What has caused more harm Religion or Science?

[QUOTE="raynimrod"]

[QUOTE="illegalimigrant"]

Ok add to the count all the deaths that have been caused by any weapon created for death. I think that counts as science. Who will have more deaths?

illegalimigrant

[QUOTE="FlyingArmbar"]

Technically, science. The sword, the crossbow, the catapult, gun powder, fighter air craft, tanks, nuclear weaponry, etc, etc.
But on the same note, you could also say that it has saved FAR more life through medicine, and medical practice.

Science has also made our lives far more easy and enjoyable (the printing press, harnessable electricty, lamps, water treatment, cars, airplanes, the internet, MP3 players, movies, etc, etc).

But if your question is, what has more harm been caused in the name of, then the answer would be religion.

illegalimigrant

The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima likely prevented the loss of more lives than it claimed. That's not to say that it wasn't horrific, there are people still suffering from the radiation to this day.

But I didn't claim that no harm had ever been caused in the name of science. My claim was that more harm has been caused in the name of religion, but that ultimately weapons created through scientific means are most often used to kill or harm people.

People. Religion and science are just tools for their 'harm'.

[QUOTE="illegalimigrant"]

[QUOTE="raynimrod"]

So wait, you're therefore suggesting that for religion to be the cause of harm, it would have to be the idea and the belief alone that inflicted the harm? Nothing actually physical because something physical would have derrived from science??? LOL

The cause of someone's harm, and the means of someone's harm are completely different. Your argument is hilarious!

Science is a means for harm, not a cause :|

If people were killing over the idea of cloning, then science would be the cause... you really need to re-think your argument.

raynimrod

Religion.

It's not science nor religion which kills people and causes wars. First it all starts with people but capitalism, conservative politics, human greed and too much materialism and of course the atomistic division of our society which are at least partly caused by the division of labor are the true sources of evil in my opinion.

Religion is also not a word I like to to describe the bible, creationism, spirituality and theism. I don't like this word because religion the way I see it and as Dr. Grady S. McMurtry also points out religion is a system of beliefs or practices people desperately cling on to even if it's wrong and there is no evidence or there is evidence to the contrary. But the bible, spirituality and creationism all indeed have a lot of evidence. Maybe it's only partially true what the bible and creationism says but they are definitely true in some part.

[QUOTE="raynimrod"]

[QUOTE="illegalimigrant"] The result is the same.

illegalimigrant

RELIGION

May I remind you of the TWIN TOWERS

Is it me, or have we all been here before?

It was neither science nor religion but it is the MIND of illiterates and ignorants which always misinterprets things which lead to path of destruction.

Makhdoom82

Hmm... religion has the whole crusades and blah blah, and science introduced nukes, bombs, guns. They eventually both combine lol.

Science helped develop the weapons used in so called "Holy Wars" throughout history. The development of something like the Tank did not fuel Hitlers hate for the Jews. No new weapon could ever possibly make someone hate another person more, unless it was developed to kill them. Which would invoke fear from and some hate twords the developer. Considering Religion seems to hate sc.... Forget it

My Answer: Religion :)

religion has been directly manipulated to do harm. science is simply a tool that makes doing harm easier.comp_atkins

Hey someone found a easier way to say what I was trying to get at. I was about to start rambling.

i can't see how science harms us,just because they use guns to harvest eachother doesn;t mean ther's something wrong with science,it's washed minds that use it in a wrong way,and religion is definitely one of teh most important things which has been taken advantage of to mind wash ppl

Religion. Well depends on what you mean by harm really.. Religion has killed way more people than science, if that's what you're after.

How is this figured?

Total harm compared, or Net* harm compared?

*Net harm would be factoring all the good done. So Benefits - Harm = Results. If it is net harm, I think Science wins this comparison.

Not being biased or anything, but religion :) I'm sure the religious members of this board will also be unbiased when they say science :Ptofu-lion91

Not being biased or anything, but religion :) I'm sure the religious members of this board will also be unbiased when they say science :Ptofu-lion91

To be frank, I would think most wars and death are caused by the desire for property and resources. Look at Roman conquest, Alexander, the Mongols, China's civil wars, European colonials, WW1/2 etc

Religion is just a side excuse to motivate IMO

Hmmm. Here's a new angle. Lets say we have all the tools and weapons that science has given us, but Religion is non-existent.

Now, let's say we have Religion but no tools or weapons from science.

Thats a tough one if you think about holy wars, and all the violence caused by different religions fighting. Then compare that to modern weapons (nukes, guns, etc.) I'd have to go with religion though since it's been around alot longer than modern weapons and human made diseases and such.

Not being biased or anything, but religion :) I'm sure the religious members of this board will also be unbiased when they say science :Ptofu-lion91

I'm religious, and I maintain that the correct answer is "neither". Not every war has been fought over religion, but every war has been such that the leader of at least one side had a massive, insatiable ego. Religion in history is nothing more than an innocent bystander, bludgeoned beyond recognition by cynical leaders wishing to control a population and by ignorant masses who are too afraid of the unknown to accept a lack of ultimate knowledge. In their purest forms, most any of the mainstream religions are sincere exhortations for all humankind to go into the world and spread love, mercy, and compassion, but this message is a very poor one for anyone who is selfish or who cares only about power.

[QUOTE="illegalimigrant"]

[QUOTE="raynimrod"]

What? So the topic is over? Your topic argues the cause, not the result. Did you even read my post(s)?

raynimrod

I think both are equally responsible religion: used as an excuse for many wars, but then again I'm sure people could find other reasons for war science: technology advances can be harmful (ex: technology has made life much more rushed, resulting in such things like no more family dinners). too much to elaborate on. technology also has caused the creation of nuclear weapons.

Seeing how Religion held science back from the Fall of Rome until around the 14th Century and then even after that kept on ruling some of the advances as "against" god. Medical science was continously kept back as they regarded going against Galen's (Roman Doctor) Teaching to be heretical.

People....the only correct answer.

I call a tie.

A philosophy or a device can't cause any harm on their own, in the end it's us humans that do horrible things motivated by religion or enabled by science.

How about instead of blaming it on science or religion we blame it man's need for power as the cause of all wars..

Neither. . .one is an ideology and the other is an epistemological process.

science has bought us medicines and cures to diseases, all technology around you, and made everyones lives better. you tell me if that's harm.shoeman12

I call a tie.

A philosophy or a device can't cause any harm on their own, in the end it's us humans that do horrible things motivated by religion or enabled by science.

black_cat19

[QUOTE="Darth-Caedus"]"Religion changed the face of man thou shalt not kill we all are gone" (Even managing to through Nevermore into religious discussions now......:lol: ) .....I'g going with religion on this...science did make the weapons that killed millions of people...but I'd say far more people have died in religious wars throughout history... illegalimigrant

It was about 72 million; the 60 million were Ally deaths.

[QUOTE="shoeman12"]science has bought us medicines and cures to diseases, all technology around you, and made everyones lives better. you tell me if that's harm.illegalimigrant

science, without question, has done more harm to humanity.

Religion didn't invent atom bombs or napalm.

[QUOTE="illegalimigrant"][QUOTE="shoeman12"]science has bought us medicines and cures to diseases, all technology around you, and made everyones lives better. you tell me if that's harm.shoeman12