If ignorance is bliss...

[John V]

I know of people (mostly family) who I'm pretty sure would become very depressed and/or violent if they converted to atheism. Religion is what keeps them "sane."

It is commonly agreed among atheists that "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is a good thing to follow. Similarly, "do what make you happy" is also commonly stated among atheists.

If you were religious, and religion is what keeps you happy and/or keeps you from going on a killing spree, would you rather be kept in the dark? Is it ethical in other words to convert people to atheism if that conversion would negatively affect them?

Corollary: if someone is not religious and troubled, would you be opposed to them becoming somewhat religious if it made them better off in other ways? For instance, AA has some spiritual content. I've seen arguments between atheists on other boards regarding this. Some say a person is worse off going to AA. Others say that if it helps an addict clean up it's certainly a good thing.