You cannot blame a religion for man-made rules they make to control the people who believe in it. Rules are made to control people. Man-made rules are different from God-made. Aren't they ?

1 Peter 2: 13 -submit yourself for the Lord's sake to every human institution wheather to a king as the one in authority (president, prime minister, etc...)

God tells us to obey man's law; but to obey God rather than men when there is conflict.

How does one determine 'God's law' from what could be considered as simple advice to help a person make a decision?

Is it God's LAW not to get involved in politics or even vote or to do military service etc?

The law of God and man would be in harmony and concert if this were a perfect world. It isn't. So, one can only accept the Biblical admonition to obey the law and those in authority. One of the serious problems we have, is that we've conveniently disposed of God and His law, assuming the mantle of both. It seems to me that if we've made a mess of our responsibility, how do we pretend to do His job also?

All were made by man. Someone had to write them. Someone had to say they came from somewhere. A rule is made to control someone. 

Yes, you are right, because all religions are man-made. God is of God and religion is of man.

Mankind creates religions based on human interpretation of the deity or deities in question. God's rules (or Gods' rules) may or may not be accurately interpreted by mankind, leading to distortions of those rules when reiterated throughout time, translated from one language to the next, or manipulated to suit a particular person's/particular groups of people in their own selfishness (killing non-believers, for instance).

There are expectations that God (or Gods) inspired mankind to commit the "rules" to memory and then in written form, to carry the word/words to the far corners of the earth, but then there's the question of misinterpretation and/or meddling, picking and choosing what to reproduce and what to cast aside as inconvenient.

Thank you, this is a really great question, and I'm sure it will inspire interesting feedback.

~

Very well put!
~

I would rather say that the laws of physics are impossible to disobey.

All other laws are made by humans, no matter what conventions or documents are used to justify them.

Familiar looking question. lol

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2016288?q=neutrality&p=par

Which side are Christians on?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk_1BUBg0oo

EDIT: Strong language in the above video

 I don't think we can be  neutral tex. But in our divide we can be civil, polite and respectful. That is within our control. If we don't agree we don't have to insult/attack/defame or be  vulgar. We can just say" I disagree  because....".or "I disagree" and move on. As for which side Christians are on that is very troubling to me. Many of the Trump supporters see themselves as Christians. But they are  racist/bigoted/homophobic/hatemongers. That has zero to do with religion and everything to do with whom they are. Thank you for your reply m'dear and the links. Thoughtful and helpful as usual! Happy Monday! :)

 All you can do is be the best person YOU can be Polk.  If you are civil,  polite, respectful no matter how much you disagree with someone then you are doing a good job. At least that is my opinion. We can't all agree on things. We don't have the same beliefs in many cases. So what?  That makes no difference. We can still agree to be polite no matter what the conversation is about. Some folks are always polite  and some seem to find that very difficult. Why I don't know. Thank you for your reply and Happy Monday. I get along with Atheists as easily as I do Christians. I have more in common with the latter but I also like and enjoy the former. Equally.  Everyone has something to offer  Some are your cuppa tea and some are not. You get to choose. :)

Men made the rules. Not women. Men made the rules according to their understanding of God's word filtered through their prejudices. Women were second class. They were subjugated by men. Guess how the rules came out? Man rules. Woman obeys. And so it goes. Thank you for your  reply Sp and Happy Monday to thee! :)

I get along with Atheists as well and easily as I do Christians. Not the pretend Christians who are racists/bigots/homophobic hatemongers. I have no time or use for them. It doesn't matter what someone believes.  That is very personal. I would no more try to  promulgate my beliefs  as I would demonize/vilify/ridicule them for their beliefs. We are wired differently. We have different intellects, experiences. Of course our beliefs are different. However all we believe is opinion only. No one KNOWS  what, if anything, lies on the other side. If you are colorblind and unaware of your affliction you don't see all the colors that are there.  Similarly if you are dyslexic or mentally dysfunction what your reality is may not be the reality of others. We have got to give ourselves a break and one another a break and admit WE DO NOT KNOW!.  Science is not static. What is believed today is not  what was believed centuries ago. The onion layers keep coming off. The veils keep dropping. We may be getting closer to what's really there or we may never get there. The point  is some folks feel superior to others because of their beliefs. I think that is absurd.  What you believe and what I believe may not be the same thing. What difference does that make? I don't think less of you for your beliefs nor do I feel superior to you because of mine. We are all imperfect humans. If we can at least  be civil, cordial, kind to one another ti will make being here easier on everyone. That's how I feel hartfire. Thank you for your reply and Happy Monday!  :)

Did you read the cited scriptures in the link?

Being neutral is kind of like religion; may not really get you anywhere.and could result in regression rather than progression.

If there is no God then by all means fight tooth and nail for what benefits you in your opinion. According to the Bible there has been over 6,000 years of man trying to govern himself and according to atheist, much longer than that. Where has all of that time and experience gotten us today?

Bosnia, the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi countless civil wars where everyone chose a divisive side has resulted in the murder of millions of innocents as well as the not so innocent.

Over 50 million killed in WWII with everyone thinking that they were right.

Just ain't my thing to hang around expecting days of glory which will most likely never come by any supernatural means.

Sometimes the Bible uses the "waters' and the 'sea' as symbols of the masses of people alienated from God. Look at all of the political unrest with people all being in an uproar. Even in the U.S. where it is supposed to be like a model to the rest of the world.

(Isaiah 57:20) “But the wicked are like the restless sea that cannot calm down, And its waters keep tossing up seaweed and mire.
(Revelation 17:15) He said to me: “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is sitting, mean peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.

(Luke 21:25) “Also, there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation.

I have faith that humanity will eventually grow more mature and come to exist in reasonable kind of harmony.

That is what people of the Baha'i Faith believe.

According to the Bible, there will come a time when people will think that they have achieved peace and security without God. It will be short lived.

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-4) Now as for the times and the seasons, brothers, you need nothing to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night. 3 Whenever it is that they are saying, “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly on them, just like birth pains on a pregnant woman, and they will by no means escape. 4 But you, brothers, you are not in darkness, so that the day should overtake you as it would thieves,

Not going into all of the scriptures right now unless you want me to as I don't want to waste my time and yours but the Nations should see religion as a big problem and start dismantling religions. I can see why with Islamic Terrorist in the forefront these days.

Christian terrorism is now mostly a thing of the past so any kind of religious unrest can likely fade away eventually.

All kinds of things to deal with; takes time.

Thanks, Rosie. I agree with you about being able to get along with people with different beliefs.

As I'm sure you know, atheists have strong views on morals and the need for them to be crafted into laws.

"Do no harm." We base our ethics on the fact that life on this planet is rare in the universe, which makes it the most precious thing we know, and therefore worthy of the nurture and maintenance of its health, worthy of protection.

Some issues are not easy to decide. Dilemmas. Utilitarian ethics (which I don't always support,) are rife with potentially unjust decisions. The worst shows up in triage in war, or when a democracy makes a rule that benefits the majority but disadvantages a few and fails to find a just approach to exceptions.

I am with Kittigate in believing that (if life survives global warming) humanity can and will eventually evolve towards peaceful self-rule. I think the United Nations is the first step on that path and technology will play a necessary part.

Of course!  Man made law, a woman is adult at 18, God gave women a menstrual cycle at 13,  just one of thousands of mishaps. 

He may have her menstruating at 13 (or as young as 10 in rare cases,) provided she's had sufficient good nutrition all her life, but her pelvic bones are not large enough to safely give birth until 14, sometimes 16.

Young women (especially in countries without access to modern midwifery and obstetrics) frequently (10%) die in childbirth because their bones are not yet properly formed.

It depends on intent.

God loves law.  Law is structure.  The Universe is built on God's Law and God's structure.  It is truth and integrity supreme.  When we create laws of this stature, for the good of all, we are doing God's work with God's blessings.  No law is chaos. 

We need a path to follow and we need guidelines that respect each other and ourselves. 

Jesus said:  'Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's.'  Referring to a question a follower asked him regarding law and paying taxes. 

  We are told to obey the laws of mankind while we live among mankind.

Mmm. That's a good point.

While being atheist, I strive for neutrality on the grounds that it allows as many people as possible to live peacefully, preferably with acceptance, understanding, and tolerance of one another's differences.

Always with the proviso of mutual respect and never impinging on or harming another. Which means that if some individual or group is causing harm, then he/she/they must be stopped - on the principle of self-defence.

I will admit that in my heart, I do struggle with some of the tenets of each religion. Although I am closest in alignment with Theravadin Buddhism, even it has some concepts I can no longer accept.

I believe that social evolution will in the long term lead towards atheism because it is well grounded in science and logic, hence proof, and because I believe it is ultimately more functional in its ethics not just for people but for the whole of life on this planet.