christianity is most admirably adapted to the training
of slaves society. Christianity is comparacy of ignorance
against reason, of darkness against light of submission and
slavery against independence and freedom.
HARMFUL OUTCOMES OF RELIGION

1. Promotes Backward and Harmful Policies

Religions often campaign on diverse topics as clothing,
homosexuality, sexuality, abortion, contraception and womens right.
Religion has been used to defend slavery, racial segregation, sexual
discrimination, and many more diverse topics.

2. DISSUADES SOCIETAL IMPROVEMENT

Some political thinker, such as Antonio Gramsci have argued
that Christianity isa a barrier to society improvement. If the world is
going to end the people see no need to prevent or repair difficult
problems. Belivers are encouraged to accept the fatalism of human
suffering as part of the cosmic order or the will of God.
3. MAGICAL THINGKING
Religion opens the door to magical thingking, by
allowing oneself to accept that the lack of disproof makes
something possible or somehow a 50-50 chance. Many
religions specially teach that believing things with no evidence
(faith) is actually the best thing and that if evidence
contradicts a belief.

4. MYTHOLOGY
Religions often teach myths and falsehood as a truth.
Creationsm and the GREAT FLOOD have been disproves for
hundred years (46% of Americans believe the earth was
created in last 10,000 years and 60% believe in the literal
GREAT FLOOD) and particular ly damaging example is the
concept that mankind was kicked out of the Garden of Eden,
that implies that the earth is a prison, and does not deserve to
be respected.
5. Teaches Conformity
Religions teach not to question their teachings. Arhamic
religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) teash that mankind is
literally punished and suffer disease and death due to thinking.
Teaching against gaining knowledge and having independent thought
leads to black and white thinking in all aspects of life, lsuch as
immigration is bad, lower/higher taxes for wealthy result in a stronger
economy or guns cause/prevent crime.

6.PARTICIPATION IN RELIGION SUPPORT HARMFUL REGIMES

AND INSTITUTIONS
Participating in religious activities often requires financial or
moral support to be given to countries and institution that use this for
questionable purpose. On such instance is the hajj in Saudi Arabia,
which accounts for about 3% of their GDP and indirectly funds its
promotion of salafi extremism and its involvement in regional
conflicts.
7. FALSE AUTHORITY FIGURES
Religious authority figures are given respect as subject
matter experts in everything. That is to say, if you want to
know about particles physicist , people would naturally trust
the answer of physicist over a soy bean farmer.

8. RESOURCE CONSUMPTION
Religions are huge consumer of resources. There are
nearly three times the number of churches than a gas station.
In addition, $93 billion is donated in per year. This dwarfed by
the $111 billion per week in manpower consumed by church
attendance. It could not be overstated the effect this money
and resources would have combating the homelessness,
hunger, or even unemployment
9. RITUALS
Religions come with ritualistic dogma. Circumcision,
Baptist, confirmation, fasting and dietary restrictions.. Etc are
all common Although many of these may not directly caus
harm, Some are directly harmful, such as drinking poison,
snake handling ..etc.

10. REINFORCES SEGREGATION

Religious create a grouping of people and usually treats
people within their own religions better than outsiders (known
as ingroup favoritism). They have minor differences in
interpretations of a holy book. While at times, this can be a
good thing, inclusion tends to be based on extremely narrow
beliefs which lead tends to reinforce and maintain
segregations. Examples..
11. CREATE NEGATIVE PEER GROUPS
Religious create groupings of people with false ideals, such as those who are
misogynist or anti homosexual.

12. TEACH JUDGEMENTAL IDEAS

Religions tend to be judgemental in general, with the Abrahamic religions
particularly bad. It is built into the religions at a fundamental level. Those who are
outside, are inherently bad, and will go to hell. In general It helps to create and
maintain an idea that people are bad, or people have bad traits, rather than peoples
actions leading to harm.

13. TEACH POSTPONEMENT OF ENJOYMENT

Beliefs in afterlife is extremely common among religions. This teaches
people to not only postpone enjoyment its also provide people with an excuse not
to help those in need, due to the concept that if they deserve help, they will receive
it after die. Conversely a belief in a punishment dring the afterlife anf\d can lead to
an extreme fear of death.
EVIDENCE THAT RELIGION BROUGHT ABOUT
AN EVENT IN HISTORY
1. THE REFRMATION WAS THE GREATEST RELIGIOUS
MOVEMENT FOR CHRIST SINCE THE EARLY CHURCH.
IT WAS A REVIVAL OF BIBLICAL AND NEW TESTAMENT
THEOLOGY.
2. BABRI MASJID OR MOSQUE CASE (1992)
3. GOLDEN TEMPLE ASSAULT (1984)
4. RELIGION AND THE FOUNDING OF THE AMERICAN
REPUBLIC