Religion is a bad and dated thing that should be phased out

[shellerz]

With so many different wars and conflicts happening across the world in recent years which are seemingly motivated by religious beliefs and faith, do you think that is it arguable that religion is a bad and dated thing that should be phased out? Would this help reduce conflict across the globe or is religion purely used as an excuse for other motives for war such as money, oil or control of land?

[Ken]

While religion has caused many of today's problems, I don't think eliminating religion would help much (nor would it be very possible). People will always find reasons to kill each other. A few better solutions:
1 - Guns and bombs don't come from countries like Iraq, they go to countries like Iraq. We need to stop pouring guns into a region with so many excuses to use them.
2 - Many of the religion-based quarrels in the Middle East were caused by Western treatment of the region starting when the British first occupied present day Iran for oil. The bottom line is: they don't like us there. We need to end Western dependence on the Middle East for energy and lessen Western presence in the region. Religion didn't start the conflicts seen in the Middle East, it just made them worse.

[ka2_2bo]

religions don't but the wrong belief/interpretations of one's religion do.

[rmholla]

Well if you read most religious texts the followers get their blood lust and desire from conquest in the pages of their chosen faith. Telling followers that non-believers should be put to death makes it very easy to dehumanize the victims.

People incorrectly state that Hitler was an atheist. He was not, he believed he was doing the work of god (the Christian god). Nazi soldiers worn belt buckles with "gott mit uns" (Translation: God With Us) on them.

Most religious texts have multiple calls for the murder of other humans for various reasons, all in the name of doing the "right" thing.