Because there are too many people out here that just cannot accept that everything that we see, every thing that exists is the result of random chance. If you take deity out of the equation, then this is pretty much all that you are left with because with out an intelligent agent to design the universe, you eventually have to come back to saying that this is just how our universe is. The laws that govern the universe just happened to work out to be the way they are. Most people in the world just can't accept this. Another factor is that most religions give hope for some kind of existence beyond this life. If you reject religion, then you must accept that this life is all that there is and that death is the end of existence. Personally, I find the hope of some kind of afterlife much more comforting in times when those I care about die. *************** David Hedrick, Not all religions are true. They can't be. There are just too many contradictions between the various religions for them all to be true. That is beside the point. Everybody believes that their religion is true and takes comfort from their beliefs whether they are true or not. Just because I write this, don't think that I am not religious. I am a very religious person. ************** "Alatea: Your money in exchange for hope. Hope is eternal and God given with or without religion." What has that got to do with this answer? Again you are giving bad ratings because of you irrational hatred of my religion rather than based on any substance of what I have written. ************** "Tanith1st: religion was the cause or influenced the following: "The Crusades "Spanish Inquisition "Salem Witch Trials "pretty much any middle east struggle has evolved into religion. "terrorism "abortion clinic bombings "neo-nazi's "Cathloic vs Protetestant violen" There are plenty of non-religious groups that also cause suffering in the world. For example, the various communist governments, drug gangs, street gangs, mafia, etc. The fact of the matter is that in any society there are going to be people that will seek for dominion over others. These people will use whatever ever tools are available to them. Sometimes they will corrupt religion to suit their designs. This does not mean that religion is at fault for the evil that they do anymore than the knife is at fault when it is used to commit murder. Both have their good uses, but can be corrupted by evil men.

there is a prophecy of the "wildbeast and the harlot" that rides upon it. it speaks of the wildbeast as the seventh world power and the last power prior to armaggedon. the harlot is the worlds false religion being that there is only one true religion that pleases God. prior to the great war the beast will turn on the harlot and "she will be no more" then the beast will look upon God's children and then god will act in salvation for them. so the bright side is that you'll get what you want regardless because god has said it will be, but we all better hope were on the right side of the line when that does happen.

Religion serves two valid human needs. 1. It fills the temporary voids of understanding that intellect has yet to fill The human mind is a modeling machine. We survived as long as we have because of our capability and NEED to find and/or create patterns to understand and define everything we are exposed to. One method for modeling is observation/analysis/testing. This model may be informal like learning that fire is always hot by reaching out to it several times or it may be a very formal method called science. But at any given time and place science and common sense observations does not offer a satisfactory answer for everything. That temporary void is nearly always filled with religion or superstition (superstition being the other persons religion). "Good" religion reinvents it's beliefs as better more accurate answers are found to the mysteries of our existence. Christianity and the Moslem faiths once taught the earth was the center of the universe. ..but no more. 2. Regardless of their teachings, most successful religions always develop a very strong social order. They provide a time and place for like-minded people to gather and "celebrate" or simply to socialize. MODELING THE UNKNOWN and SOCIALIZING. Both of these seem to be very important and natural needs of human beings. If or until there is a substitute that fills those needs religions will continue be with us.

I take it, from your question, that you think it would be a good idea. But if we truly could, and for now I'm thinking of all religions or faiths, true and false, we would live like animals. Kill or be killed, survival of the fittest, unrestrained. Unless there is a God to whom we must answer, there is no basis for any thing like morality. Words like must/must not, should/should not, ought/ought not, would be meaningless. If I could survive or thrive by killing you or taking advantage of your weakness, then there would be no reason not to. In fact, it would be the closest thing to good possible, because I would have advanced our species by eliminating an unfit member. Let's not pretend that man is inherently moral. Atheists who have any sense of morality have it as a residue of the religious influence in our society. It did not grow spontaneously out of the random molecular interactions that supposedly turned pond scum into people. There is in most people, a nagging hunch that there is more going on in life than meets the eye. It's pretty clear to most that what we see isn't self creating. People want to know what the nature of our creator is, and thus the spiritual quests that are religions. I've now answered the question. You can stop here if you want. However, I feel I must briefly describe the true faith that I made reference to above. Specifically, I believe the Bible reveals our Creator to us, and that we are unable to find Him independently. The Bible uniquely presents man as a rebellious creation, under the penalty of his Creator's law. Those who would have no religion, like those who prefer a religion under which they can better themselves to become presentable to God, are unwilling to come to grips with this responsibility which is too big for us. The Bible presents this Creator as one who entered the human race, fulfilled His own law perfectly, and then became His own perfect sacrifice. Now, those of His creatures who will drop their prideful defiance or efforts at self improvement and simply confess their sinfulness and worthiness of nothing but punishment, can find peace with Him.

When more than a few people have faith in a myth, religion is born. As long as there is imagination, people will always dream up myths. And as long as there is gullibility, there will always be people who believe in them. You can't stop imagination, so you would have to transform gullibility into wisdom world-wide. How would you do that? With a religion of course! In trying to stop religion, you’d create a new one, or use an old one. It’s kind of like the paradox of war. To stop a war, you have to participate in it.

When we are very young our parents tell us fair tales. After that they send us to Sunday school and learn about the parting of the see,burning bushes,angles,walking on water etc etc by that time our brains are conditioned to all the dogma that religion has to offer. ie religion is nothing but adult fairy tales.

The conflict of reason versus mysticism is the issue of life or death -- of freedom or slavery -- of progress or stagnant brutality. Or, to put it another way, it is the conflict of consciousness versus unconsciousness. Let us define our terms. What is reason? Reason is the faculty which perceives, identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses. Reason integrates man's perceptions by means of forming abstractions or conceptions, thus raising man's knowledge from the perceptual level, which he shares with animals, to the conceptual level, which he alone can reach. The method which reason employs in this process is logic -- and logic is the art of non-contradictory identification. What is mysticism? Mysticism is the acceptance of allegations without evidence or proof, either apart from or against the evidence of one's senses and one's reason. Mysticism is the claim to some non-sensory, non-rational, non-definable, non-identifiable means of knowledge, such as "instinct," "intuition," "revelation,' or any form of "just knowing." Reason is the perception of reality, and rests on a single axiom: the Law of Identity. Mysticism is the claim to the perception of some other reality -- other than the one in which we live -- whose definition is only that it is not natural, it is supernatural, and is to be perceived by some form of unnatural or supernatural means. I have said that faith and force are corollaries, and that mysticism will always lead to the rule of brutality. The cause of it is contained in the very nature of mysticism. Reason is the only objective means of communication and of understanding among men; when men deal with one another by means of reason, reality is their objective standard and frame of reference. But when men claim to possess supernatural means of knowledge, no persuasion, communication or understanding are impossible. Why do we kill wild animals in the jungle? Because no other way of dealing with them is open to us. And that is the state to which mysticism reduces mankind -- a state where, in case of disagreement, men have no recourse except to physical violence. And more: no man or mystical elite can hold a whole society subjugated to their arbitrary assertions, edicts and whims, without the use of force. Anyone who resorts to the formula: "It's so, because I say so," will have to reach for a gun, sooner or later. What is morality? It is a code of values to guide man's choices and actions -- the choices which determine the purpose and the course of his life. It is a code by means of which he judges what is right or wrong, good or evil. To rest one's case on faith means to concede that reason is on the side of one's enemies- that one has no rational arguments to offer.

I am intrigued not only by the question itself, but the manner in which it has been worded. How would one "abolish" religion and spirituality "once and for all", something that has been a part of mankind for as long as records of any kind exist. Is it something that is an annoyance to humanity? I suppose if one had a magic wand that could be used to miraculously change something elemental in human nature, it might be possible. A simply breathtaking concept - perhaps even breathtakingly arrogant. So let me ask one big question: why? What is it about "religion" that would warranty the extreme effort of "abolish[ing]" it? Is it because one can assemble a historical case that human tragedies have occurred because of the intolerance of religious people? Sorry, history abounds in cases where some people over here have behaved atrociously to some people over there for no better reason than their choice of parents. Mankind has never needed the excuse of religion to be cruel and inhumane. Is it because we, as humans, are creatures of rational thought and no longer have a need for religion? Sorry, because many people feel that rationalism is an inadequate answer. A majority of people believe in the some aspect of spirituality, be it an organized religion or just an essential component of humanity. Simply existing as a biochemical machine which, one day, stops working is not enough for most people. Most people feel that there is something more, whatever it may be. And given humanity's track record, simply being rational is not much to believe in. Is it because the concepts that religions and spirituality are based on cannot exist? I don't know about you, but I haven't seen conclusive proof either way. The theory of the Big Bang does not negate spirituality. Is it because religion is simply obsolete, that we have moved beyond the need for primitive comfort beside the flickering fires of our past? Perhaps some people have, but a majority feel that there are spiritual needs in this world that might make it a better place to live in, both personally and with respect to our fellow travellers.

I think it a great idea but religion give us cause to murder. Need I say more. Woop I almost forget we can kill with self righteousness. We need religion.

The governments of the world WILL, soon, do away with religions on the basis that they are the root cause of all our problems. They will not only do this, but they will succeed. And when they finally get to the true religion, the one that God approves of, the one that in the Bible is called " The faithful and discreet slave" , and try to ban or even destroy it, then that moment will be like someone touching God's eyeball. It is painful and unacceptable. Zechariah 2;8 For this is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘Following after [the] glory he has sent me to the nations that were despoiling YOU people; for he that is touching YOU is touching my eyeball".

Too much money involved and power, in that order

Lots of education for a start.

Humans need answers to everything even if the answers are not fact based . Another answer. It is a great deal easier to believe in something then to study/ Being self-rightness is easier then getting a PHD

In my humble opinion we have no need for religion in a modern world. Arguments against this usually are: You can't have morality without religion - This is nonsense, if were religion were abolished tomorrow we wouldn't descend into grunting cretins who rape and pillage. Whether morality is originally derived from religion is a different question, but we can certainly have morality without religion so it's an irrelevant one. Where are we all from then? - Well I don't claim to know, but I don't NEED to know. Religion (all in a certain manner) believe we were simply created, god sat in the dark for eternity blah blah blah.. or maybe a giant cat named bagpuss vomited up the furrball that was the universe.. Ask a religious person about what there was before god and they can't answer.. It’s just an elaborate story created in simpler times when not knowing inspired fear and panic amongst the uneducated masses. Can you imagine a new religion being created now? No, because politics has replaced the fear factor needed to control. After this the debate usually turns to, well let me have my opinion and I’ll have mine.. Well actually no. Opinions on favourite types of cheese are all very well, but when you believe in an omnipresent deity whose kindness is only surpassed by its threats of damnation and suffering if you 'sin' then this is more than an opinion. It's an expression of utter ignorance, a pledge to discrimination, to tainted rational thought, to devolution and separatism.

It's like a comfort food that no one wants to give up. Better to be fat and happy than trim and truthful. A flaw of human nature.

Because then we'd be robots. Evolution, atheism, and anosticism can be seen as religions since they are simply views about the universe. One can't judge a religion simply by its abuses, but by what it actually teaches and condones. According to Mt. 5 and Rom. 12, it's never right to harm others, but we should love our enemies, never avenge ourselves, give to those who ask, and return good for evil, always. According to Jn. 13:35 we know a Christian by their love for others. And as Rom. 13:10 says, love fulfils God's commandments because it doesn't harm others. In other words, why think a person who makes a habit of harming others is a Christian, if a true Christian is known by their love for others which results in not harming them? Yes, many evils have been done in the name of Christianity, that doesn't make them Christian. Many evils have not been done in the name of religion, does that mean we should abolish atheism as well? If Satan does exist, he must surely have realized the best way to discredit Christianity is to plant false Christians and false Christian churches who don't live in love for God or others, and then point to them as evidence Christianity is bad. Jesus says in Mt. 7 that many will come to Him in the last day claiming to be His, only to be told they never knew Him, but few will find the path to life. So judging by the few/many contrast, it would seem safe to assume the majority of those calling themselves Christians are liars or deceived. Russia tried before to abolish religion without success, it seems we have an inherent desire to believe in something greater than ourselves, and is one thing that makes us different from animals. All over the world, in all civilizations, this holds true, and a part of natural law is this inherent need that humanity has in general.

A>Its a way to gain power and control other people. B> People are scared to die C>People are scared of the majority surrounding them

I wish I knew....

Being brought up in a catholic family, i was blessed with most of the sacraments that the church can offer a 14 yr old child. i just started breaking away from the religion i never really believed in. the big bang does not destroy christianity, but isnt it enough to contradict the almighty god who supposedly lives above us? isnt it enough to contradict creation? why wasn't there any records of any other planets being created? all the questions and more still cloud my mind...

Because we can't abolish knowledge. And we can't kill God, and there are so many ways He reaches out to us to let us know He is GOD. But friend, religion will be abolished once and for all when the Lord sets up reign on this earth.

religion was the cause or influenced the following: The Crusades Spanish Inquisition Salem Witch Trials pretty much any middle east struggle has evolved into religion. terrorism abortion clinic bombings neo-nazi's Cathloic vs Protetestant violence in Ireland The current Iraq war (bush's ultra-xtian attitude vs muslim exterminism) trust me, the list goes on and on. the world will always have violence, but religion can instigate huge outbreaks of it. believe how you want on a personal level, but religion should be abolished, if we want to see the human race prosper, and grow. religion holds us back with archaic beliefs. and that includes atheism, they give religion creedence by not-recognizing god.

Perhaps people are waiting for God to abolish religion once and for all at Armegeddon. ( Reference Revelation 14: 6-8 ) Where world religion is symbolized by a harlot called " Babylon the Great" 6 " And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, and he had everlasting good news to declare as glad tidings to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people, 7 saying in a loud voice: "FEAR God and give him glory, because the hour of the judgment by him has arrived, and so worship the One who made the heaven and the earth and sea and fountains of waters." 8 And another, a second angel, followed, saying: "She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen, she who made all the nations drink of the wine of the anger of her fornication!"

This is going to sound stupid, but because you just can't. Bear with me! The thing is you can knock down places of worship, you can threaten believers with torture and death, you can try and prove to them with propaganda and/ or reasoning that what they believe is false. But you can't control the hearts and minds of a whole population. Sure, some clever, manipulitive propaganda will make a lot of people do what you wnat them to do and say what you want them to say, you may even brainwash some people into coming around to your philosophy. But history shows us that whatever methods are used there will always be someone who challenges it. In the era of Bloody Mary burning the Protestants, Protestants still continued to practice in secret, despite the threats- their belief was that strong and that important to them. In Communist Russia and China attempts were made to suppress religious practices- but they continued, secretly, and under constant threat. The fact is that if someone believes in a religion you cannot stop them from believing that, and in most cases, if they believe in something that much, they will be willing to accept the threat of death or torture in order to practice their beliefs.

We can abolish religion by teaching all children that there is no god heaven or hell, and that all of the things that we do not know are just unknown for now until we can know them. Teach people to cope with uncertanty and not panick or turn to some bull shit crap pot garbage..... ok now that, that is out of my system. Yeah reeducation is all i can think of to sovle that problem. We should try our best before the muslims cause a Qiyamah based on their own stupid irrational superstitions or some other crazed wacko cult does the same. Ironic, a belief in a fictional god leads to our oun demise. We suck ass.

Then you are infringing upon a person's right to believe in his/her religion; therefore, you are forcing someone to either believe (or act as if he/she does) as you do. This is inherently disrespectful of the person's autonomy.

Because humanity is not yet ready. The vast majority of people do not have the cognitive capacity to truly grasp what science has taught us about the universe and our relative significance within it. If they were to understand, we would need strong philosophical institutions in place to provide guidance and value systems for those who do not think for themselves. It would be ill-advised to attempt to abolish religion per se, as persecution is not only amoral but also tends to spawn underground movements. The simplest path would be to intensively educate successive generations in science and philosophy, allowing popular belief to progressively shift and relegate religious believers to small minorities without any real social influence.

Since God hasn't been proven nor disproven, it is useless to jump the gun and make claims. Therefore, religion, mostly text-based fairy tale taken literally, should be abolished. For example, there may or may not be life on other planets, but to make conclusions and start to preach that aliens actually do or don't exist is utterly absurd! You have no evidence to base your claims! This also goes for the supernatural. Now, I do agree with seeking the existence of a divine being, but creating prejudgement will only lead to belief rather than knowledge. As we have witnessed throughout history, subjective religious assurance has lead to much bloodshed. Humankind is still developing, so I have pity. Religion will be considered obsolete I'd say in about five hundred years once science becomes the "real" God. Until then, all you rational intellectuals sit tight and laugh at the evangelical fundamentalist bafoons. Cheers -Thinkingman85

Beleiving in lies will only lead to our demise. There are no if, ands, or buts about it. If religious stories were taken symbolically, which was its original intention, then we would prosper dramatically.

do not take religion literally!

i think southpark summed this one up real good in one of the most recent episodes

There are so many answerers here that give good answers to this good question. I am pleased to see that so many have taken a stance of not judging whether religion is right, but rather that it will continue to exist as long as people feel the need to have a 'father' figure. I personally don't agree with religion as it stands. It presently exists to provide power some some at the expense of the multitude and has little to do with trying to make people more loving and caring. In fact religion seems to be more intractable than any other human need. Religion is the major cause of war - usually through an inability to accept another's viewpoint - but it is also paradoxically the easiest way to spread peace. A single message can be sent out through the church system to reach a majority of people in an incredibly short period of time, and the message can be drummed into those people through prayer and sermon, so that they can be made into tools for peace. If all religions would (forgive my pun) sing off the same hymn sheet, then this world COULD be a better place. In fact the present politics of fear is the greatest threat to peace, and is working directly against any message the church might be trying to give. So, while you are trying to abolish religion, can you please get rid of politics at the same time so we can enjoy life.

Do we want to? Religion is one of the few things stopping a lot of people making bad choices. If we were to abolish religion all of the life lessons that were taught to us by religion about right and wrong would be lost. I'm not religious but the only thing stopping religious people from hurting over people is their fear of God and going to hell. I'm aware of zealots using religion as an excuse for terrorism but I truely believe it prevents more crime then it causes. Not only that religion can give people hope in a way that nothing else can. It can give people strength and heal people in a way I guess similar to a placebo. Finally isn't a good idea to be just a little bit religious? Just in case? I always feel it's best to keep all options open. Whats gonna happen if God does exist? you guys who want to abolish religion are gonna have red faces.

well, why can't we make everybody believe in religion? because... its everybody's right to choose what they want to believe. not that i'm saying all religions are right, as i'm a Christian and believe its the only way... but i still don't think you should try to force any one thing on every person.

When people stop being afraid of dying. Religion is not being comfortable with death.

when you study philosophy in college you will learn that laws are based on ethics, ethics are primarily guided by and based on personal beliefs, which stem out of your religious belief. without religion there are no ethics, therefore no law.

Because there are too many people prepared to act like sheep and lemmings....and who have no spine and choose not to use their brains.

Religion arose out of a need to explain the things in nature. It has been part of humanity for quite a long time and even though we've sciences, it will not change humanity's need for something to believe in. Without a deity or religion, everything feels lonely. Humanity does not like being alone, and never will.

people just want certaintly for their basis of existence, even if they have to defy what is real (science). It's a God damn shame.

OK, I'll get stung by the hornets again. Religion can not and will not ever be abolished for one very simple reason. People need it. In man's quest to understand the incomprehensible he created an emotional vehicle that would placate his psychological, intellectual and verbal limitations. As long as these exist there will always be a need for religion.

I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and then die and find out that there isn't...... than to live my life as though there is NO God, and then die and find out that THERE REALLY IS!!! saved

I am quite sure we could do without religion (mass organised religion) but not Bible teachings, they set excellent standards and if everyone lived by them the world would be a different place a better place.

Reading the answers from people who think abolishing religion would be a bad thing, or even an impossible thing given human nature, I am struck by the preponderance of terms like "feel," "think," "believe," and the like. Believing that something is true with no credible evidence--or in spite of credible evidence to the contrary--and being willing to defend that belief to the death, yours or someone else's, hardly needs to be labeled as irrational and harmful to the world. An individual's thoughts, feelings, or even convictions are merely examples of subjective truth, if there is nothing credibly factual to back them up. And yet all the world's religions seek to claim the mantle of truth, and we're not talking subjective truth, but OBJECTIVE truth--again, with no credible evidence whatsoever. To say that the majority of people today believe in some form of a god has just as much authority as when the majority of people alive believed that the earth was flat, or that illness was caused by evil spirits, etc. To wit, majorities can be astoundingly wrong--and they are especially dangerous when the rightness they claim cannot be proven objectively in any way. To those who believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God revealed to us mere mortals, I would refer you to Bart Ehrman's clearly written book "Misquoting Jesus," which explains in layman's terms how the field of textual criticism has shown that no one has any idea what the writings selected to be included in the Bible originally said. As a result, we are left with the alternative conclusions that either God didn't think the words as he originally revealed them were worth preserving, or--get ready--the words and stories were changed over time to suit the needs of the very human scribes and their sponsors. This work is also being done on the Koran, albeit with the researchers using pseudonyms because the strength of many Muslims' belief is such that suppressing unwanted intellectual inquiry through slaughter is just another day at the office--much like it was for early Christianity. I will leave this comment with the observation that I have no argument with the deists, who as I understand them believe that the universe was created by God, set up with laws to run things, and that God wants us to be good to each other. It is very difficult to grasp what could have been here before the universe came into existence, or, even closer to home, how life on earth could have spontaneously started given the complexity of the molecules and proteins required for life to begin (at least, as we understand it). Maybe the deists are right, and it did take a god to get everything started--I don't know, and as a species we haven't yet come up with a way to prove anything one way or the other. But given the fact that human history is one long chain of phenomena being pronounced unexplainable by the various churches, only to then be explained via rational, objective, methodical means, leads me to conclude that religion is harmful because it provides fanciful explanations and discourages inquiry. (I've often heard that God must have created the universe, because it had to be created somehow--but this begs the question: Then who or what created God? And who or what created the creator of God? Or, if it's OK to postulate that God has simply always existed outside of our understanding of time, then why can't the universe have always existed instead?) Neither atheists nor deists will ever be found rioting in defense of their beliefs--unlike Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc.--because those beliefs are either backed up by credible data, or they recognize that no data is yet available and therefore no conclusions can be drawn.

because religion doesn't abolish or give up on us

Who is "we"?

Beats me!

Religion will always exist. You may abolish our churches and everything we might have. But our beliefs will always remain with us. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. No one, can take that away.

Because people need it. Man has an ingrained need to be able to explain nature. And what he cannot explian through sceince he explains through religion. It may not be rational, but that's just the way things are. Man also needs to have a foundation for his moral and ethical ideals and that is provided by religion. Also not logical, but it's the best way we have found so far. And in every myth there is a kernal of truth that we must ferret out to learn. I think relgion can be a benifical part of man's existance, but only if we do not allow zealots to control our minds. And so long as we don't allow religion and faith to blind us to sceince and fact. We need to be flexable enough to know when we have an answer to something because that is "God" reveiling a mystery to us. And there is the beauty of sceince and faith working together.

A large part of one's identity comes from their religious (or even "non-religious") beliefs. To suddenly have no religion to provide some sort of structure for an egoic identity would cause a lot of fear. After all, "Who would I be if I didn't believe....?" That's a pretty scary thing for most people. With religion you don't have to do any actual investigation for yourself, you just take on faith what's being fed to you by religious leaders and scripture. Notice how religion tells you what you are: a sinner, separate from others, separate from "god", somehow never measuring up to "god's" standards and expectations unless you believe this, that, and the other thing the bible, koran, or some other religious scripture puts forth. It provides "something" to do to get in god's good graces, it promises a way out of one's problems, it promises a "heaven" and threatens a "hell" if you fail in following its precepts. It also takes away any incentive to investigate the really basic question which underpins it all: what is the nature of "me", the entity which clings to every belief? In other words, "Who am I really?" Not having to pursue the answer to that question avoids the most basic fear at the core of one's identity: the fear that maybe "I" am not who I think I am. And if "I" am not then what am I anyway? In short, religion allows one to maintain all of the illusions one has accepted in life as true without resorting to the scary prospect of investigating one's essential nature. People/egos want something to cling to, even if that something is untrue, even if that something is an illusion, because the familiar is better than the unknown, which is the result of letting go of beliefs entirely.

First, your questoin is just a statement formed like a question so you can voice your negative feelings. We can't abolish all religion because in America (you failed to specify), we are free. AND GUESS WHAT? The Supreme Court has said that a religion need not be based on a belief in the existence of a supreme being. In the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins, the Court described “secular humanism” as a religion. http://www.afa.net/CLP/ReleaseDetail.asp?id=1020 So there's another reason why. You can't even argue with that reason, can you? Nope, they'd have to ban YOUR religion. They'd have to ban everything.

Because it wouldn't work. All you would do is annoy people and push their worship 'underground' (example: Chinese Christianity). You won't stop them believing what they believe and it is possible that others will join, simply because it is banned. (example: Ancient Rome). You may also inspire religious groups to develop militant cells to fight against the government - others will join because they don't think the laws are fair or because they just enjoy violence (example: Ireland, some periods of British History). The world will become dangerous for everyone, and the very thing you were trying to stamp out will become far more extreme than it was before you passed the law. This has happened before and it will happen again if someone is stupid enough to pass such a law.

Difference in religious belief, even more so than difference in race, is a tremendous source of hate that has caused wars across the globe and the murder of billions of people. But, attempts to abolish religion only increase religious fervor, hate and war. Islam, practiced by Muslims, and Christianity, practiced by Christians, account for more than half of the worlds population. Each of these religions evolved from Judaism. Instead of abolishing religion, religion needs to continue to evolve until the faith of Abraham and Moses are once again united. Christ and Muhammad both teach that the Jewish profits Abraham and Moses preceded their work in delivering God's message to the people of the world. Christians believe that Christ was the Messiah foretold by the early Jewish profits. Jews do not consider Christ as the Messiah and remain in waiting for the first coming of the Messiah. Christians believe that Christ is the Messiah foretold by Jewish profits and now wait for the messiah's second coming. The word "Coming" must surely mean "coming" from heaven, especially since Christians believe Christ did not die. But, at the last supper, not only did Christ tell the desciples that he would go to prepare a place for them, a place where they "could not follow" but he also he said for a while you see me no longer but then after a while you see me again. And, true to his word, he was crucified, raised from the dead, returned and seen by Peter, and returned even a third time to reveal himself to Thomas. Since Christ has "come" three times already, it seems waiting for the second "coming" is futile. Muslims believe Jesus was a profit that preceded their profit Muhammad. Muhammad came to restore the faith of Abraham and Moses. Following Christ's death, only 600 years had passed before Muhammad came to restore the faith of these former Jewish profits. Fourteen hundred years have now passed since Muhammad's death. Isn't it time for another profit to restore the faith of Abraham and Moses, a profit that is clearly of the same faith as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad?

We cannot abolish religion because it will actually open the eyes of those under the yoke. They will realized that it was a design of the powerful to keep them from trying to rebel against their norms. Religion or the believe in a higher power that soon will redeem the world of the wicked and/or will take care of us when we die, keep the financially supressed poor from asking for more. It keeps the masses hoping for something better and and keeps them subdued working for the powerful.

1) because "we" (the promoters of the abolition of religion) are not everybody, even not a great majority. Most atheists would not wish everyone to be forced to be an atheist. 2) most Western democracies define freedom of religion as a fundamental right of the citizens This means that religion can eventually lose its main influence in politics, but everyone can choose their own religion (or atheism). 3) a government which would try to abolish religion would be totalitarist This has already been tried in history. To abolish religion would be a kind of "theocracy of the Atheists". It would be just as bad as any other theocracy. I think it is better to let people make their own choices. Further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theocracy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totalitarianism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism

The attempt will be made in the future, that is for sure.

I didn't know that Karl Marx was a member of AB. lol

Don't worry, God is working on this: see the article: http://www.watchtower.org/e/kn37/article_01.htm

Religion in todays society no longer serves the purpose it was intended for. Religion was established as a means to convey proper expectations for behavior that would help to keep people happy and working together. Now religion has been bastardized to the point where it is simply a tool for manipulating those who have integrated it into their life to fill a void they feel exists. This does not mean that people should not have a sense of spirituality or a belief of a higher power. If faith is what someone needs to live happy that is fine. It becomes a problem when that faith is shared by others and manipulated by a central source. Have your personal relationship with your God, love your God, worship your God, but do it by yourself. Why should I or someone you meet on the streets need to hear about how great your God is, or what he could do for me, or what he want of or will do to people. Everyone needs to back off and calm down and stop focusing on the lives of others and more on their issues. The bottom line on why we cannot abolish religion is unfortunately due to human nature and our desire to belong to a larger group. This natural desire to belong compiled with factors such as charasmatic leaders, desperate people, and unfortunate decisions will continue to perpetuate organized religion over spirituality

Catholics believe the desire for God is written in the human heart, because each person is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw each person to himself. This innate need for God would make any attmept to abolish religion a dismal failure. For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 27: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1.htm#chpt1 With love in Christ.

Why do you want to?

religion should be abolished!!!!!!!! it is one of the biggest factors to which we must give thanks to our present primal ,& primitive social status, once you get rid of it there would be more room for rational thinking & scientific development,,, & of course it would be a giantic step towards mental evolutiuon...of course we remain so primitive that we must fill bottomless gaps in our lives & believe that there is something better out there afterwards,,but we forget the most important of all facts that Hell & Heaven are right here already & that we make our own personal Hell & Heaven,,so if you are too busy wasting your precious & only existence thinking that there is a heaven than you are just another naive spirit....& for those who atribute morality to religion hahahaha wrong,,even before our presence in this world animal had a sence of caring for one another so you little imbeciles turn to nature shows,,, it is in our DNA to care for one another or else we would have not existed at all---------->>>>>>>Abolish this primitive way of thinking, & stop fearing Death,, THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS ACCEPT THIS or believe in a desney world

religion should be abolished!!!!!!!! It is one of the biggest factors to which we must give thanks to our present primal ,& primitive social status, once you get rid of it there would be more room for rational thinking & scientific development,,, & of course it would be a giantic step towards mental evolutiuon..as we remain so primitive that we must fill the empty bottomless gaps in our lives & believe that there is something better out there afterwards,,but we forget the most important of all facts that Hell & Heaven are right here already & that we make our own personal Hell & Heaven,,so if you are too busy wasting your precious time & only existence on this world thinking that there is a heaven then you are just another naive spirit....& for those who atribute morality to religion hahahaha wrong again ,,even before our presence in this world animals had a sence of caring for one another thus increasing survival odds now you little ones turn to nature shows,,, it is in our DNA to care for one another or else we would have not existed at all---------->>>>>>>Abolish this primitive way of thinking, & stop fearing Death,, THIS IS AS GOOD AS IT GETS ACCEPT THIS,, or believe in a desney world, one cannot blame those for -->doublethinking or choosing to remain ignorant for my komarades it shall always be the easiest of options to be told what to believe or that when you die everyone will be there ahahahaha sweet naive feeling.. please allow the majority to remain primitive so less know the truth thus more control for the few ,,ohh wait it already is thusly,was,is & shall be danke tout le monde!

You say that people threaten believers, torture, and even kill people of with faith... But if you look throughout history.. Its always been the people of faith doing this. Religion has done nothing for this planet other than cause the needless deaths of countless millions of people. Its strange, we look at children and smile at their blind faith in Santa, the easter bunny, tooth fairy.. But we would consider an adult that would still believe in such things as crazy or insane. So why do we discredit one figment of the imagination and not another? Atleast Santa has never forced people to obey morbid ritual sacrifices or else face an eternity of being burned alive in a torturing pit of damnation. I think that is what saddens me more than anything... That right there.. Knowing that people would rather have faith in a horrible monster that would devour his own children in a fit of rage rather that believe in something nice and kind, something that does not persecute anyone. END RELIGION!

your sick u know that!! did u ever think of the reason that were here?? to try to obey god so we can have eternal life but hey if u want to burn for eternity then thats up to!!

As long as you have humans , they need belief. sad but this is the fact ,if anyone thinks even a little no one would believe what cannot be proven .but humans are like the master, slaves !

We should abolish all religions in this world. Religion is just another phrase for "I don't believe in myself, I have to turn to Jesus, or Buddha, or Allah, or this tree, or whatever, for strength. Mankind is only so fascinated with religion because it can't be proved. It can't be proved because it is man made. We are victims of our own creation. When Mankind, as a whole, can stand together, believe in ourselves and lead ourselves into the future without hangups, fears and petty beliefs, we will truly start to exist. It's not about forcing someone with threats or torture, it's about self realization and true awakening. religious people talk to God all the time. If this is done in a Church, they are considered to be praying. If I say I spoke to God last night, I'm considered a nut and thrown in the nut house. It boils down to each society having their own "Bedtime" Stories which, through fear and prosecution, becomes legend. Everyone needs to wake up and smell the coffee. All religions are fake and in reality, mean nothing over the next. Too much grief, wars and basic bullshit are caused over this. Not to worry though, todays youth are more and more savvy and realize at an early age that these stories hold as much relevance as Peter Pan and Neverland. In time, education and logic will shine through. we are still a primitive race. It will happen.

To start, please read the following passage from the Bible book of Revelation 17:16-18:2: "'And the ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire. For God put [it] into their hearts to carry out his thought, even to carry out [their] one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished. And the woman whom you saw means the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.' After these things I saw another angel descending from heaven, with great authority; and the earth was lighted up from his glory. And he cried out with a strong voice, saying: 'She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen. . .'" So, to summarize, a "wild beast" destroys a "harlot," also identified as "Babylon the Great." Ancient Babylon was, from a Judeo-Christian point of view, a cesspool of pagan religious filth that dominated the Jewish nation from 607 to 539 B.C.E. at which point Babylon was captured by a Medo-Persian joint military action (Darius and Cyrus the Great) and the Jews, who were then God's chosen people, were set free and allowed to return to their homeland to restore pure worship. The book of Revelation was not written for more than 600 years after this occurred therefore the harlot, Babylon the Great referred to in Revelation must be symbolic. In keeping with the religious reputation of ancient Babylon, all pagan religions (according to the Bible) are personified as the aforementioned Babylon the Great. Therefore, Revelation indicates that a "wild beast" will destroy all religions except one (remember, God's chosen people lived through the attack on ancient Babylon and later returned home).

Fear.

religions are the fruit of childhood indoctrination.it has clearly to stop. religions did help when law and order was non existent , but now it is a mere tool to control the masses, governments should protect their citizens form indoctrinations.

would be nice huh?

Too many vested interests at present - how else would the politicians control the dumb masses? We could make a start by banning anyone believing in magic or hallucinations from holding any office where they were responsible for rational people. This nonsense about religion being necessary for morality is just that. Self interest made us live amicably together - just like animals do, it was only when greedy and ambitious religious folk discovered how to manipulate us that violence and other evil arose.

Those who claim that religion will exist for eternity are sadly misguided. To critics of TRUE Christianity: read the bible as it is recalling, “Not many wise in a fleshly way were called, not many powerful, not many of noble birth; but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put the strong things to shame; and God chose the ignoble things of the world and the things looked down upon, the things that are not, that he might bring to nothing the things that are, in order that no flesh might boast in the sight of God.” (1 Cor. 1:26-29). [ANSWER] The end of false religion was predicted by the apostle John - he had visions concerning the political and commercial powers of this Earth in out time. This harlot [False Religion Worldwide], whose activities have affected the lives of everyone on earth, is the one that was portrayed in vision to the apostle John. She is an international harlot and her activities and her final destiny and execution at the hand of her lovers are clearly described in the record John made of the vision. We read in the book of Revelation that John saw a woman, a harlot named Babylon the Great, riding a scarlet-colored beast. He writes: “And he says to me: ‘The waters that you saw, where the harlot is sitting, mean peoples and crowds and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire. For God put it into their hearts to carry out his thought, even to carry out their one thought by giving their kingdom to the wild beast, until the words of God will have been accomplished. And the woman whom you saw means the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.’” The scarlet-colored beast is the international peace organization now known as the United Nations. The ten horns represent the complete number of the earthly rulers that make up this organization. They are the powers that hold political control over their respective nations and peoples. The harlot is said to be sitting on many waters (Rev. 17:1), which mean peoples and crowds and nations and tongues. (Vs. 15) These have included people of all nations of the earth. Therefore, Babylon the Great is larger than a kingdom—she is an empire, a religious empire wielding religious influence and control over lives of peoples, just as she is shown sitting upon them. She has wielded so much power and influence in this way that power and influence in this way that the kings and rulers of the earth have found it advantageous to adopt a form of religion, in some places even making a Babylonish religion the state religion [Islam]. It is in this way that Babylon the Great has a “kingdom over the kings of the earth.” Babylon the Great, being made up of the world empire of multitudinous sects, is therefore greater than Christendom, and older, but includes Christendom. And what is the “one thought” that the “ten kings” have, and how does God put it into their hearts to carry it out? Well, God knows how to reserve the ungodly to the day of judgment to be punished. (2 Pet. 2:9) In letting them go to great limits in their schemes he has a purpose. He, too, has a “thought” of his own regarding the “ten kings” that involves the fate of Babylon the Great the harlot. He maneuvers them all into the position in which he wants them and causes them to be exposed and to show their true colors before they are destroyed. Absolute mind control that culminates in the destruction of religion as we know it. Does this answer your questions, I tried my best to take nothing out of context.

Nothing I'd want more!

First we should ban: -traffic lights. -road signs. -all law enforcement establishments. At this time (chaos) we will be ready to ban religion. My 2 cents.

religion is not based on love and peace. it is based on the power over and control of the masses through the use of fear. look around you, where is god in this world? this world that is simply tearing itself apart more and more each day. why won't god help since a lot of the fighting has to deal with him anyway? because he is not there and he is not there because he is a figment of your imagination. religion separates people and creates tension out of fear of being punished for all eternity by some supreme cosmic being. it sounds like something out of a comic book. this is ridiculous. and this constant fighting about who is right and wrong about god serves no point because no one knows who is right or what comes after death and no one has ever spoken to god. the voice they hear and proclaim to be god is just their conscience. we all have one. but we can't just blame religion for the misguided evils in this world, society as a whole is to blame. we live in a world whose very basic principles of economics (money, wealth, power, and goods) promote nothing but unfairness and inequality among the people. the system is designed for disproportion and to make sure those in power stay in power.

religion is not based on love and peace. it is based on the power over and control of the masses through the use of fear. look around you, where is god in this world? this world that is simply tearing itself apart more and more each day. why won't god help since a lot of the fighting has to deal with him anyway? because he is not there and he is not there because he is a figment of your imagination. religion separates people and creates tension out of fear of being punished for all eternity by some supreme cosmic being. it sounds like something out of a comic book. this is ridiculous. and this constant fighting about who is right and wrong about god serves no point because no one knows who is right or what comes after death and no one has ever spoken to god. the voice they hear and proclaim to be god is just their conscience. we all have one. but we can't just blame religion for the misguided evils in this world, society as a whole is to blame. we live in a world whose very basic principles of economics (money, wealth, power, and goods) promote nothing but unfairness and inequality among the people. the system is designed for disproportion and to make sure those in power stay in power.