Religion has served its time, and is no longer needed

well thank you for the debate and of course you have the burden of proof I simply have to negate and all that jazz. Attacks: Argument 1: "religion has become obsolete in today's world" really....Really?..well let me enlighten you in "today's world" since you seem to have been somewhere else besides the present currently has more religions than ever and it seems to be growing here's a few of them http://www.religionfacts.com... also please answer me these few questions 1.In what way has religion become obsolete? 2. How was religion a way for people to become individuals, and have the rights of an individual? 3. hasn't the government always been the major power even throughout history? (there are a few exceptions but I won't go into those) 4. In what way has religion served it's "purpose" and also what is this said purpose? please extend your arguments and what you're trying to convey as an argument and what you mean next time thank you. Constructive Today and in history religion can and may be considered the threshold for morality what is right and wrong what is good and bad which are defined my one's own definition for the benefit of the doubt because we all know that everyone has a different view of what right and wrong and good and bad. A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say things set apart and forbidden- beliefs and practices that unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them'. According to Durkhiem religion is not only a social creation; it is the power of the community itself that is being worshiped. Durkhiem divides the world into two diverse dominions, Sacred and the Profane. Each of these having their own particular rules, norms, and values. The Sacred is to be occupied by the supernatural that which is over and above the ordinary existence of those that live in the world of the Profane/ Mundane. The Sacred is to be honoured; the Sacred has a direct impact on the lives of the individuals who hold that thing to be Sacred. Any object or living thing can be considered as sacred, for example a Tree, Rock, Plant, or an Animal. However, usually those things that come into view within the immediate environment take on this sacred nature. The Profane is the world of the Mundane. This consists of everyday things with no special character of their own. In this sense Trees, Rocks, Plants and Animals, which have not be sanctified are all part of the Profane/Mundane or ordinary world. He emphasized on the needs of the society to express their collective sentiments, ideas, and ideologies in regular ceremony. All societies need a set of common values and moral guidelines to inspire their members to rise above their selfishness. He goes on to say that While the forms and particular symbols may change, religion is eternal.'Durkhiem strongly believed the fact that religions are never just a matter of belief. Ceremonies and ritualistic activities amplify and establish the group's cohesion. Religion then seeks to become a social phenomenon. A shared outlook that created via the performance of rituals, ceremonies and rites, is referred to as the "Collective Conscience". Durkhiem believed society was the source and end of morality; he did recognize a problem with this. Demands within a complex society may lead to a sense of hostility or uncertainty arising from conflicting expectations In order to answer this question it is imperative to find a common ground between various definitions to use as a benchmark to discuss this topic further. Religion is an institution that plays a significant role in society. However, the importance of religion greatly depends on the individual. For some people religion and the legal system, compliment one another in determining how one should lead his or her life. For others one of these two institutions holds priority over the other establishing their demeanour. In times of great hardship, religion has acted as a console unit to raise one's spirit and help people through their difficulties. This has been true for centuries religion started to lose its appeal among and in today's generation; religion has regained its importance in the lives of so many, especially young people. This awareness has a lot to do with the threat of terrorism. Nevertheless, that does not negate its importance prior to the instable global environment. Religion serves the purpose of guiding people. It is a type of specialised education, like schooling for adults. In the context of mainstream religions, whether it is meditation for Buddhists, confession for Christians or performing pilgrimage for Muslims the idea of submission to a higher being is universal. Looking at it from a psychological point of view submission allows a person to free himself from guilt by asking for forgiveness and gives them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes allowing them to develop and grow as people. In the absence of religion, many people would find it difficult to deal with problems that do not always have a spot on solution or more specifically problems that have no solutions. I am not saying that religion is always able to produce solutions to the various problems people face but religion does allow the person to deal with the problem usually in a calmer way. The isolation factor present in most religions gives people a kind of break from reality. It can be argued that the presence of religion works in the same way as a counsellor. There is no need for counsellors but having therapists makes it easier for some people to deal with their issues. To explain the next point I would like to take the example of meditation. Buddhism is most famously known for it however it interesting to note that religions that may seem poles apart such as Islam even practise meditation. For Muslims prayer is not just a way of remembering and thanking God is one of the best forms of meditation. In the Buddhist context, the word meditation can be translated into "bhavana" meaning cultivating or developing our skills as human beings. In other words learning to live. It involves becoming more aware of what we already do and learning to do it better. The point here is that religion is a positive component n healing society from its ills. In Understanding Islam' there is an analogy made between religion and employment. We can assume that the significance of religion is similar to the significance of understanding his job description. Just as the employee will be less effective without being aware and by fulfilling the expectations that his employers have from him, "man is not likely to live a life, which is coherent with the moral aspect of his existence, without religion" Research by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that when adolescents give importance to religion, smoking of cigarettes, binge drinking and use of marijuana may fall. The researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that the perceived importance of religion was particularly important for teens that were facing a lot of life stressors. (March issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviours) Those adolescents that considered religion to be a meaningful part of their life and a way to cope with problems were half as likely to do drugs compared to those who did not view religion as important. This was especially found true in the case of those adolescents facing personal problems such as an unemployed parent or being sick themselves. This is known as the buffering effect' meaning that religion serves to buffer the impact of adverse circumstances. Religion is something that unites people of different casts, creed and races all around the world. To conclude the importance of religion is likely to remain subjective. However the sources mentioned above clearly suggest that religion benefits society if it is adapted in a positive way.