Why does Religion in almost all it's forms breed hatred?

Originally posted by Esotericizm
As per the Title, It seems to me that the majority of believers in Abrahamic religions fail miserably to practice what they preach. Throughout the course of documented human history more people have been killed in the name of God then any other cause to date. Is religion being used as a tool to indoctrinate and teach hatred towards "non-believers"? I think for the logical of us the answer is quite obviously yes.

Is it a flaw within humanity ourselves to be so contradicting and so hateful, or is religion in itself a major cause? I've seen more "Atheists" and even to an extent Creationists able to forgive and forget than I have followers of the Abrahamic religions (many of whom are by definition meant to be accepting and forgiving). It is my personal opinion that humanity will never move forward until we are able to either agree on one religion or to abolish them completely.
Despite what it may seem I am not having a go at all believers and if you do believe in a God, Can you seriously sit there and not agree that Religion has caused pain and suffering beyond belief? And if you do agree do you have a solution?

Sorry for the rambling post it was alot clearer in my head.

There is wisdom in Abrahamic text and the devine can be seen there. The problem is that people are always creating a duality between religons because they have ego and have a trouble loosing it. From my point of view they are all in their own way describing the same thing and none of them will be completly right.

reply to post by racasan


This is a very interesting read. Great OP also, by the way. I'm going to explore the idea of a subconscious construct. It's a very good theory. What struck me about your post - is that you stated that when a religious person's religion is put down or attacked, they feel it is a personal attack on themselves. It's logically a very sound way to look at it. It also explains why some religious people get so bent out of shape when discussing religions and God.

Star and Flag for the OP. Interesting thread!

Well... I view religion like communism:
In theory, communism is ideal; everyone is equal, has the same stuff, etc... However, communism has historically been proven to fail,, for obvious reasons that don't need to be said.
In theory, religion is a great thing, but just like communism, when the taste of power drips down the wrong person's throat, corruption is inevitable.

I compare religion to a double sided sword: when used correctly, it can do great and powerful feats, but in the hands of an unskilled warrior, it can swing back and knock said soldier on his keister.

DOGMATISM. Religion's thesis is almost always a dogmatic claim. And if you know you are right, and that someone else is wrong, regarding the most important question we ask well, its not a recipe for peace.

I believe the right kind only rises out of the need to quell the hatred...

which came first the chicken or the egg?

I think it is a human issue because i have been shown hatred from an athiest because of my belief in God. I think humans just dont like feeling like they are wrong so they like to push their opinions on people who think differently. Lets not act like all the hatred has purely come from religious people. It seems like atheism has almost turned into a religion itself with atheists going around telling people with faith "your god doesnt exist." For example "Heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark" by Stephen Hawking. Thats a direct punch at an entire group of people an it was written by an atheist. At least most Christians are at least peaceful when they try to convert people and they only do it because they want that person to go to heaven. when atheists go around telling people that their god doesnt exist they are just being mean and killing peoples happiness.

reply to post by eyesontheskies


No, one is no different than the other. Believe what YOU want to believe...or not believe. Trying to convert an athiest is a dirrect punch to their disbelief...see what I'm getting at. Like I said, believe what YOU want to belive. Don't try to convert people, that's just rude.