but it also instills people with moral values

think about it

communist societies have been atheist

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MISTER PERFECT IS MY -NEW- BEST FRIEND

It's not the religion that decides benefit or hindrance to society.  It's how the religion is practiced by its followers

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Around and around and around we spin,
With feet of lead and wings of tin

BAD.

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now some things have got to change;
because nobody knows my name.
www.myspace.com/cheeelseamorgan

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Neutral.

It's not the religion that decides benefit or hindrance to society. It's how the religion is practiced by its followers

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I like this.

Its really entirely based on how it is interpreted.
Religion in itself is not bad.

People are.

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The world is only as sweet as you make it and only as terrible as you see it

Religion is a personal thing - no one should go around preaching it. It's all about what it does for you as a person. Telling someone else they are wrong cause they believe something different is like going into someones house and changing everything in it cause you don't like their style.

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Stickam
Myspace DeviantART

If you look at the basic points of most religions, it usually says something on the lines of "love other people" or "treat other people with respect". The problem people have is not with religion but its followers. They don't understand that, just as atheists are, they aren't perfect, and that wars will break out in the name of whatever....whether a religion is present or not.

Plenty of places will say how much their local church has helped their community. My church do a lot for the community, plenty of non christians have said how much it benefits out community even just for being helpful and kind.

but your right, religious conflict has been very destrustive for society in the past.

It's too hard to say.

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...You can't swim in a town this shallow
you will most assuredly drown tomorrow...

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The common religions distract people from reality and instill false moral values. Most of them involve some sort of faith which is just about the greatest destructive force of humankind. The truly disgusting religions separate humankind from nature. This is the most destructive idea humankind has created.

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But thats not the religions fault, it is the people who don't accept OTHER PEOPLES religions

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*Needs to make some clever witty phrase*

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The common religions distract people from reality and instill false moral values. Most of them involve some sort of faith which is just about the greatest destructive force of humankind. The truly disgusting religions separate humankind from nature. This is the most destructive idea humankind has created.

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"false moral values"

I'm curious as to what you think those are.

Last time I checked "love your neighbor as yourself" and "Don't kill other people" were pretty good morals.

"Most of them involve some sort of faith which is just about the greatest destructive force of humankind."

Why?

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The world is only as sweet as you make it and only as terrible as you see it