Why does it have to be this way?

[Shawn]

Religions began as a response of the human being, to phenomena that could not be understood in principle (the meaning of life, death, why we exist?, why certain things happen in nature?, etc.) Apart from this man is a certain arrogant way, because these responses to the environment were justified as being superior over all other living creatures. But as logical answers were not given, some invented mystical ways to these answers, and people accepted this as true, because it was easier, and because human beings are unsure and want to believe in something special, that life is far beyond what actually is. that's is how this religions things was originated.

And why things are as they are today?... someone already explained it above, arrogance in these people increased and were not satisfied with what they had, they wanted more... power, money and control over more people. (my god is better than yours, more powerful, mine is real etc.). this increases to the point that people began to fight each other in the name of these gods.
... And that's it, basically it is what has happened in these two thousand years.

[bryyzy]

Religion. Oh please. Its just an excuse to act all superior and to justify actions. Its all nonsense and people who follow it are complete idiots.

[Cheet0V90]

Religion. Oh please. Its just an excuse to act all superior and to justify actions. Its all nonsense and people who follow it are complete idiots.

Rings the oversized Asian style gong loudly... Haha!

[Insertnamehere]

You're trying to find some rationality in abstract belief systems that lack any evidence to support them.

Don't. You'll just give yourself a headache.

[BlueStar]

Religion

[Cheet0V90]

Religion

Neverending/pointless infinity signs? I love it!

[BlueStar]

Neverending/pointless infinity signs? I love it!

Do not insult my signature. I did not use any religion to make it!

[Cheet0V90]

Do not insult my signature. I did not use any religion to make it!

I wasn'the insulting it... Ithat is perfect, esp w your comments about it being a neverending loop of pointlessness, as "Big Religion" is in itself...

[CorsacReborn]

Because they can see the flaws in the other systems but are so invested in their own beliefs that they don't see that they are equally as flawed within their own system. They can never prove anything within their own system without reciting a man written text so they aim to disprove the others.

I've given up on respecting peoples' rights to join a faith/religion, religion is just another psychological disorder but is unique in that it doesn't get classified within the parameters of being a mental illness.

[MikeW]

Why oh why must the religions of the world always be in competition with one another as they are? I have never understood why multiple pools of believers can't respect one another's differences in beliefs... That and why is there so much hatred towards people for being different from the supposed "norm?" If the world was just one way, it'd be pretty boring wouldn't it?

But it isn't just "religions" is it?

Human beings are competitive animals. They compete for fun, for profit, for sex, and to reassure themselves that they are "important" or "better," that their meaningless existence has some sort of meaning (even if it is just make believe fantasy).

So first off the 'why' is, it's human nature. More specifically it is the tyranny of human thought.

If you ever want to get at the root of what causes human conflict, try reading some J Krishnakurti:

I wonder why we divide life into fragments, the business life, social life, family life, religious life, the life of sport and so on? Why is there this division, not only in ourselves but also socially – we they, you and me, love and hate, dying and living? I think we ought to go into this question rather deeply to find out if there is a way of life in which there is no division at all between living and dying, between the conscious and the unconscious, the business and social life, the family life and the individual life.

These divisions between nationalities, religions, classes, all this separation in oneself in which there is so much contradiction – why do we live that way? It breeds such turmoil, conflict, war; it brings about real insecurity, outwardly as well as inwardly. There is so much division, as God and the devil, the good and the bad, ‘what should be’ and ‘what is.’

Looking at all this confusion, why does each one of us accept and conform, instead of shattering the whole process in ourselves?

This is a very human, ordinary problem, which touches the life of everyone of us, rich and poor, young and old, why do we live this monotonous, meaningless life, going to the office or working in a laboratory or a factory for forty years, breeding a few children, educating them in absurd ways, and then dying? I think you should ask this question with all your being, in order to find out. Then you can ask the next question: whether human beings can ever change radically, fundamentally, so that they look at the world anew with different eyes, with a different heart, no longer filled with hatred, antagonism, racial prejudices, but with a mind that is very clear, that has tremendous energy.

Seeing all this – the wars, the absurd divisions which religions have brought about, the separation between the individual and the community, the family opposed to the rest of the world, each human being clinging to some peculiar ideal, dividing himself into ‘me’ and ‘you’, ‘we’ and ‘they’ – seeing all this, both objectively and psychologically, there remains only one question, one fundamental problem and this is whether the human mind, which is so heavily conditioned, can change. Not in some future incarnation, nor at the end of life, but change radically now, so that the mind becomes new, fresh, young, innocent, unburdened, so that we may know what it means to love and to live in peace.