Religion = Conspiricy

am i the only one who has noticed that all great empires were based on religion. ALL of them. Religion is nothing more than mind control, and great (depends on your perspective) leaders know this and exploit it to make their subjects submit to everything they say. look at the romans. Caligula made himself a god. and the pope. he can change the rules of Catholicism as he wishes. and now, the republican party, trying to make the country into a theocracy.

I think in many ways ORGANIZED religion is used as a method of control... Yes.
When one studies up on it, there have been some pretty powerful people who have used and manipulated religion to suit their own needs.

im not talking about religion manipulation, im talking about religion in general. religion says this is how it is, believe it or you are going to hell. notice there is always a reason to join a religion. BELIEVE THIS OR YOU ARE GOING TO HELL is what they all tell you, ive never heard of a religion that says BELIEVE THIS IF YOU WANT TO, THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE. i think if there was a god, he/she/it would understand skepticism and that maybe i dont want to blindly believe something that a crazy guy from 2000 years ago said because if i dont im going to hell.

Okie dokie then... Thanks for clarifying.. I am having a hard time figuring out exactly what your initial posts are about... You are sort of vague.

Originally posted by noobmonster
BELIEVE THIS OR YOU ARE GOING TO HELL is what they all tell you, ive never heard of a religion that says BELIEVE THIS IF YOU WANT TO, THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE. i think if there was a god, he/she/it would understand skepticism and that maybe i dont want to blindly believe something that a crazy guy from 2000 years ago said because if i dont im going to hell.

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

Buddha

exactly!

see, i could definately see a bunch of people sitting around, trying to run a city and saying "hmm how can we make everyone undoubtedly listen to us. WAIT! lets tell everyone if they dont listen, they will be tortured for eternity!"

Religion is a mysterious thing. It has been around since who knows when.
How did it come to be? Since we have to texts we can't indicate who started
it. You can say the Sumerian's started it or maybe they just changed it.
I do agree however leaders control the world through religion.
That is why I am not with any religion, I do believe in a higher existence though. If you don't I won't force you into it, that is not my job.
It is up to each individual to choose if he or she believes or not. It's just
like if atheist can not make me change, I can not enforce religion up on you.

That is why we have free will, you make your own choices and no one
else should make it for you.

Originally posted by noobmonster

see, i could definately see a bunch of people sitting around, trying to run a city and saying "hmm how can we make everyone undoubtedly listen to us. WAIT! lets tell everyone if they dont listen, they will be tortured for eternity!"

Basically...

I also got a question tho what came first our rules and laws or religion?

Originally posted by Equinox99
I also got a question tho what came first our rules and laws or religion?

From an atheist point of view:

Man through the development of his brain and consciousness became aware of his own existance and of his mortality. This can be seen because early man had funeral rites and believed in some kind of afterlife (probably very similar to modern day tribal religions, based on a shaman).

Anyways, organised religion could simply be a standardized set of beliefs for a much bigger and complex society.

I believe that morals are hardwired in humans by genes anyway, and the ethics of religions are expressions of these.