Is religion a necessary evil?

[robvalue]

The suicide thing can be troubling, too. You have to be sure that your subject is convinced that it cannot be used as a shortcut to heaven. Clearly this has not always been the case.

Statistics can also be misleading. For example, non-religious people in a certain area might be more prone to suicide because they are in the minority and are heavily oppressed.

[purplepurpose]

I think we shouldn't be too angry at religion, because it does helps lot's of people. That was my thought.

[Silver]

The very little good that religion does, at the cost of succumbing to a delusion that defies reality in the form of faith, is a relatively minute and unreasonable comfort compared to the harm it has done and continues to do.

[The Grand Nudger]

@OP Q

I don't think so.  Some people might might say that "religion does x for so and so" and that's all well and good..but what they need, then, what's necessary, is that x...not the religion package it's wrapped in. That shit is nasty, it ends up littering the entire globe, and has alot of problems with truth in advertising.

[Duty]

Yup, true that, the good stuff religion does is usually born of, or easily replaced by, normal atheistic traits such as empathy and compassion.

[Cod]

The religious live longer

Just to annoy us.

[The Grand Nudger]

The irreligious can only stand their shit for so many decades.

[unfogged]

It's an unnecessary evil.  Just look at all the people who function quite well without it and then compare them to the dumb motherfuckers who burden themselves with it!

I'm not saying that you should like religion. I mean that, a lot, really a lot of people would have destroyed themselves if it wasn't for religion.

I do not see implanting an irrational fear and impairing their ability to use critical thinking is an appropriate solution to anything.

[Minimalist]

I mean, if you believe in Hell, even partially, you won't be as likely to kill yourself or become a criminal.

Really?

[vulcanlogician]

Why assume that religion prevents suicide? I think it contributes its fair share to the numbers via sexual repression, creating difficulties between gays and their families that wouldn't have been there before etc... these things alienate people, and a feeling of alienation is very common among those who choose to take their own lives. I think for certain individuals religion provides the requisite purpose and meaning for them to go on living. But if you ran the calculations, I bet it'd be a wash, or worse, the numbers would not speak in religion's favor.

And crime? No. Most criminals are theists. Try again, bub.