Do we need religion?

People do not need religion but many people want it in their life and everyone has the right to choose what they want to believe in. Some people need religion to make sense of the world they live in. Many of us do not want or need it. The problem comes when someone tries to force us to accept their faith because they think that we must conform to their world view and when we do not conform they can get carried away and kill people for being different. That is more about controlling others than a belief in a religion but the religion makes a good tool to try and force others to conform.

that's good if it works for you, but some people have such crappy, crap in their lives that they need something to grasp onto and to put faith into, when everything else really stinks.

Realistically speaking..IMO NO religion ISNT needed....all we need is inner strength, open minds and belief in ourselves and our abilities...BUT many ppl just dont have those qualities for whatever reason so for them religion IS a needed thing....

http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1785128.aspx see this discussion by neuliching.and it is only posted a two days before i think,and i responded it with my idea.see it

I think this is something that some people need and others do not, therefore do we really NEED it? I don't know. I don't but I have friends who do, relatives who do, etc etc. I can't pretend to know their lives or situations inside out, neither can they pretend to know mine. I think it can fill a specific need for some people, fulfillment, security, love, understanding, but at the same time this doesn't mean that EVERYBODY has that need, know what I mean? I have come to discover that it seems to cause a lot more division than unity, especially if beliefs are at odds or opposition to each other.

Hi Maria, I am curious to what you have known most of your life. I ask this because to form a thought that say you do not need religion mostly come from some organization that tend to teach non belief. That is fine with me, because I feel the same way as you. Religion is something to rely on. Many people are accustom to that way of thinking. I use to be a christian until I started to rely on common sense. If you have no belief in something or some form of deity, then they feel the need to label you as something or a part of some organization. I feel with the many religion out here, it is too many to feel that any one of them are right. Most are followed by a way of life or customs that comes from there race or heritage. I feel religion breeds ignorance, because history taught us that in every religion war is produce and the worship of man begins.

Well, do you know what is the meaning of what you call religion? You just said that there is something what you believe, and that is that you don't believe religion will do anything to your salvation. Well, this belief could be classified under the category religion, couldn't it? As a matter of fact, there is hardly a human being on this planet who has no religios belief. Either one beliefs consciously or unconsciously in some sort of things, then call it Athesim, Polytheism, Monotheism, Monism or whatever. On such beliefs are actually all religions built, no matter what denomination. But is there not a truth that each human being needs to understand in order to experience salvation? If there is such a thing as salvation, then it must be universal and therefore available to all men and women, old and young. Our beliefs change from time to time. Because it is a belief, it can be changed. But the promise of salvation is unchangeable; it is still heard and pondered to-day, as it was a thousands of years ago.