If Life is Meaningless Anyway, then What's Wrong with Religion?

[robvalue]

"If life is meaningless..." is itself a meaningless condition. Life is objectively meaningless, but it is subjectively meaningful. You need to pick one, and in either case, the condition is trivially true or false.

Irrational beliefs in themselves aren't inherently harmful. But beliefs inform actions. And a lot of harm usually goes on regarding religions. If the excuse is that "everything is meaningless anyway", then you've discarded everything on a meaningless condition.

Being under the spell of religion seems very similar to being drunk or on drugs. Sure, it can help you cope better. But you're out of step with reality, will make suboptimal decisions and may be a danger to yourself or others. If you indoctrinate children, it's like getting them hooked on drugs ASAP. If you treat people badly for religious reasons, it's like being a violent alcoholic.

There are many ways to cope with reality. I don't think religion is the best one. But really, the point is moot, because belief is not a choice. If you believe in a religion, then you do. The truth of the belief isn't dependent on the value or outcome of the belief.

Personally, even if I believed a religion was "true", I'd still take no part in it. I find them irrelevant and immoral, on the whole.