Quote Originally Posted by trini_gsr
the man has a point

sport122 is taking the discussion on a deeper level - it does boil down to the philosophical debate between materialism and idealism as far as describing our reality. i'm an idealist, by the way. but profiteer is right, that's a discussion for a different thread.

the problem i have with 'religions' is that they are too static. as we gain a better understanding of the universe around us, it's natural that our views on the supernatural/spiritual are going to change too. I believe that God is dynamic and rational, and we have the drive to discover the secrets of our universe because we were created as rational beings. But while science will give us the "how", it will never answer the question of "why". this is what spirituality is for.

i see what you're getting at, profiteer, but to say that religions are a blight to the world and inhibit progress is taking it a bit too far. religion plays a key role in stressing the importance of morality in a society - i would argue that this too is needed to create the right environment for intellectual progress, although the merits of it might not be as tangible. remember too that religion is a social construct created by the same humans who you say are thirsting for knowledge and striving for progress . it may be flawed (which one of our social constructs aren't?) but it serves its purpose.
no, I dont think so. You see religion drives morality through fear. "be good or, or what we define as good, or you will burn in hell"

Instead morality should be taught from a human perspective, a respect for human life as well as all the life around it. The moral teachings of religion are only enforced by the threat of hell. While societies intrepertation of morality is enforced by a set of laws and consequences, which is how it should be.