Religion is Harmful to Society

[Dystopia]

Good things:
Controls the masses (fear of God/sinning), gives terminally ill/elderly (false) hope, many volunteer/help the homeless/poor, there is some wisdom in some of the religious texts, but mostly BS

None of those "good things" are really good things.  They are things done for bad reasons.  It matters why people do things, you can't just rationalize away things done for irrational reasons.

My SIG stands for a reason.

I disagree simply because I'm concerned merely about results - If they're achieved trough religion or not that's ok.

The idea in the OP is also somewhat simplistic - Most religious people are not thinking about god when they help the homeless guy, they are thinking that this person needs help.

I have learned the hardway that even our deeply held truths should be questioned - Nothing is completely evil or good

Good things? For starters many countries only exist (and thus you and other people exist just as you are) because of the majority's religion spread (or alternatively it's one of the causes). Atheist philosopher Alain de Botton argues that atheists should steal the good side of religion while remaining skeptical of supernatural claims - Among the good aspects he mentions he talks about (1) The sense of community it provides that allows people to meet friends, husbands, wives and have fun while working for a common cause (2) Gives people comfort by knowing that there's someone always watching over you, and like it or not some people need that comfort (3) It is a part of their culture just like the national language or national traditions (4) It helps people escape the daily media and boring routines (5) It provides some simple moral principles and helps people justify it (like loving your neighbour, etc.) - Do you see where I'm getting? I agree that there is little in religion that can't be provided by other mechanisms, BUT - Some people simply do not like the alternative AND there are things religion simply is to good at even when compared to political parties.

Arguing that either religion is evil or good is a false dichotomy - Religion is part of most people's culture and has influenced what we are today in some shape or form, even if we don't realize it. to some degree I think religion is fascinating from an academic's perspective because how man creates ideologies to fit his views on the world.

My biggest criticism of religion would be that it proposes a worldview that could be equally provided by anything else or nothing at all. 

Bad things:

Radicalism, terrorism, gang like, brainwashes young people, false hope of afterlife, puts fear in people, religious institutions are tax-free businesses, people waste their time at religious institutions/reading about religion, religion makes us superior to animals and pits religions against each other (tribe like)

Radicalism and terrorism have always existed and there's groups that perpetuate those acts without religion, not to mention it's usually an isolated problem compared to the majority of the population (and it's almost exclusive to abrahamic religions). This does not prove anything.


Brainwashing is grossly exaggerated by atheists like Dawkins, the majority of parents in first world countries do not force kids to believe, they simply teach them the basic principles and send them to church. I don't consider indoctrination if it's a simple teaching without coercion. If you do have proof I'd like to see it


False hope? Yes I agree, but we are full of it


Fear? That's mostly an abrahamic faith thing, not representative of the world's religions at all, and it depends on the believer


Tax-free? So are charities. I prefer to have tax-free churches than to live in a country where politicians tell the people global warming isn't caused by man because in the bible it's god that caused it (and he didn't get fired )