I've been an atheist since I was about 14 I think. I was actually an atheist before that, but it was never a topic of conversation so that was about the age I had to start using the term.
I'm now 31, and in all that time I've progressed through several different types of atheism. The live and let live kind. The militant "ban religion, burn down the churches" kind and eventually my current brand of atheism, which is the "education is the answer" kind. In short, my view is that religion is a negative force in the world, we would be better off without it, but it's a realisation that people must reach on their own if it's to stick. All I can do is supply the facts.
However, Religion isn't a purely negative force. It's uncomfortable for me to acknowledge this because I have an instinctive sense of the balance of things which tells me that the good religion does is outweighed by the bad it does. At this point, it comes down to simple addition and subtraction.
Although if I'm brutally honest with myself, and all good, right thinking people should be, I haven't really done the research. I suffer from what is called confirmation bias. I believe that religion is the cause of bad things, and I have armed myself with stats, facts and anecdotes which support that hypothesis and I haven't looked for, or have discounted any evidence which would disprove my theory. That's bad science.
Then the other night I was watching Jamie's American Revolution on channel 4 (UK). For those who don't know it; renowned british chef Jamie Oliver has taken on the challenge of improving the meals of a school in the most obese town in America. He was immediately met with a lot of opposition and it's difficult to watch these people cling so vehemently to the "way of life" that is so clearly killing them and inevitably their children. Surprisingly, Jamie's biggest ally emerged in the form of a local pastor. A man who clearly feels strongly about the need to change Americas eating habits, a man unafraid to tell his congregation the ugly truth and a man who is unafraid to use the power of the position afforded to him by religion to preach about the virtues of healthier living and eating. I was almost moved to tears as he leafed through his church directory, pointing out the people who had died as a result of their eating habits. It's a subject I feel strongly about and I instantly warmed to the pastor, as did Jamie Oliver. If this man can use his influence to change the diet of his small town, that's clearly a good thing. 1 point for religion.
So I've decided to actively look for the good that religion does. I still feel confident that my original theory will hold out, that religion is more bad than good. But I'm going to take a new approach to the subject. It's impossible to measure the "good" vs "the bad" because it's a very personal thing. I'll know it when I see it sort of thing. I'm also thinking about making a documentary out of it, since most documentaries on the issue fall neatly on one side or the other.
SO! The point of this really long post: I'm hoping some of the atheists on here would be willing to share with me any thoughts or experiences they may have about the "good" religion can do, and how (if at all) this has affected their views. Perhaps this will be a good place or me to start.
However, I'm not looking for comments from anyone religious. Your opinions don't really count on this issue. I don't mean any offence by that, it's simply something you can't contribute to because of the "confirmation bias" that I mentioned above.
I'm now 31, and in all that time I've progressed through several different types of atheism. The live and let live kind. The militant "ban religion, burn down the churches" kind and eventually my current brand of atheism, which is the "education is the answer" kind. In short, my view is that religion is a negative force in the world, we would be better off without it, but it's a realisation that people must reach on their own if it's to stick. All I can do is supply the facts.
However, Religion isn't a purely negative force. It's uncomfortable for me to acknowledge this because I have an instinctive sense of the balance of things which tells me that the good religion does is outweighed by the bad it does. At this point, it comes down to simple addition and subtraction.
Although if I'm brutally honest with myself, and all good, right thinking people should be, I haven't really done the research. I suffer from what is called confirmation bias. I believe that religion is the cause of bad things, and I have armed myself with stats, facts and anecdotes which support that hypothesis and I haven't looked for, or have discounted any evidence which would disprove my theory. That's bad science.
Then the other night I was watching Jamie's American Revolution on channel 4 (UK). For those who don't know it; renowned british chef Jamie Oliver has taken on the challenge of improving the meals of a school in the most obese town in America. He was immediately met with a lot of opposition and it's difficult to watch these people cling so vehemently to the "way of life" that is so clearly killing them and inevitably their children. Surprisingly, Jamie's biggest ally emerged in the form of a local pastor. A man who clearly feels strongly about the need to change Americas eating habits, a man unafraid to tell his congregation the ugly truth and a man who is unafraid to use the power of the position afforded to him by religion to preach about the virtues of healthier living and eating. I was almost moved to tears as he leafed through his church directory, pointing out the people who had died as a result of their eating habits. It's a subject I feel strongly about and I instantly warmed to the pastor, as did Jamie Oliver. If this man can use his influence to change the diet of his small town, that's clearly a good thing. 1 point for religion.
So I've decided to actively look for the good that religion does. I still feel confident that my original theory will hold out, that religion is more bad than good. But I'm going to take a new approach to the subject. It's impossible to measure the "good" vs "the bad" because it's a very personal thing. I'll know it when I see it sort of thing. I'm also thinking about making a documentary out of it, since most documentaries on the issue fall neatly on one side or the other.
SO! The point of this really long post: I'm hoping some of the atheists on here would be willing to share with me any thoughts or experiences they may have about the "good" religion can do, and how (if at all) this has affected their views. Perhaps this will be a good place or me to start.
However, I'm not looking for comments from anyone religious. Your opinions don't really count on this issue. I don't mean any offence by that, it's simply something you can't contribute to because of the "confirmation bias" that I mentioned above.
