I'm not religous, but religion isn't used as a tool, but an excuse. Without religion, people would just find another excuse. And FYI, almost all of the greatest scientists in history have been religous and religion hasn't stopped them: eg. Newton, Einstein, Keplar, Galileo. The list goes on. You bash people for blindly following religion, but do you understand any of the arguments for evolution or the big bang?

[quote]"If something is in me," Einstein wrote, "which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."[/quote] [url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/einstein-god-letter-auction-article-1.1176971]Source[/url] And I do understand the arguments for evolution and for the Big Bang. Do you?

I had a feeling you'de say that, and yes, I do. Never mind. My point is that religion is used as an excuse, not the reason. The holocaust used science as an excuse, claiming the superiority of the Aryan race. To me this shows that having no religion would not stop the atrocities, but they would merely be committed under a different excuse.

The holocaust did not use science, it used lies. And yes, war would exist in a world without religion but I think it would be a lot less common.

You don't know much about the renaissance era then.

You're talking about the likes of Galileo in conflict with the catholic church? He was still religious, he simply didn't share the same beliefs as the catholic church. In fact, blame Aristotle for that. And Plato. It was their world theory the church accepted and it was them who denied the need for experiments.

The holocaust physically happened, hell we still have survivors alive from it. I don't see any 24billion year olds saying "I remember the time I saw a lizard with wings!" I already know I'm gonna get flamed for that sentence since humans come last on the evolutionary chart or whatever it's called. Also, I'd just like to say there have been [b]TONS[/b] of contributions to science from religious people. Gregor Mendel- Worked with heredity Watson and Crick- Found the shape of DNA I can go on if you'd like. Point is your argument smells of bullshit.

[quote]The holocaust physically happened, hell we still have survivors alive from it. I don't see any 24billion year olds saying "I remember the time I saw a lizard with wings!"[/quote] [b]1:[/b] The Earth is about 4.54 billion years. The universe is about 13.75 billion years. So please tell me how the Earth would be older than the thing it's located in? That's like you being older than your birth parents. [b]2:[/b] 3.8 billion years ago, the very first life form came into existence; 225 million years ago, dinosaurs came on the scene; and man took his first steps in Africa 200,000 years ago. [b]3:[/b] Dinosaurs are reptiles and archosaur, not lizards. [b]4:[/b] Even if the Earth is older than that and there were humans back then. How the -blam!- are they going to be saying that? They would be dead by now you derp. The Holocaust started and was around until 1942-1945 so at the end that was about 68 years ago. Of course we still have survivors of it because they are still alive today. Unlike the humans from that bullshit statement you made. [b]5:[/b] If you're going to make a statement like this don't make yourself look like such a derp. You went full retard, man. Never go full retard.

[quote]It does A LOT more bad than good.[/quote] Agreed: -The Holy Crusades. -The Spanish Inquisition. -All those which hunts. -The Salem Witchcraft Trials. -Look how smart the Ancient Greeks were. For example they knew the Earth was a sphere and it revolved the sun. They were also doing minor surgeries. But guess what happened to all that knowledge they had? Christianity happened and we lost all that knowledge to ignorance. They thought the Earth was flat and everything revolves it and we went from minor surgeries to bleeding people and their fake medicine. Hell when The Black Death was going on what did those idiots do? They were whipping themselves. -Also let's not forget those religions that don't believe in blood transfusions or surgeries and they think the Earth is about 6,000 years old. One of them that believes in the Earth being that old is the topic of the thread.

[quote] -The Holy Crusades. -The Spanish Inquisition. -All those which hunts.[/quote] Christianity didn't do that; Christians did. If an atheist robs a bank, did atheism rob the bank? [quote]-Look how smart the Ancient Greeks were. For example they knew the Earth was a sphere and it revolved the sun. They were also doing minor surgeries. But guess what happened to all that knowledge they had? Christianity happened and we lost all that knowledge to ignorance. They thought the Earth was flat and everything revolves it and we went from minor surgeries to bleeding people and their fake medicine. Hell when The Black Death was going on what did those idiots do? They were whipping themselves. [/quote]You seem to have a very poor grasp of history. When the 'Dark Ages' came about, Christianity was literally the only thing in Europe that preserved and spread knowledge. Religious leaders at the time were the most educated people on the continent, and monks worked their entire lives to preserve and copy the literature that had been saved from the sacking of Rome. [quote]Also let's not forget those religions that don't believe in blood transfusions or surgeries and they think the Earth is about 6,000 years old. One of them that believes in the Earth being that old is the topic of the thread.[/quote] Which religions don't believe in blood transfusions? Mainstream Protestantism and Catholocism sure don't ban blood transfusions or medical procedures, nor do they think the Earth is literally 6,000 years old. Again, the Bible isn't a textbook.

[quote]Christianity didn't do that; Christians did. If an atheist robs a bank, did atheism rob the bank?[/quote] But aren't all 3 of them killing/torturing in the name of region and some killed/tortured because people didn't convert over to their religion? True the religion didn't cause those people to die, but it's the faith of that religion that did. "If I kill these infidels I'm guaranteed a spot in Heaven." So in a way the religion is the cause of it. Last time I checked I haven't heard of any atheist robing a bank or killing people in the name of atheism. [quote] Christianity was literally the only thing in Europe that preserved and spread knowledge.[/quote] [url=http://www.planetherbs.com/history/the-role-of-islamic-scholarship-in-preserving-and-developing-western-medicine-during-the-medieval-period-the-roots-of-planetary-herbology.html]Nope. It was the Islamic's that did.[/url] [quote]Which religions don't believe in blood transfusions?[/quote] Jehovah's Witnesses. [quote] Nor do they think the Earth is literally 6,000 years old. Again, the Bible isn't a textbook.[/quote] But yet you still have people that believe it is.

-The crusaders were largely fighting for land. You could point your finger at any 'religious' war in the past, but ultimately every single conflict comes down to 3 things: land, money, and people. -Muslims did indeed preserve knowledge in the Middle East. In Europe, Catholicism was the only organization working to preserve literature, innovate in the field of medicine, and educate citizens. -Jehova's Witnesses are not Christian.

[quote]In Europe, Catholicism was the only organization working to preserve literature, innovate in the field of medicine, and educate citizens.[/quote] [quote][i]In the approximately 1,000 years after the fall of Rome '“ better known as the Middle or Dark Ages of European history '“ learning became virtually extinct throughout Europe. Without the centralized governing body, security and international network once provided by the Roman Empire, lay intellectual discourse in Europe withered, and learning became an activity reserved mainly for cloistered monks who had little interaction with the world at large.[/i][/quote] [quote][i]Unlike their early Christian counterparts who persecuted people of other faiths and nations, such an exchange was one the Muslim world fostered and encouraged. One of the main philosophical differences between Christians and most other peoples of the ancient world centered around the role of the sciences -- especially medical science -- as part of health care. Christian philosophy has always been slanted toward a mind-body split while Eastern philosophies, including Muslim beliefs, are inclined toward a more unified view. A fundamental tenet of Christianity from its inception after the death of Christ was a belief in his imminent second coming. Because of this, gathering knowledge of physical healing was of little concern. As the Church became more powerful, physical healing became entrusted to clergy; it was preferred that healing be credited to saints, miracles and prayer rather than to the aid of medicine at human hands. Muslims, on the other hand, regarded science and civilization as God-given gifts and sought to develop those gifts by integrating and expounding upon the knowledge of both East and West. They contributed many insights and contributions of their own to the developing canon of medical knowledge while acknowledging their inheritance from other civilizations. Deliberate or not, one of the reasons the history of Western medicine and Western herbal medicine overlooks or understates the contribution of Arabic medicine made during the Middle Ages is a deep-seated prejudice against Arabs and Jews as being non-Christians. This can be summed up with the following quote by Sir John Bagot Glubb, British lieutenant general and commander of the Arab Legion who served in the Middle East from 1920-1956.[/i][/quote] [quote]Jehova's Witnesses are not Christian.[/quote] No shit. Where the hell did I say they are? You asked me what religions don't believe in blood transfusions and I posted one.