Taking a sub topic from another thread as a response to BobSiemens.
Tell me all the good and bad things religion has brought humanity. Lets for the non religous fanatics also allow things that are done under cover of religion.
Try to keep it factual, and try to mention only things that we won't really have to discuss about it being good or bad.
If you can provide more thorough details about things I mentioned or others mention that would be a contribution to this thread or brings things in the proper light, please do.
Here's a start:
From BobSiemens:
Without Islam, 9/11 wouldn't have happened.
Without Christianity, the crusades wouldn't have happened
Without Islam and Judaism, the Palestine issue wouldn't happen
Without Islam, the sectarian violence wouldn't be happening
If there were no religion, we'd all agree by now that if you anti-gay, you would just be a bigot.
My response in this thread:
Without religion, we might still be in the dark ages, relgion also brought science and education. It also brought the teachings of Jesus about forgiving sins of other people it brought charity, people taking care of other people in need.
The things you mention are done by normal people that follow a perverted form of their religion.
Religion doesn't teach the crimes you mention it's people that commit the crime and abuse religon as a lame excuse.
All the bad things you mention about religion have nothing whatsoever to do with the teachings of those religions, it's only people with their politics and hidden agenda's that do these things under the cover of religion.
People have good and bad sides, religion teaches people to go to the good side, but religious leaders often have other ideas and abuse the religion by making people do the things like you mentioned.
If you want to only see the darness you will, if you open your eyes you'll see also the good sides as well.
I'm not saying that you'll see God because I don't believe in any but you will see that religion has brought tons and tons of good things as well.