LogFAQs > #943192061

This is one argument often used by religious people (if disregarding the existence of a higher being as true or not). They say regardless of that, religion is still important in maintaining law and order in society. Matters like lust/sex, greed, crime, lying, slandering etc...

In fact, that's also one of the theories going around on how religions like Christianity was even adopted by the Roman Empire in the first place.

Religion was not just a belief, it was also a way of connecting people into a shared set of moralistic values and governing them by it, even if that meant by way of fear (if you do this, you go to hell eg.)

What do you guys think?

EDIT: I'm looking to discuss just the idea of religion as a means to govern society. NOT about whether God is real or not yadayada. That one is another topic by itself