Why do you all think religions are responsible for humanity?

[_Drifting]

...it SHOULD be feeding the poor...

I'm being the devil's advocate here. I hope you bear with me.

Why SHOULD they be? The only reason I can think of is because it is the "right thing" to do for humanity's sake.

Well, religion is not humanity. Or is it?

Don't worry, as you are probably aware, I'm fairly easy going.

Religion seems to me to be the following of a set of moral principles as determined by a leader or deity. It seems to me that THE most important principle taught by Jesus was to look after the people around you.

[_zeezrom]

...THE most important principle taught by Jesus was to look after the people around you.

According to Jesus, it might be more like the *second* most important principle.

Mark 12:

28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

I agree that it is likely very high on God's list.

I guess we have to come to an agreement on what exactly is a religion. Is it intended to be merely a collection of cultural systems and beliefs? Or is it a community that must have a foundation of man-made infrastructure to uphold it?