It's no coincidence that the countries with the highest proportion of belief in god are also the ones with the lowest educational rates and highest poverty rates. Go figure...

I'm sorry I know this is controversial but it makes perfect sense to me. Religion originated as a tool for social control used by early rulers to assert their authority over and suppress the masses. Thus, in countries where people feel free from this psychological oppression and responsible for their own happiness they enjoy a higher quality of life because they aren't looking to some "higher power" to solve their problems.

Hi Clipette!

That certainly is one explanation. Others include an evolutionary meme that conferred some element of advantage to its adherents (ala Daniel Dennett). Or there's the idea that there's a "god" center in the brain that when stimulated causes the release of chemicals that alter our mood or even perception of reality. I have no doubt that some day we'll agree on what's going on and look back on the invention of god or gods as representative of an age of becoming that we've outgrown.

you're right i didn't really mean to say "religion originated" as a tool for social control but rather that it has been used as such since ancient times.

Absolutely. Some theories point to the benefits of ritual as a way to reinforce teachings that contributed to the survival of proto-humans. Whether or not we call this control is irrelevant as applied to very early societies considering their primitive social structure and the enormous challenges they faced simply to survive. I find this a fascinating area of study.

Then go read about the French revolution and one will have another view on what athiesm can hold for the future. If we forget the past we are doomed to repeat it.

I'll take the bait jussy. Please explain your comment about the French Revolution. I don't see how it is relevant to this clip. I am no expert on French history, so please share.

i was depressed.......then this amazing, beautiful person who i know invited me to come to church.....im 15, so it was a youth church thing, only went at first coz she asked....eventually, after half a year or more in church....i smiled again, laughed again, while in worship....for no apparent reason, i felt happy, god had given me fullfillment of sorts, enabling me to laugh and be happy and smile again.....
now i am depressed again, its closing in on me again....theres nothing i can do.

WTF?

cal823: talk to your parents, a counselor at school, someone. If you are depressed remember that it is treatable these days. It is a medical condition.