it's true religions help comfort people, which i find unfortunate, because real comfort is more effective than false comfort.

But we could never have been without religion, at least that is what the history of humanity would suggest.

Religion, to people with a very sketchy understanding of their environment and lacking the communications and broad social cohesion to develop that understanding, played a rather important role in that it purported to provide reassurance of a sort - if not that it held all the answers (though it often claimed to) then at least in that it recognised the questions. Mixed into that were rudimentary codes which we would now associate with secular law and constitutional ethics, and which addressed the more mundane but vital regulations basic societies required to function optimally. It served, in the absence of any properly developed form of consensus, as a validator for society's requirement to self-regulate. It therefore provided as part of the package not only the moral, ethical and behavioural codes but the "authority" to back up their implementation.

It was, to put it simply, a rudimentary form of politics, and the history of the human race in recent centuries has seen it shift only slightly from this role. In an organisational sense it tends nowadays to co-exist with political structure but has an equal tendency to attempt to control that structure when at all possible.

Today it is an anachronism. Its role as validator is no longer required where true consensual political structures exist, and ease of communication of ideas and dialogue has destroyed its other function, that of a repository for what society knew, presumed or invented as a means of comprehending life and the environment that sustains it.

But it doesn't take much examination to see that societies, even so-called "developed" societies, still retain a sufficient percentage of individuals who, for various reasons, are excluded from either or both of the mechanisms that should long ago have rendered religion completely meaningless - political decision making and the pursuit of knowledge. In some societies, such as many islamic countries, religion still in fact plays a central role in the running of people's lives and actively blocks - or more crucially, subverts - access to both these processes. In "western" societies the effect is more subtle but almost equally effective as religion - at least in its more fundamentalist format - encourages people to block themselves from the processes. Essentially therefore its methodology is the same the world over - it insinuates itself between the individual and the means that individual should have at his or her disposal to dispel it by attempting (often successfully) to control the educational system and values that pertain, and to inordinately and negatively influence the individual's ability to think rationally and freely, two essential requirements for consensual politics to function effectively.

So the answer unfortunately is yes, religion does serve a purpose today. Its purpose is largely a self-preservational one and involves hoodwinking a sufficient mass of people into accepting its outdated and inferior assessment of what is real. In that way it not only survives but retains enough political clout to assert its fallacies as equal or superior to scientifically deduced fact, and its role as moral arbitrator as equal or superior to that arrived at consensually by society itself. It champions ignorance on behalf of the ignorant and works hard at ensuring such levels of ignorance exist as to guarantee it can continue doing so.

On a cheerier note, history also suggests that the need for religion diminishes drastically when high levels of education and political representation can be maintained. It thrives on political instability (and just about anything else that induces fear in populations) but, like the smokescreen that it is, disappears rather quickly once a society manages to eliminate the threat to its secular and educational development. If someone is seriously concerned with removing superstition posing as moral authority from within the political sphere then the first line of attack has to be the promotion of education, and the second the extrication of non-consensual influences from politics.

God and Religion don't mix  ..... try science, the study of god. Religion is just dogma .... and only useful as "seeing" so ....

   So say some more you dogmists idol worshipers .... so that I may make mockery of you ..... , me god     

 To this day religion still holds value and relevancy because the masses understanding of our world and indeed the universe is both limited and purposefully ignored. This is not to the liking of those of us who envision a society based upon rationality, reason and science but it doesn't change the facts of the current situation nor does it help the atheist cause when atheists themselves believe the battle is already mostly won. It isn't.

I would venture to say that we might never have 'been' without religion. Faith in a god has been like little temporary cabinet screws, holding society together until such time as the wood glue dries. Certainly some of the glue has dried but in many parts of our world people are either waiting for the drying process,  have the glue but aren't using it or are afraid to use it.

History does paint religion in the role of running day to day activities for people who otherwise would feel lost and to a great degree, it still does in our time.

Yet, neither political decision making nor the pursuit of knowledge will obliterate the force of faith because the belief system(s) all involve something many, if not most humans, desperately desire even when confronted by reason, facts and knowledge.... that of course is the promise of eternal life.

Those of us who are grounded in science and logic, I'm afraid, are often to quick to dismiss this as a validator yet the promise persists. It's a fact that church attendance numbers are dwindling but the fundies and fanaticals in free societies are able to make new inroads in the most unlikely places.

I think there will come a day when religion will essentially find itself eliminated. And while education must be the key, preventing the avenues of brainwashing, at least in terms of a joyous eternity, must be stopped somehow. I'm not certain education alone can do this. Additionally, the memes themselves must be vanquished from carriers who will find quiet rocks to hide under and spread the "good news".... the news of salvation and eternity.

None of this will make for a simple battle or battle plan. With the exponential growth of technology and incredible advances in communication, perhaps it is easier for we atheists to believe the end of faith is closer than it actually is.  There is indeed much work to be done.

I think religion is awesome and there needs to be more of it. Praise the Lord!

You're such a shitty liar. Unless you were talking about some form of weed called "Religion". I'm pretty sure I've had that weed, and it's AWESOME.

I believe Richard Dawkins opinion which makes a sort of sense is religion is a by product of other behavior that is useful but  religion itself  not useful in itself.

One possability tgat He suggests is  'obeying your parents' in most cases when you are a child is a useful evoluntairy trait which will generally keep you alive while you are very vulnerable however as a child you can't differentiate between don't go swim in the lake with the crocodile and sacrifice a goat each 4 th friday to ensure it rains for the coming harvest.

Wow.  Just, wow.  I never thought I'd see the day where Luminon DIDN'T believe in something.

Thus far, religion has been one big stumbling block in the progress of humanity. Theism in general came about by cave men coming up with silly answers to questions they didn't know the answer to. Sense then, religious ideals have steered us away from thinking reasonably under pain of wrath from an unseen super power.

Religious institutions did not invent morality, community, love, compassion etc. All of these things were alive and well before we convinced ourselves that they weren't.

True. Pointing a sharp stick in the face of someones child is also a good motivator. We should be mindful about complimenting an idea set whos claim to fame is being the single biggest retardant to common sense ever concieved.

marcusfish

     The West meeting the East !

The late Alan Watts had some words about that !  He's popular on the internet and in Youtube .... I like that guy .... a cool teacher communicator ....