Has RELIGIOUS zealotism turned religion into a Poison to humanity?

I find it AMAZING how people can be so foolish as to adhere to such cruel, mindless and vicious rules which were passed down from centuries ago, where people used to think the world was flat and the earth was the centre of the universe. Fortunately... humanity in general has grown and evolved, UNFORTUNATELY its religious dogmatic rules have not. Those rules I believe were passed down to protect the people of that time when it was needed to protect a nomadic community from destroying itself from internal strife. The community is no more nomadic, but there is no evolution of its rules and mores.

Religion used to be about cultivating spiritual qualities... nowadays, GONE is its very essence, and religion has turned into a poison that causes unspeakable pain and suffering.

I only hope and pray, anyone was has a heart that looks towards the Divine ( be the Divine God, Buddha or any divinity ) to bring back the essence of what religion was originally MEANT TO BE... and not a tool to be used to Oppress, Suppress and Control the masses into a herd of mindless cruel animals without any Mercy or Compassion.

THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS:

An 8 year old child was caught in a market of Iran for stealing bread. In the name of religion and its laws, he is being punished. His arm will be crushed by a car, and he will forever lose the use of his arm again!!! Is this what religion teaches us? Is this what religion has evolved or degenerated into? No mercy? No compassion? No sensibilities?





No religion can ever justify such a hideous and barbaric punishment for such a petty crime ... especially on an 8 year old kid....
What is happening in the name of religion is atrocious and horrifying!!!... RELIGION...ANY RELIGION...CANNOT AND SHOULD NOT CAUSE MISERY AND PAIN IN ANYWAY, IF IT DOES... MAYBE IT'S TIME TO STEP BACK AND LOOK WHAT WE HAVE BECOME AND CHECK WHAT ARE WE REALLY BELIEVING IN... would such ABHORRENT cruelty REALLY bring us closer to the Ultimate Divine? Would the Divine in any of its myriad limitless forms really want us to fork out such cruelty in its name???

If the answer is yes, then it is either of 2 possibilities:

Humanity is doomed to destroy itself or
The Divine whom we are devoted to is neither Divine nor Holy...
think about it.....