Alone among the great nations of history we have got rid of religion as a serious scourge, and by the simple process of reducing it to a petty nuisance. For men become civilized, not in proportion to their willingness to believe, but in proportion to their readiness to doubt. The more stupid the man, the larger his stock of adamantine assurances, the heavier his load of faith. When Copernicus proved that the earth revolved around the sun, he did not simply prove that the earth revolved around the sun, he also proved that the so-called revelation of God, as contained in the Old Testament, was rubbish. The first fact was relatively trivial: it made no difference to the average man then, as it makes no difference to him today. But, the second fact was of stupendous importance, for it disposed at one stroke of a mass of bogus facts that had been choking the intelligence and retarding the progress of humanity for a millennium and a half.... I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind; that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overborne by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking.
RE:Curse of religion
by Imran on Sep 14, 2007 04:29 PM Permalink
Good u agree with me Girish, I%u2019m no supporter of Saudi Arabia or any such country where rules are made by the majority religion. I think everyone can follow what they feel but inside the 4 walls of their room.Someone belief should not come in the way of development nor infringe on other peoples rights.
RE:Curse of religion
by Madurai SatheeshKumar on Sep 14, 2007 04:35 PM Permalink
Hi Imran right. as such the issue is, whether the proposed bridge should be constructed destroying the ram sethu...
and, there are 4,5 better routes which does not require destruction of this bridge. In fact many scientists say that it will be better if done that way.
So, why not think about that, when you can avoid hurting the religious sentiments of many people? That's the question...
RE:Curse of religion
by vikram sharma on Sep 14, 2007 04:29 PM Permalink
I too firmly believe that religion has outlived the purpose for which it was invented and is now doing just the opposite.
RE:RE:Curse of religion
by Prof R K Gupta-India on Sep 14, 2007 04:47 PM Permalink
I doint think anyone has any business to preach about religion.Dont tread danagerous are.Our govt is doing same foolsihly.
RE:RE:Curse of religion
by Imran on Sep 14, 2007 04:34 PM Permalink
Yes Vikram we can easily conclude that all religions are not the handiwork og God(if he exists) bcoz an all knowing God could have come out with soemthign better that the illogical relgions in the world today. It is a fact, the significance of which cannot be exaggerated, that the measure of the civilization which any nation has attained is the extent to which it has curtailed the power of institutionalized religion. There are a score of great religions in the world, each with scores or hundreds of sects, each with its priestly orders, its complicated creed and ritual, its heavens and hells. Each has its thousands or millions or hundreds of millions of "true believers"; each damns all the others, with more or less heartiness, and each is a mighty fortress of Graft.
RE:Curse of religion
by Imran on Sep 14, 2007 04:34 PM Permalink
Yes Vikram we can easily conclude that all religions are not the handiwork og God(if he exists) bcoz an all knowing God could have come out with soemthign better that the illogical relgions in the world today. It is a fact, the significance of which cannot be exaggerated, that the measure of the civilization which any nation has attained is the extent to which it has curtailed the power of institutionalized religion. There are a score of great religions in the world, each with scores or hundreds of sects, each with its priestly orders, its complicated creed and ritual, its heavens and hells. Each has its thousands or millions or hundreds of millions of "true believers"; each damns all the others, with more or less heartiness, and each is a mighty fortress of Graft.
