Straight to the point, I once heard an argument that religion was a disease. and some of the points were definitely interesting ones. A quick summary and a few of my own points supporting the argument -

Religion is where we believe that these imaginary characters from a book exist. Firstly, if we compare that to any other book we would be thrown into an asylum before we could curse out the words "Jesus Christ!" An example is, if I believed Dumbledore, Aragorn or Luke Skywalker existed then instantly you would assume I was insane. Seeing that Dumbledore is already dead and fictional, I guess that would make me twice more insane for thinking that a dead man is alive and that a fictional man is real.

Another interesting point is that religion just like any disease spreads. If one man catches it then a lot of them will catch it as well, some will remain immune however. An example is basically cults, why is it those groups are considered less credible then the bigger, larger ones? Wouldn't it be more real to praise a coke bottle that you know for sure exists, that is indeed in front of your eyes, as opposed to a man we can only assume exists?

Thirdly, it mutates. Religion has been around forever, mutating into other religions to continue it's survival. No matter the religion, they are more then certainly based off another. Even the ones that remain the same are edited and changed through history.

So, what's everyone's stand on this point of view? Could religion be considered a disease?

No, because this is just an angry rant on your dislike of religion. You don't even consider that not all religions praise imaginary people from books.

And if it's a disease, it's one I'm glad I've got, and I'm going to spread it to as many people as possible.

It's not a topic that's simply against religion, that wouldn't make it much of a topic. It's more of a debate whether it could be compared to a disease or not. I am just curious to hear your argument against or with the statements. I my self am not a close minded individual who dislikes religion, in fact, I am intrigued by the Islam and Buddhist religion. (Islam simply because I'd prefer to know the second biggest religion then the biggest one.)

No, religion is not a disease. First off, it teaches good things. Without religion, there would be more crime and bad people. Also, religion is based off true stories, or at least what the people that wrote them claim is true. Whereas an fiction writer doesn't claim what they write is real, the scriptures claim to be.

It can be compared to a disease; you just did it. Whether or not that is a good analogy is mere opinion. I don't see this being SD worthy, there isn't any real substance to debate. Religion is merely a believe system.

In my experience, people claiming to be open-minded are most often simply close-mindededly nontraditional.

Citation needed for all of this.

I my self do not believe without religion there would be more crime. In fact, we can thank religion for terrorists. Religious beliefs can and may also be a factor for numerous murders. As for the teaches good things, that depends all on what you believe is personally good. Yes, some of the beliefs are indeed good, but we cannot say they're all pure gold. I my self find
the bible isn't perfect, and that proves it is made by man. All in all I would assume the bible is "A double edged sword"


I am indeed non traditional, but I would not assume I'm close minded seeing I have a fairly diverse group of friends

This is what you heard about - http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Dawkins/viruses-of-the-mind.html

Your poorly constructed rant is a disgrace to real atheists.

The only problem is it's -Not a Rant- Just because it's something that goes against your beliefs doesn't mean it's a rant, nor does it mean it's false. I just want to hear people support or speak against the statements. If you read the top I state it was from someone else I heard, I was merely summarizing their statements, their argument which was "Religion is a disease"

If it was a rant then it would have no place for anyone else opinion, and it would have far more depth then just three statements. and seeing that numerous people are offended without any profanity I'd say this topic actually does have a place here, it's controversial.

My overall view on religion -

It definitely is comparable to a disease, but anything humans do in general is. Our fads and trends, but stating them would've strayed away from the topic at hand. In the end, it's had an impact on us. Whether our prophets, our beliefs are real they have. - For the better or worse -


and I'm afraid not CAFG. That is not where I got it. Perhaps it is poorly constructed, but if it is, why can't you say anything to prove it wrong? Or perhaps have an argument to support your argument.

The construction you have decided to employ in bringing this topic to Serious Discussion is nothing less than a personal affront to all believers of religion. Serious Discussion is not a place for your personal issues. If you truly wish to bring this topic to Serious Discussion, I suggest you consult the works of Frederick Nietzsche. He shares your views, but presents a much better case than you.