We all just need something (or someone) to believe in, what we believe in gives us purpose to keep going in our lives… Religion is not the purpose of all evil, human selfishness is the root of all evil…
It wasn’t just religion. He dreamt of a world where everyone would live as one people exclusive of all entities which cause division among us, be it religion or nationalism or possessiveness. Was Lennon right to dream of a brotherhood of man, living in peace? Absolutely! Sadly, we didn’t come anywhere near it in his lifetime. And, I rather doubt I’ll live to see it either. But, I still dream. And I do Imagine.
Yes. He was entirely right to dream of a world where people do not let anything limit their mindset, what they can explore, wonder, accept or debate. Whether it’s religion, patriotism, fear of judgement or protectionism of possessions (did I put too many s’s in that?)
He wasn’t wrong to dream of such a world. But it is wrong to expect or push for such a world. Religion isn’t the root of evil. The exertion of one’s will over another—that is the root of evil.
Would he have cared as he laid out his imagined perfect society if people were religious as long as they did not use that faith to judge others, excuse doing harm to others, or segregate others? Probably not. He had to take a shortcut in saying that, though. It was a song after all.
Since when is judging others by an external set of values necessarily a bad thing? There is another question/discussion going on about Hitler. Are we to assume that judging his deeds based upon anything except purely secular values is wrong? Religion may have been the excuse for much evil in the world, but it has been a source of good far more often.
More people have been killed for religious reasons than all wars added together. I read that in college. People are willing to commit atrocities and murder as long as it is what their Church or God wishes, and they don’t have any moral problem with it. Some crazies actually believe they will be rewarded for it in the afterlife. Independent thinking never has been saught after in religious followers. I’m not sure if common sense is either.