Dismantle All The Churches?

[Kiid]

Simple Yes or No if you would be all for the dismantle of all churches?

[Rawr]

Some churches look pretty cool, plus the history behind some churches would be missed if it were to be dismantled. Say I'm going to go ahead and say No.

[Woollyhats]

No. I know sometimes it's tempting to hate them, when we see what they say about people like us on T.V., when we are discriminated against personally be them,etc., but in wanting to close them all down we become people of hatred too, and we're better then that. So no, I'm not for closing them all down. Besides, there are some Churches that are gay friendly... See every United Church of Christ ever, and there are others too! .

[LONDONER]

I'm an aethiest and have personal reasone to dislike anything to do with religion. However, would we really want to go through another reformation when so much art and history was destroyed? One has to be tolerant of other people's beliefs so no, leave them as they are.

[megumidesu]

no .
everyone has the right to believe what they want , even if you think their views are wrong .
besides , getting rid of churches doesn't get rid of religion or religious people.

[Pix]

No, though it WOULD please me if people just lost interest in them that they disappeared (or became museums in case of the older ones), and maybe the vast riches of the Vatican sold off to help pay restitution to the many surviving victims of their many abuses (not that they're the only denomination or religion I'd like to see be forced to pay restitution to victims). And there are a great many churches which offend me (because the arrogant asses think themselves morally superior to everyone else, succeed in interfering--and worse--in the lives of people who aren't of their church or even religion), some that outright scare me (as they encourage people to become self-righteous sociopaths), and I can think of a handful of churches that I'd happily dismantle myself under the right circumstances (plus more I've only heard of like Westboro), but they're not all bad, and I think they'll one day be stripped of their toxins (just as they have already in some ways).

Nevertheless, I want a secular state (and run by secular humanist values), not an atheist one, especially as one militant enough to destroy religion would very likely be militant in other ways as well, making them a cure as bad, if not worse than, the disease. And traditionally such militant states (as the Soviet Union) have been hostile to gays as well.

[partisan]

Yes....... no...

[bluefox4000]

No silly, they have to want to do it on they're own. Seriously though. I feel it would be hypocritical of me as an atheist to push my will on them. As that's what I loathe about them.

Mick

[SolemnBoy]

No. I don't think I need to explain why.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

No.

True, it is not a perfect system, but then it is ran by human beings, and humans are imperfect beings.

However I think if we really sit down and write up the list of pros and cons we find that religion does tend to nose out ahead more on the pro side of the list than the cons. Yes there are periods of horrors and tragedies, however there is the longer, deeper history of Religion causing being to behave and treat each other a little nicer than they would without the fear of a god breathing down their neck.

There is a good reason why so many Christians ask Atheists how can they possibly be moral people without a belief in God - because while Atheists may not have a need for a god to keep them moral, clearly 32% of the world's population is only morally 'good' because they fear hell or a God that will punish them.

On top of that, Religious Guilt is the leading weapon in the fight against poverty. In the USA alone the Catholic Church (alone) provides 50% of the social services which keep people from being homeless, naked and starving on the streets. While we can debate how much the church 'earns' compared to how much it spends on charitable contributions, the fact remains that it provides half the services here in the USA - it does so by flexing the Fear of Hell on its parishioners who are guilted into donating to the Church.

If the Government were to attempt to tax for those services, there would be a war on.

You may think that humans are basically good and willing to help one another, they are not. Humans are basically selfish, greedy pricks who, without the moral compass provided by the Church would do nothing to aide their fellow man.

There is a good reason why so many 'Christians' wonder how it is an Atheist can be morally 'good' without faith in God, because they know that their faith is the only thing that keeps them on the moral road.

Regardless of your personal beliefs in a deity (or not), the reality is that religion is as old as human civilization, far older than that. Religion has walked side by side with humankind since well before the dawn of time.

I suspect that the majority of humans need religion as much as they need food, shelter, clothing to survive this world. If stripped away from them they most likely would die.