To Foxy.

I see we've moved on from religion being the cause of violence and bigotry, to talking about the point of religion. It's role. Be wary of that kind of logic. For there is a point to everyone and everything based on the roles filled. The good points to that kind of reasoning is for policy makers trying stabilize a society, a company to fill in the needs of a business, or even an army to delegate the responsibilities needed. Looking at it this way can make it practical and filling the needs around you. Why you should be wary of it is because no one should look at another person based solely on the role they perform.

Religion is not a stabilization factor of society. If a religion stabilizes a society (not all religions do this) then the question to ask is why does it do this? It's not the point of most religions. Most religions are more personal then that. Holding a conversation of religion as a general term for all religions won't give a very good answer. Because the roots for one religion to be a foundation and to hold a society together, will be different from the roots of another religion that is ok with tearing people apart.

If comparing religions and societies it might maybe compare religions like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and several other religions based on their accomplishments in being followed by countries and influential in the lives and decisions of those countries and their people. Compare those religions to each other and see where they have provided, and where they haven't. The reasons for each will differ depending on the religion. I wouldn't put in place a religion like Scientology in the ranks of religions serving a society purpose, and I'm sure there are worser ones then that to not put in the comparison of societal role and how they help (or don't).

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That said don't miss the main point. If a religion is true or false that matters more then if it fills a role in society. Since God exists, religions that acknowledge Him are worth exploring to see if He can be found by any of them. Some might study other religions they don't believe in to understand them and understand the people who belong to them.

Truth and kindness. Don't forget that point. In order to restrict or remove divisiveness and rabid violence, then truth and kindness are the chief points.

Yuyutsu also made a good point. Religions have become social institutions. Sometimes becoming more a framework in society then it is a personal way of life. That's important. Distinguishing the what a religion teaches compared to what a church, a temple, or a mosque actively does.

Dear NNS,

What a wonderful response on the pros and cons.

Thank You.

Dear Mr Opinion,

Yes they have a book, be it the Bible, the Torah, the Koran,
or whatever. But just as alcohol, guns, and automobiles
are in themselves not dangerous - they become dangerous
when they are in the hands of mentally unstable people or
people with bad intentions who use their books literally
or selectively. Religion needs to take responsibility for
those preaching vitriol from the pulpit and deal with
them appropriately. There's enough hatred in the world,
enough racism and bigotry which ends in violence.

Dear Foxy,

Yes, and the scary thing is that mhaze is running around somewhere out there with you guessed it ......... a book!

Dear Mr Opinion,

No, that's not scary at all. I doubt very much whether
mhaze is doing anything of the sort. What is more
scary is that many organised religions have become
in many cases as calcified as other institutions that
form the structure of our modern world. Our religious
institutions have far too often become handmaidens of
the status quo, while the genuine religious
experience as Yuyutsu points out is anything but that.

True religion as many will point out is internal not
external. The spirit within us cannot be blamed for the
blasphemies carried out in its name. What some have done
in the name of religion, projecting their neuroses, even
perpetrating evil on the world, does not make religion as
a mystical phenomenon invalid.

Dear NNS,

Religious institutions as such are not the only arbiters of
religious expereince. They do not own the Truth, for Truth
cannot be owned. Nor should they think they hold some
franchise on our spiritual life. They are - according to
Rabbi Marianne Williamson - consultants and frameworks,
but they are not God Himself. We should not confuse the path
with the destination.