Amen! Buck said it all, and it's the way I feel about it too. I'm an atheist myself, although my grandparents are religious (my parents aren't).
I don't mean to offend anyone (and since I know there are religious people around, I will stress that), but allow me to word my own view on it. Throughout human history, religion has indeed been a means of much bloodshed (the Crusades and the current situation in the middle east are two good examples of this, but unfortunately there are MANY MANY more), but I think there's a deeper reason to this. In the millenia past, religion severly influenced anything that happened. Since many things were still unknown (with respect to current-day, that is), and supposedly explained by the bible, or any other holy book, it was easy to influence the thoughts of the people listening to it. Ultimately, it is a tool used by power-hungry people, to keep people from thinking for themselves. Whenever there was some form of danger looming that somehow would stimulate people to think for themselves, that threat would be banished, and considered evil.
In this aspect, people who were thinking DIFFERENT from the dictates of church (whatever the religion), were dangerous ... they could possibly stir up thoughts that would go in against the teachings of the church, whereby the power-hungry people would lose their power over them. Consider witches, and druids and the likes, who have been burned and what more throughout the ages, but also people of other religions.
However, as time has progressed, people started to discover more and more, learning about physics and such, so in the past 100 years or so (when this development has gone EXTREMELY rapid), it is not surprising to see that more and more people no longer have a religion they follow (well, many changed it for the religion of the Dollar). This is an aspect of ALL religions. Coming forth from this are all the zealots, fanatics and ultra-orthodox extremist, who think they have the RIGHT to dictate others WHAT to think, and keep them inside the flock. With their actions, they cause more harm than they solve, but they fail to see this.
And personally, I don't understand how ONE religion can claim to be the REAL one, when there are SOOOO many different ones. What if someone lives in relative isolation for all his life, never gets into contact with ANY form of religion, and ultimately dies ... is he a sinner? How can you blame him for not knowing?? In this light, how can anyone EVER claim they have the TRUTH in hand??
Mind you, if they could abolish all the violence against the people not following the religion they think is the right one, I think religion can be a wonderful thing. Also, I don't think many people who follow a religion feel the zealous need to either convert other people, or kill them if they don't, but who simply have something 'higher' they can cling onto, especially in times of need and trouble. Although some might say this actually means one escapes and ignores his own responsibilities, I think it is also something you can draw strength from when you need it most.
Personally, like I said before, I am atheistic. But I do believe that everyone should look inside himself, deep into the core of his very being. Right there, I think you can find the very basic foundation that is shared by ALL religions - a belief in yourself and your abilities, and a care for others - to treat them exactly the way you would like to be treated yourself. Try to place yourself in the position of the person on the other side of the story.
Right inside there, I find my own strength to resist the temptations of doing evil things against others (things I would not like to have done to myself), and yet enjoy the pleasures of life in all its many different ways (like BG2
). Therefore, I'm even more repelled by churches and such, when I hear yet another story of a priest who has abused his altar boys ... come on, how can you take such a person serious EVER AGAIN, when he goes in against the very things he preaches for??
Note that if this would be the year 500, speaking these words would have been enough to get me burned at the stake for being an Heretic. Anyway, to conclude: the power-hungry people (not the truly devoted ones, mind you) in churches like nothing better than for you to think what THEY tell you to believe. In that aspect, they don't differ much from a sekt, if you'd ask me.
Final note: I will repeat what I said earlier in this message, I don't mean to offend ANY religious person, these things are PURELY my view of things, and in my right of free speach, I have written them down. I value your freedom to believe in the things that matter to you, and I hope you will respect my beliefs as well.
) Religion, IMHO, is an idea perpetuated by those hungering for power and control. I'm not saying sincere people don't exist, but many so-called religious people are total hypocrites. Just look at the Middle East. Both sides believe in "Thou shalt not kill," yet what do they do? I don't believe murder for ANY reason is sanctioned in either side's Holy Book. I can't believe people sometimes.
