What Has Religion Created?

When I ask this question I don't mean what has an individual or group of individuals who claimed to be religious created, I mean the religion itself.

If any religion is indeed the work of a god divinely inspired or otherwise it would stand to reason that the religion itself would be the cause of useful contributions to civilization.

Of the things created by religion, how many of them stand alone separate from secularism and how many of them still stand as greater achievements than those achieved through secularism or any other ideals?

And please don't say secularism itself because it is by definition separate from religion.

 

Exclusivity and Divisiveness.

 

Hard to argue with that. Even in the process of bringing communities together it creates an exclusivity within that community and a divisiveness in regards to other religions or non-believers.

 

A lot of war and death...which by extension would mean many of the tolls used to do both.

 

They set up and created universities and libraries across the land during the middle ages to preserve knowledge and educate people.

 

Didn't the OP ask for examples which could not have been done by secularism?

 

A good front for the mafia.

 

Did the church contribute or did they not?

 

That's not the point. Universities and libraries are commonplace secular institutions. The OP is wanting examples not seen in secularism.

 

It's common place now but not during the middle ages. Imagine how different things might be if they had not.

 

I do believe you may have missed the finer point.

 

Then I guess we'll both have to respectfully agree to disagree.

 

Religion created myths in every society which basically characterized the way people behave.
Each myth had/has the same basic Godheads and hence evidence that these stories all do the same thing,...i.e.; Sociology.

 

Religion and Religious people have done much over the centuries but if said things have become secular it doesn't change their religious origins.

Science itself grew up in the Church
Medicine was a connected to faith for centuries including Jewish and Christian faith
Islam led to the creation of monetary systems that are the foundation of world wide banking today.

Religion and religious people have contributed much to how the world operated for a long time. From the building of megalithic structures to ways of operating items without violating the Sabbath religion is a mother of invention as it is something the drive necessity.

Compassion was codified by religions throughout history and led to cultural development and even civilization itself.

 

UMMMM not so much. Churches fought against the Printing Press as they wanted peasant's uneducated and to rely on the Church for guidance. Keep them dumb and they need us, type of mentality.

The Catholic Church also incorporated Confession, as a way to find out what was going on in the community.

 

a bit of both. they created universities and libraries but not for the common folk...in the mid ages few people other than the rich or priests could read or write. to imply they created learning centers and that it was a good thing is false.

 

Not initially.
Religions were just dexfcriptive ways of idealizing and stating immortal ways that people behaved in every generation that had lived, was living, and for those who would be born in the future.
Some would be soldiers, and worship as if a God, like Zeus, was their role model.
Young single women would act like the beauties who saw love as their future.
The "Queens of Heaven" would be nature loving mother types.
The Craftsmen would act like the God of Craft.
Etc.

 

Religion hated science and called it an abomination in the eyes of God.
many medical procedures and belief's were called witch craft.
Money and religion have always been best friends. One could buy indulgencies and go to heaven.

Compassion? the Middle Ages disproves that there was much compassion from religion.

 

Oh, yeah.
Each Myth had a God of War.

Some nations were so deeply into that idea that the whole group was basically a army.
But within those ranks, there was still need for the other less dominant Gods to have followings, still.

In 32AD Christ appeared as the first God of peace.

 

What Has Religion Created? Division... especially in religions that tout having the exclusive path to God.

 

So the fact that the church had over 70 universities during the middle ages, some of which are still around today, and multiple libraries is proof that the church wanted to keep people in ignorance?

 

That is a very unstudied position to take.

Before Galileo's age, the church was totally supportive of what was then called Science, according to Plato and Aristotle.
In fact, Ptolemy had explained the Earth as the center of the Universe way back, in 1st century.

The Church had used that Ptolemy's idea long before Galileo's times.
The church is very slow to accept new ideas in Science, but they show evidence that eventually they do.
Slow is good...

 

So learning facilities are not a good thing then?

 

Hmmm,...
I think Truth is lord among men and Christ was correct on that.

 

and yet science has a lot of its foundation in religion.

Where is your evidence?

How is this relevant?

So Pol Pot defines all atheism?