So, what's wrong with belief? How does it harm (you) if someone else wants to believe (something silly)?
"What's the harm in someone else holding a particular religious belief?"
Well, the short answer is "plenty".
The long answer...
1) If someone in a position to make laws or regulations has a particular belief,
they can enforce their belief on everyone, or have others be "second class
citizens". Cases in point were when former President Bush said that atheists
could not be patriotic, or when he signed a regulation as commander-in-chief
that Wiccans could not (officially) be in the military. All in a country with a
Constitution that states that there shall be no religious test for public
office.
2) When your real beliefs or lack thereof are decreed to be illegal - that you
must profess a different belief or be jailed or put to death - it makes a lot of
hypocrites - people who profess and/or swear particular beliefs but do no hold
them. It makes for lying to be acceptable in many/most people's minds. It's a
slippery slope to go from lying about faith in God to lying about anything or
everything else. Of course, if and when they find that you've lied in some ways
about your belief, you may be punished for it, whereas if they've found you've
lied in other ways, you may be excommunicated or shunned from the community -
including your home, livelihood, family, friends... Sometimes you can just say
"I'm sorry", and the religion will accept that even if it's not sincere - yet
another lie! If you choose not to lie, you get the negative consequences.
Where's the morality there?
3) When a large vocal minority or (shudder) a majority hold particular beliefs
which are in the way of actual progress that would make something somehow
better, it takes time away from the science or the teaching of science when all
of this has to be justified in light of a faith or more than one faith. All of
this debate and "teaching of the controversy" when none exists means less time,
energy, and money are available for teaching or working with science. It slows
down scientific progress. If some locations or nations are doing this, when
others are not, the nonreligious nations will make more scientific progress
because they don't have to take time out for religion. The non-religious will
make more progress. Of course, it still must be open to discussion about ethics
- SHOULD we use a scientific discovery for a particular purpose? Should we use
it at all (at this time)? An example would be atomic fission. Should we make
atom bombs? Should we make nuclear power plants? (with Chernobyl and Fukashima
and Three Mile Island as examples of what can go wrong). Should we learn more
FIRST?
4) If a certain portion of the wealth of a community - anything from village to
nation - is put to "glorifying God", rather than to the use of that community,
suffering may result. The most grotesque examples of this are very poor
villages, such as exist throughout much of Latin America, where people are
suffering from lack of basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, and so
forth while there is a huge, elaborate Church in town built out of sturdy,
finished wood or stone, filled with fine clothes, gold and silver items,
elaborate artwork, and so forth. Wouldn't the money put into this have been
better spent on a community water project, community wastewater project, better
housing, education of the populace, farming equipment, farm animals, or so
forth? This is not just a Christian/Catholic problem - the same problem exists
in poor villages in India with elaborate temples with gold artwork and/or
statues in their midst.
5) A great deal of time, energy, thought, and so forth are put into religion -
performing rituals, attending services, making theological connections, and so
forth. Some of this expends a great deal of emotion which would be better placed
elsewhere. Does it do much good to spend time worshiping an icon of God as
compared to spending that time and emotion on a person, a group of people, an
animal, studying something, a cause, a project, or whatever?
6) In some cases, more where it's legal or at least accepted, money from
everyone - believers, members of a religion, members of other religions - have
their money taken (tax money) used for something that only helps that religion.
That happened in Ponca City, Oklahoma where we used to live (part of why "used
to" is there). Tax money was used to fund a church community center. Tax money
was lent under extremely favorable terms to a YMCA - Young Mens CHRISTIAN
Association (emphasis mine), with the understanding that everyone in the
community could use it when finished - for residents whose taxes were used for
this, it was to be free. NOT SO. You've got to pay membership fee of several
hundred dollars per year. You've got to sign a statement that you are CHRISTIAN
and support CHRISTIAN VALUES. This leaves out freethinkers of all types, Jews,
Wiccans, Buddhists, and most absurdly MEMBERS OF THE NATIVE AMERICAN/TRIBAL
FAITHS. This seems particularly ludicrous as it's on a Native American
reservation!
In Colorado Springs, State money was used to put a "Focus on the Family
Visitor's Center this exit" on the freeway as an informational (green) sign. The
city put tax money into changing the streets as to accommodate the additional
traffic this mega-church (and other ones) created. HEY! I thought that's what
zoning permits were there partly to prevent (using a property in such a way that
the infrastructure could not support it), and what getting a zoning variance and
building permits partly support (pay to put in the infrastructure to support the
business I'm putting here - mall, factory, office building, etc). No - churches
are exempt from this. An absolute perversion of what the separation of church
and state means - government should be blind as to whether you're putting in a
mega church or a mall - but the traffic implications for street/road
improvements have to be considered and paid for.
7) Does it bother you one little bit that there are people with direct control over
the detonation of various Weapons of Mass Destruction who adhere to beliefs
predicting Armageddon "very soon", the final judgment of God, maybe a return
to God walking the earth or God walking the earth, and the good
people being taken to Paradise - Heaven - or the like, and they may be able to
see themselves as the one who can start all of this?
8) Some beliefs can cause or encourage people to do some bizarre things, against
their own best interest or the best interest of others. Some things that come to
mind include shunning or murdering children who are declared to be "witches",
the "Penitente" movement (guys that go out and crucify themselves), take drugs
to get "visions", encourage people to mutilate their bodies or the bodies of
others (especially children), engaging in long fasts, denying their children
medical care because of religious reasons (e.g., blood transfusions or
vaccinations). Medical care has risks and some of it may cause more harm than
good in some cases, but decisions (especially for others) should be made on
information, statistics, and such. Religion has been used to justify
discrimination of all types, including misogyny, homophobia, discrimination
against the physically handicapped (God is punishing them), murder or outrageous
abuse (exorcism) of the mentally ill (possessed by demons). It's been used
justify ownership of other people (slavery). It's often used to regulate the
sexual activity of the masses of people in various ways.
I suppose you have the right to harm yourself in these ways, although if done
for a "private" religion or belief, you would be declared mentally ill, whereas
if done for a common religion, you'd be praised for your faith, and be declared
a saint for it. What's the difference?
A lot of these things involve harm to others. And, by a general social contract (don't harm
me and I won't harm you), it's not good, right, or ethical to allow one person to harm another
just because he/she is told by God (directly through "direct revelation" or through a book
said to be holy) to do it is wrong.
"What's the harm in someone else holding a particular religious belief?"
Well, the short answer is "plenty".
The long answer...
1) If someone in a position to make laws or regulations has a particular belief,
they can enforce their belief on everyone, or have others be "second class
citizens". Cases in point were when former President Bush said that atheists
could not be patriotic, or when he signed a regulation as commander-in-chief
that Wiccans could not (officially) be in the military. All in a country with a
Constitution that states that there shall be no religious test for public
office.
2) When your real beliefs or lack thereof are decreed to be illegal - that you
must profess a different belief or be jailed or put to death - it makes a lot of
hypocrites - people who profess and/or swear particular beliefs but do no hold
them. It makes for lying to be acceptable in many/most people's minds. It's a
slippery slope to go from lying about faith in God to lying about anything or
everything else. Of course, if and when they find that you've lied in some ways
about your belief, you may be punished for it, whereas if they've found you've
lied in other ways, you may be excommunicated or shunned from the community -
including your home, livelihood, family, friends... Sometimes you can just say
"I'm sorry", and the religion will accept that even if it's not sincere - yet
another lie! If you choose not to lie, you get the negative consequences.
Where's the morality there?
3) When a large vocal minority or (shudder) a majority hold particular beliefs
which are in the way of actual progress that would make something somehow
better, it takes time away from the science or the teaching of science when all
of this has to be justified in light of a faith or more than one faith. All of
this debate and "teaching of the controversy" when none exists means less time,
energy, and money are available for teaching or working with science. It slows
down scientific progress. If some locations or nations are doing this, when
others are not, the nonreligious nations will make more scientific progress
because they don't have to take time out for religion. The non-religious will
make more progress. Of course, it still must be open to discussion about ethics
- SHOULD we use a scientific discovery for a particular purpose? Should we use
it at all (at this time)? An example would be atomic fission. Should we make
atom bombs? Should we make nuclear power plants? (with Chernobyl and Fukashima
and Three Mile Island as examples of what can go wrong). Should we learn more
FIRST?
4) If a certain portion of the wealth of a community - anything from village to
nation - is put to "glorifying God", rather than to the use of that community,
suffering may result. The most grotesque examples of this are very poor
villages, such as exist throughout much of Latin America, where people are
suffering from lack of basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, and so
forth while there is a huge, elaborate Church in town built out of sturdy,
finished wood or stone, filled with fine clothes, gold and silver items,
elaborate artwork, and so forth. Wouldn't the money put into this have been
better spent on a community water project, community wastewater project, better
housing, education of the populace, farming equipment, farm animals, or so
forth? This is not just a Christian/Catholic problem - the same problem exists
in poor villages in India with elaborate temples with gold artwork and/or
statues in their midst.
5) A great deal of time, energy, thought, and so forth are put into religion -
performing rituals, attending services, making theological connections, and so
forth. Some of this expends a great deal of emotion which would be better placed
elsewhere. Does it do much good to spend time worshiping an icon of God as
compared to spending that time and emotion on a person, a group of people, an
animal, studying something, a cause, a project, or whatever?
6) In some cases, more where it's legal or at least accepted, money from
everyone - believers, members of a religion, members of other religions - have
their money taken (tax money) used for something that only helps that religion.
That happened in Ponca City, Oklahoma where we used to live (part of why "used
to" is there). Tax money was used to fund a church community center. Tax money
was lent under extremely favorable terms to a YMCA - Young Mens CHRISTIAN
Association (emphasis mine), with the understanding that everyone in the
community could use it when finished - for residents whose taxes were used for
this, it was to be free. NOT SO. You've got to pay membership fee of several
hundred dollars per year. You've got to sign a statement that you are CHRISTIAN
and support CHRISTIAN VALUES. This leaves out freethinkers of all types, Jews,
Wiccans, Buddhists, and most absurdly MEMBERS OF THE NATIVE AMERICAN/TRIBAL
FAITHS. This seems particularly ludicrous as it's on a Native American
reservation!
In Colorado Springs, State money was used to put a "Focus on the Family
Visitor's Center this exit" on the freeway as an informational (green) sign. The
city put tax money into changing the streets as to accommodate the additional
traffic this mega-church (and other ones) created. HEY! I thought that's what
zoning permits were there partly to prevent (using a property in such a way that
the infrastructure could not support it), and what getting a zoning variance and
building permits partly support (pay to put in the infrastructure to support the
business I'm putting here - mall, factory, office building, etc). No - churches
are exempt from this. An absolute perversion of what the separation of church
and state means - government should be blind as to whether you're putting in a
mega church or a mall - but the traffic implications for street/road
improvements have to be considered and paid for.
7) Does it bother you one little bit that there are people with direct control over
the detonation of various Weapons of Mass Destruction who adhere to beliefs
predicting Armageddon "very soon", the final judgment of God, maybe a return
to God walking the earth or God walking the earth, and the good
people being taken to Paradise - Heaven - or the like, and they may be able to
see themselves as the one who can start all of this?
8) Some beliefs can cause or encourage people to do some bizarre things, against
their own best interest or the best interest of others. Some things that come to
mind include shunning or murdering children who are declared to be "witches",
the "Penitente" movement (guys that go out and crucify themselves), take drugs
to get "visions", encourage people to mutilate their bodies or the bodies of
others (especially children), engaging in long fasts, denying their children
medical care because of religious reasons (e.g., blood transfusions or
vaccinations). Medical care has risks and some of it may cause more harm than
good in some cases, but decisions (especially for others) should be made on
information, statistics, and such. Religion has been used to justify
discrimination of all types, including misogyny, homophobia, discrimination
against the physically handicapped (God is punishing them), murder or outrageous
abuse (exorcism) of the mentally ill (possessed by demons). It's been used
justify ownership of other people (slavery). It's often used to regulate the
sexual activity of the masses of people in various ways.
I suppose you have the right to harm yourself in these ways, although if done
for a "private" religion or belief, you would be declared mentally ill, whereas
if done for a common religion, you'd be praised for your faith, and be declared
a saint for it. What's the difference?
A lot of these things involve harm to others. And, by a general social contract (don't harm
me and I won't harm you), it's not good, right, or ethical to allow one person to harm another
just because he/she is told by God (directly through "direct revelation" or through a book
said to be holy) to do it is wrong.
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