[Marilyn Monroe]

Quote by: another day Quite. That's exactly what I said isn't it. Simply put, don't act surprised that religion is interpreted and wielded in this manner. It's the nature of the beast. Over the years this is what religion has been used for above all else. This "peace, love" stuff was never the predominate theme in christianity, despite what Jesus may have said. The "turn the other cheek and love thy neighbor" stuff is apparently glazed over as some kind of mawkish sentimentality that is spoken of nominally and yet never truly followed. No, over the years the church and organized religion have been predominantly instruments of oppression, of judgment, and of conflict. I'm not saying this is the point of christianity, or what the bible is trying to teach, but it's the simple nature of what religion does to the masses of society, with a big help from the church of course, which is probably the reason for the utter corruption of most religions.

Although I get what you are saying, I'm not at all sure the world would have been better off without religion. Religion had a unifying quality to it, and it did keep people on the same page with the rights and wrongs stuff. A lot of people would have been even more evil without it, and in MHO most people would have been completely obnoxious without a higher power belief system.

To me, the fact that some of the most evangelical Christians/other religious fanatics can be so intolerant, hateful, judgmental, and cruel, just shows that morality and goodness does NOT come from religion AT ALL.

I think people would be more intolerant and cruel if no religion had ever been created. Religion civilized people faster to my way of thinking. It's just a guess, but seeing how people are with religion, makes me think they'd be far worse without it.

It comes from another source which religious folk have absolutely no sort of monopoly over. Religion can perhaps help clarify and further instill this goodness in already good people, but for the rotten ones all it does is fanaticize them, while giving them seemingly legitimate beefs in the eyes of the masses who still have faith, literally, in these dogmas.

I don't think hardly any of us are inherently good. We need a lot of prodding to be good. If you've had children you know this is why it takes forever to rear humans.