There is nothing more powerful than a strong belief, it is what pushes a zealot, and it is what brings people together. Religion is the core of civilization, but is it still needed in today's society? In the past it has been used to placate people during hardships, to make them realize that no matter how bad things are now, there will come a time of peace. It doesn't matter if life is tough and there is no reason to fear death, because in the end all righteous people will reach a better place. There are no highs nor lows, tremendous victories, or crushing defeats, they are all gods" will and you are no more than a pawn in a cosmic game of chess between good and evil. This is why religion is not as widespread and zealously followed in a place like the United States as it is in most third world countries. Citizens of the United States are living the good life, we are rewarded for the work we do, we don't have widespread poverty and starvation there is a sense of security v!.
irtually all the time. People in third world countries don't have the luxuries of a nice house, or warm meal like we do, and in many of those countries violence is a daily occurrence. Gunfire and bombings do irreparable damage to the human psyche, these people need something to cling to, and when death is everywhere it is something you worry about on a daily basis.
"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?" - John Adams, letter to F.A. Van der Kamp, Dec. 27, 1816.
The danger of religion lies in belief and how it affects desperate and evil people. Being raised in a shack, sleeping on a dirt floor, eating spoiled food, and the interminable presence of death are the fuel for the fire. In the United States we worry about television desensitizing people to violence, well television has nothing on real life.
