Should religion be banned?

My parents were Christian missionaries. I spent the first seven years of my life in Zimbabwe where I grew up among people who sacrificed easy comfortable lives in their home country in order to help the poor in Africa: doctors, nurses, teachers and ministers who dedicated their lives to building hospitals and schools and supplying medical help and education to the people of Zimbabwe. You can imagine how it annoys me when I see questions posted by people in this forum pointing fingers to Christianity as the source of all evil and pleading for religion to be banned. To me they seem to believe a lie. That is why I did a search on the internet to find some proof of what Christians are doing worldwide. I found this and saved it on my laptop, but I know for certain that it is only the tip of an iceberg:

1. Last year alone, CBN Partners:
飩?provided medical treatment to over 785,000 people;
飩?drilled clean, fresh water wells and cisterns for over 425,000 thirsty people;
飩?ended the suffering of over 625 children through cleft palate surgery;
飩?provided hundreds of thousands of meals;
飩?paid the school tuition and gave supplies to thousands of young students.

2. Emmanuel Activity Centre (EAC)
COH runs a day activity centre called Emmanuel Activity Centre (EAC), serving people who have:
Down鈥檚 syndrome
Intellectual disabilities
Autism spectrum disorder
Cerebral palsy
Multiple disabilities

3. We operate across the spectrum of violent conflict: from displacement to repatriation, from rehabilitation to the re-development of conflict-damaged communities. CORD鈥檚 key sectors are education and livelihoods. Our work also addresses cross-cutting issues: child protection, gender violence, trauma, HIV/AIDS, environmental issues and forgiveness and reconciliation.


And if you feel you could help instead of criticizing other people, here鈥檚 a useful website:
http://www.tearfund.org/

Now tell me: Do you honestly believe that religion should be banned?

My intention wasn't to discuss the pro's and cons of missionary work, but to point out how unfair people's comments about religion are. However, Sharmel has brought up a valid point. I agree that there is the danger of Christians coming across as arrogant when they try to convert people from other religions. On the other hand, a lot of missionaries don't force their faith onto people but simply offer their services and invite people to church. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with that. The missionaries who worked with my parents were humble, loving, non-judgmental people who were there to serve. They were greatly loved and respected by the Wakaranga, the group they befriended: people who were previously severely suppressed by another tribe in Zimababwe.

No, I don't think so. Additionally, Catholic Charities is the #1 contributor and source of assistance for the poor and needy in the United States.

Banned....no...

Kept within the privacy of your own home and your church, and kept out of politics and the public school system....

YES!!!

What would they do then?

No it shouldn't be banned.

Not because of the many good works some religious groups are involved in, or your personal testimony, but because people should have a right to explore their spirituality, and band together with others as they see fit.

The list of good works is impressive, but the death toll inflicted by Christianity is pretty impressive too. The pope condemning the use of condoms alone is directly responsible for millions if AIDs related deaths in Africa and elsewhere.

Religious wars including the crusades to the present conflict in Iraq (which whilst not explicitly religious has been described by Bush as a crusade and is supported by the religious right) and is responsible for 700,000 premature deaths over its duration...

And you do not have to be religious to do good work in the world, and a great deal of money that supports religious organizations doing good works comes from non religious people.

While I think this question is blatant propaganda, I do agree that religion should not be banned.

It's easy to allow speech that everybody is content with. Whether you allow speech that annoys many people to no end - that's the true test of a Democratic society.

However, just as the religious do have a right to practice as they please, the non-religious do have a right to not be aggravated by the religious. To the religious: Please keep this in mind when you're proselytizing. If they say they're not interested, take the hint.

I believe in the Constitution. I've never suggested banning religion. I just wish people would abandon religion on their own.

By the way, missionaries are spreading the disease of religion, and that's offsets any good they may have done.

Well said. But there are many with perverse attitudes who will simply put down what you say by questioning motivation and suggesting self satisfaction etc. This will never end. They know God exists and hate him. This battle is intractable and never ending.

Define Religon ? James says "That the only pure and undefiled Religon , is the ministry to widows and orphans." Religon is man made. Relation is Christ centered. Ban religon along with ignorance.

Only those who want the world to go to hell along with them want religion to be banned

Many folks do a lot of good work. Sadly, many people fail to recognize that.

Yup....in a way. Ourganized religion anyway. Pagans and such are just fine, they don't try to attack/brainwash/condemn anyone. Same with Buddhism.

But I do believe all abrahamic religions should be banned from being taught to children. Children should never be indoctrinated but left to choose what they want.

be banned from mind?
Service to humanity or Christianity? Service only because being a christian?
Missionary is a misunderstood term, which is taken to denote mission to convert;
any way May God bless you.

if ya wanna go hell fine by me

i aint gonna stop ya

youve already packed ur bags

I'm an atheist, and I would not like to see religion banned. I'd like to see it end, sure, but not like that. You can't force people to believe, and you can't force them not to. I just hope that humanity will simply grow out of it. I think it's starting to happen already, but it will be a slow process.

Of course not. People must be free to think and believe as they feel the must. Therein, in fact, lies the one major problem that I have always had with missionaries - that their TRUE mission is to convert others to their own belief system. If a person wants to go out into other parts of the world and serve the interests of the less fortunate, let him do what he is able to in that regard, and quit trying to attach "religious strings" to those activities. Missionaries have been notorious, as long as they've been around, for using the trust and gratitude of the people they targeted for their "do-gooding", as a tool to simultaneously manipulate their minds and begin the work of their true mission, which was to co-erce them into abandoning their own cultures and beliefs and embrace, instead, the beliefs of the missionaries themselves.

I will not belittle the genuine good that has been done by missionaries, utilizing generous donations from the public, in support of those activities. But I have actually spoken with a couple of missionaries I got to know at one time, and they made no secret of the fact that they considered it their overriding objective - to make converts. This is what I find objectionable and arrogant and outrageous.

Help the less fortunate by all means, and educate them where they need it, into ways that will lead to their own better ability to fend for themselves, be healthier, and have a better quality of life. But leave the other aspects of their life the heck alone.

I first read your question & asked myself why anyone would ask such a thing? As I began to read further, I began to understand why you asked the question about religion being banned. I know from watching tv documentaries, that missionaries do a lot of good for the people throughout the world, often putting their own lives in peril, as well as their family's lives. I applaud your parents for what they have done, as well as the other missionaries. Of course religion should never be banned & you'll just have to excuse the ignorance of others who say it should. Have a great day! :)