Is Religion Evil? part 1

Many, many people have talked about the church being a force for good, or evil in the world. Personally, I find it hard to answer that question purely because of the huge leap between the Church as an authority, and the church as a community. I hold no doubt that the vast majority of religious people are NOT evil, wicked, or demonic in any way. In fact I’d hazard a guess that 90% of the people on the earth have the same goals, and the same desires in life. I want a nice house, a good relationship, and enough wealth to make my life comfortable, and struggle-free. I don’t think it would be wicked for me to say that, and I think it is a very normal part of the human condition.

So, for the question “Is Religion Evil”, I feel a need to remove the religious community from this debate. Not only does it seem ingenuous to ‘berate’ the religious as individuals on this topic, but it would be wrong. Religion can seldom be judged on an individuals actions. Instead, my target will be the authority. The vatican, the Church of England, the Imams, the self-anointed spokespeople, and even some members of government.

So what is the argument? Well, ever since time immemorial religion has been a part of the human psyche, for reasons that some see as good, or bad. At this juncture it makes no odds as to why religion came about, only that it did. Would the world we live in today be better, or worse if religion had been expunged from the pages of human memory? Personally, I think yes, it would do, and by a considerable margin. There are many obvious, and not so obvious reason that bring to to this conclusion. Obviously I am an Atheist, so the initial notion of a God is utterly foreign to me, but I don't think that has a great deal to do with the issues I have with the Church, (when I say church, I refer to most modern religions, it's easier to write 'The Church', than list every single facet that I have in my mind. Most of my thoughts are about the Christian faith, and I apologise for that, but they are the ones most prevalent to me, apart from radical Islam). Believing in an essentially invisible being has no malicious intent, nor does it cause any harm. Children believe in Santa Claus, and the tooth fairy, and it doesn't bring about any evil, or malevolence. Instead, it is the institutions that cause the problems, and that comes down to man. I hope that explains to some degree where I am coming from in this prose? Anyway, onwards and downwards, and let us look at the pro side of the argument for religion. That pretty much boils dow to three categories that the religious rest their case upon.

The first of these is charity. In many arguments, debates, and discussions about how religion benefits the human race, this is often the first thing that crops up. It is wielded like a shining beacon as to the greatness of God, and yet, it is simply man doing the deed. There are billions of dollars/ pounds/ shekels given every year to needy people, and causes all over the world, under the banner of religion. However, as great as that is, does it really mean that the church is good? I'm not overly convinced that their argument shows that religion, and the Church makes people give money. I give money, and so do plenty of other people. I'm not convinced that giving charity is an entirely religious endeavor. 'Medicines San Frontiers', 'UNICEF', and countless other charities all contribute greatly to aid, and help for the needy without the need to try to recruit for a certain brand of faith. Let us also not forget that the existence of these charities go in no way to prove that God exists in any way. So why does the Church insist that the charity proves it is a good thing? Is it money? Is that really all it comes down to? Who has the most money? Well, by that token the USA is much better than Belgium, purely as they have more money. I am far superior to my neighbor, as I have the more lucrative employment. Is it really that shallow? Yes, folks, it is. mankind has shown over the years that we are generous, no matter what. Money will pour in year upon year for famine, drought, earthquakes, the homeless, the sick, etc. As for certain surveys saying the religious give, or certain party affiliations give more money...

The second of the pro arguments is the same one rewrapped and packaged under a few different guises. Hope, comfort, (not Ray Comfort!), etc… What exactly are these, and is it a purely religious notion? Well, I have no issue at all with people wanting to feel better inside themselves, for whatever reason, however they can attain. If a loved one dies, and it makes you feel better to think that they have gone on to another life, I am happy for you, I really am. Life can suck, and frankly we need what we can get through it. Life is hard, and a struggle, and although we have the luxuries that our evolved intelligence has given us, we still suffer the same consequences that life throws at every other living creature on the planet. Death, suffering, disease, loss, and pain. We will cope with it how we will. Is this feeling of comfort, and hope real? Is it something that only a church, or divine being could provide? Of course not, that would be absurd.

I would hope that all of you will have heard of placebos, security blankets, superstition, touching wood (stop sniggering at the back!), and all the other things that you do irrationally, just to make yourself feel better, or because it is some sort of habit. I know that when I am at sea, some people are funny about whistling on deck, or some people are funny about opening umbrellas inside. I know my lovely nieces all have the things that they grip with them, and cannot be without, such as 'white bear' or 'rags'… Whilst is is easily passed dismissed in todays semi-literate scientific civilization as harmless, should that superstition become something more, then it gains power in the realm of pseudo-science. Is it rational for grown, intelligent adults to act like a two or three year old child until the day they die? Is it retinal for adults to believe these things above all others? No, it isn't. The hope and comfort that people feel in relation to religion IS real to them, but aren't we at the point where these medieval superstitions are put behind us? You do not turn into a blithering wreck, scared of your inevitable death once you begin to think for yourself, and see the world for how it really is. Religion, along with the tooth fairy, fairies, and hobgoblins belong in the mythical books, and not as something taking a front row in your life. Grow up, and see the superstition for what it truly is.

The third, and final argument on the pro side that I can think of, (without delving into the supernatural pseudo nonsense), is community. Now when I say community, I simply mean that the church, and the events there in are a good thing in the community. It is probably one of the things I see as a major positive thing for the church, (albeit a lot have a religious undertone to them). The village church hall often has fairs, and events that do bring the community together, and that is a good thing. The only downer I can see in that is that it is inevitably on its base level a recruitment drive, but ho-hum… What can you do!

Oppression of Knowledge, and the Pursuit of Science

So, what possible bad things can the church be responsible, or have a part in? Well, why not start at what I think is THE issue of the modern time, with relation to how the church is retarding human progress, and that is its ability to divert people from the logical, and the rational, to what is essentially Bronze Age superstition. The church has a vast history of trying desperately to oppress logical, and rational thought, with the likes of Copernicus and Galileo threatened with death if they did not recant their findings, and return to their 'religious' ways. Ever since the fall of the Roman Empire, knowledge is Christendom was oppressed, in favor of the Church and its teachings. Before the Dark ages we had the likes of Plato, Aristotle and Pythagorus, and after we had newton, Darwin, Kepler, etc. During the Dark ages, those speaking about their scientific thinking were severely punished, many losing their lives to the stake, and the fire. The church held Christendom on a very short leash, and anything that ventured outside their beliefs was very quickly quashed.

How much this held human progress up, I don't know, and no-one can really say, but for 500+ years, maybe more depending on what you read, science was at a near dead stop. Just imagine where we would be today if we had not had that? Imagine how much progress would have been made in that time, not to mention the amount of people killed, tortured, and died through lack of sensible scientific appliances? This is where the world owes a huge debt to the Muslim world, and the fact that they held onto this knowledge, and it did not die out, despite the churches attempts to do so.

Creationism

Following on from the blockade of science, creationism does have, I feel, it's own little area it needs to be in. It should be fenced off, and treated with great caution, not so much for what it says, but for what it makes people think. There are people in the world, and I'm sure you all know one, who's idea of logic is to have in their mind a place where they think that science is a load of of toss, and that the Bible is actually what happened. They don't see it as a religious text, rather they see it as a true account of what happened since God created the universe right at the beginning of Creation. Now I for one understand entirely why primitive man had these stories, and it has been shown the world over that man in his infancy had stories in which to explain all that was unexplained in his life. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Pagans, The Roman Gods, the Greek Gods, and so on, and so forth.

It was essentially a very early method to explain the world, and what was going on around them. In the modern world, with all the mounds, and mounds of scientific discoveries, how can we hold onto these beliefs? Surely this goes back to holding onto these ridiculous beliefs. The evangelical churches of the United States are the prime movers when it comes to Creationism, or as they have re-christened it, "Intelligent Design". Fortunately, there is absolutely nothing intelligent about it, and even the simplest high school student can easily pick apart the arguments… So why does it persist? I honestly think it is down to people being either completely stupid, or shatteringly indoctrinated, to the point where they have no more logical though capability. Watching 'Jesus Camp' or any of Ray Comforts videos will soon make you understand the level of ignorance that these people possess. They have no logical thought process that tells them that their ideas are utterly based on nonsense. The thought that the Earth is six thousand years old, and that the dinosaurs, and man once lived side by side is sheer and utter idiocy.

Thankfully, attempts to promote this subject in the classroom by religious organizations such as 'The Discovery Institute' has been swiftly dealt with in court, on the side of logic, rationality, and common sense. That will not stop them. The Dover case was merely a stop gap, and the rise of religion in modern day politics ensures that this will not go away like some berated child. It is going to come back, and rational humans must do everything in their power to stop it, because failure to do so will be the start of another slippery slope into a modern dark age, where superstition bests logic, and we know what happened last time that happened.

(Part 2 coming in a bit!)