To me religion can be anything that one practices within the confines of a certain place and time, but outside that space and time one’s behaviour reverts back to the true way that that person wishes to behave. that is religion.

A true christian is not just christian for an hour or two on sunday, or once a year on christmas. A real christmas lives that lifestyle every waking moment of their life. It is, in short, their culture. Do you have to work hard to try and act American? I think not. So similarly, real christians are recognized not by what they say out of their mouths, but by their very actions. i.e. I’m puerto rican, but i was not raised as such, one would think me as being white american if they spoke with me over the phone, but once seeing me they see that i am of hispanic origins.
Being a christian is a culture, that culture dictates that one love their neighbor, love their enemies, not lie, not steal, not cheat on spouses, feed and or help the poor. help the sick. A christian does these things without any exertion. By no exertion, i mean that a real christian isn’t trying to be something that he/she is not to do these things, they just do it with ease. The same way americans eat mcdonalds, go to the movies, buy big cars, watch mtv etc.

But if this lifestyle is so evil, to you then by all means, do the opposite if it pleases you. All those people who claimed to be christians and practiced abhorrent actions against their fellow man cannot be called a real christian….For you, that would be like President bush accurately representing you as an american.

PLAYBOY: Has no religion, in your estimation, ever offered anything of constructive value to human life?

RAND: Qua religion, no—in the sense of blind belief, belief unsupported by, or contrary to, the facts of reality and the conclusions of reason. Faith, as such, is extremely detrimental to human life: it is the negation of reason. But you must remember that religion is an early form of philosophy, that the first attempts to explain the universe, to give a coherent frame of reference to man’s life and a code of moral values, were made by religion, before men graduated or developed enough to have philosophy. And, as philosophies, some religions have very valuable moral points. They may have a good influence or proper principles to inculcate, but in a very contradictory context and, on a very—how should I say it?—dangerous or malevolent base: on the ground of faith.

“Playboy’s Interview with Ayn Rand,” March 1964.
Christ, in terms of the Christian philosophy, is the human ideal. He personifies that which men should strive to emulate. Yet, according to the Christian mythology, he died on the cross not for his own sins but for the sins of the nonideal people. In other words, a man of perfect virtue was sacrificed for men who are vicious and who are expected or supposed to accept that sacrifice. If I were a Christian, nothing could make me more indignant than that: the notion of sacrificing the ideal to the nonideal, or virtue to vice. And it is in the name of that symbol that men are asked to sacrifice themselves for their inferiors. That is precisely how the symbolism is used.

“Playboy’s Interview with Ayn Rand,” March 1964

Religions are dominant cultures juts as science and technology are dominant cultures.

When religious radicals who are trying to get WMD are saying. “Convert or Die”, something must be done before they possible end life on this planet. Religion has always been allowed to get away with murder, and I mean it in more ways than one.

art, music, poetry, and philosophy the types of these that emerged were influenced by religion they didnt exist because of it. nothing necessary is evil. weve been ready for a long time

Not all religions are evil, only those that encourage blind faith, ignorance and wars are evil.

Which religion are you taliking about ?

I could only wish!!!! Religion is as firmly based in all of society as the sun in predisposed to rise in the East and set in the West. Yes, contributions to society have evolved through the curtain of a “eternity broker” on earth for us citizens of the world, be it a Jew, Catholic, Muslim, or what ever other sect that “there God” has choose to smile down upon us.

How could anything that preys on the weak and the weak minded.. gives false hope to the gullible… takes all and gives nothing in return but false promises… have NOT been necessary for it’s contributions…. Religion was absolutely necessary to do with it has done.

Religion isn’t necessary for evil to occur; only humans are required.

Similarly, religion is not required for the arts to occur, atheists made/make art too.

It just goes to prove that religion in and of itself isnt responsible for evil directly… any more than government is. Its there to do good, and is good. But the people… specifically people… are the corruptible ones

Anti-theistic bigots like to use an account of history to emotionally degrade religion. The truth is, there are corrupted members in any office held in any sort of governmental body. Thats human nature, not religious nature.

I hope no one casts religion aside… because it isnt wrong for being there… it isnt wrong for what it teaches, and who is to say whether or not it isnt true in a literal sense. Being spiritual and morally guided is a good thing… actively seeking spiritual truth is admirable, whatever it may may be.

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Your header question is written not as a question but as an unverified presupposition. I think youre being a troll just trying to **** people off, because this isnt the first anti-theistic bigoted question youve asked.

If that is true, I am willing to bet that Garrison will be selected best answer by you… because of his blind bitter hatred toward anything that resembles religion. He is supporting your prejudice with the most emotional heat.

Garrison… if you can convince anyone with reasoning like yours then you are convincing the narrow minded. And atheists who use that sort of reasoning skills are the narrow minded ones. But if you actually did have a rational bone in your body, you would recognize that and wouldnt stoop so low.