Originally posted by Zahlanzi
do you believe that, if religion didn't exist, people wouldn't find other reasons to fight for?
The question is not whether there would be no wars if religion didn't exist.
The question is if their would be fewer wars than there are/have been if religion didn't exist.
In other words "does religion make things worse?".
I think it's pretty much indisputable based on the available evidence that religions and religious thinking
on net makes things worse.
One of the major advantages of secular morality [as an example] is that because it is not based on the
whim of a[n imaginary] being who has dictated a set of [supposedly] immutable moral laws.
We can discuss and evaluate our moral values and when we find a conflict or a flaw we are free to change
and improve our values through discussion and reason and evidence.
Whereas if your morals are supposedly handed down by god [or your interpretation of them] you are not
free to just change them when there is a conflict or change of circumstance and this leads to conflict and
argument between those of different religions and different interpretations. Which in the extreme can and
does lead to wars between those of differing faith.