well, first of all I just want to say that I don't condemn anyone for being religious, it is a personal and private choice, but the religious way of thinking is fundamentally flawed in every way.
All religion originated when early man needed a way to explain the world around him. Science was very primitive or nonexistent in the early days of humanity, so they used religion to explain their observations. Religion WAS science for early humans. Things like rainbows couldn't be explained logically at this point, so stories were created to help people feel like they had a grasp on the world around them.
Jump forward thousands of years, to about the 9th century BC, to ancient Greek and Roman times. (Obviously there were many other forms of religion, but these serve as good examples.) There were gods to explain everything, from spider webs to the phases of the moon. Once again, this was science to these people. It was the best way they had to explain the universe around them. But then something started to happen- people like Plato and Archimedes started making great leaps and bounds in the world of science and mathematics. These were the true beginnings of modern science as we know it, the science that is somehow so condemned by religion.
As science started to advance, religion was forced to retreat. Religion was forced to become increasingly vague as many of its atrocious logical fallacies were debunked by science. More and more phenomena that were once explained with gods and miracles were now explained with logic, observation, and reasoning. Religion was forced to retreat because it was based on sheer speculation and imagination. Science was based on evidence and irrefutable empirical data. Many people had always counted on religion as a concrete and unquestionable explanation for all existence. As a result, some of the greatest minds in history were met with great resistance when they presented then radically new ideas that are now accepted as some of the building blocks of the functioning of the universe. Some great examples are:
-Newton
-Descartes
-Copernicus
the retreat of religion into increasingly vague territory spawned Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, i.e. the modern religions. They are just vague enough to be believable to many people (especially the concepts of God, heaven, hell, etc., which are impossible to disprove, but only because they are impossible to prove). Christians often say that the "theory of creationism should be taught in schools. No. It shouldn't. It isn't science. It isn't based on fact. It isn't true. This brings me to several main points I would like to make about religion in modern times.
1.) Literal translation of the Old Testament is simply not true, as proved by science, logic, and reason. Noah's Ark? Didn't happen. Rainbows are God's promise that he won't flood the earth? Nope, refraction of light through raindrops. Evolution is false? Mountains of empirical data and evidence back it up. All of mankind spawned from Adam and Eve? Absolutely impossible. The Earth is only 6000 years old? Once again, absolutely false. And the list goes on...
Literal translation of the Old Testament only applies to a narrow spectrum of modern religion, so I'll continue with some broader points.
2.) There simply is no proof of God, heaven, hell, miracles, etc. There is absolutely no evidence of this. Period.
3.) Usually when faced with the preceding statement, a religious person will respond with "But I have faith. Faith is why I believe in these things." This "faith" is just another way for someone to say that they simply don't know that these things are true. They read a single text, and listened to a group of similarly disillusioned people, and decided that they wanted to believe in this. This usually happens for several reasons:
a.) They can't deal with the fact that they don't know why we exist, or why extraordinary phenomena occur. Religion gives them a sense of security, and a sense of control over their ultimate fate.
b.) They assume that since so many OTHER people are religious, there might be something to it, and use a simple risk analysis to determine that they'd rather be religious than risk going to hell. Since religion requires that one truly believe in its principles and ideals in order to be "saved," this kind of religious person subconsciously blocks out doubts they may have about religion.
c.) They have been brainwashed. This happens more often than one might think. A good example of a brainwashing Christian is someone like Joel Osteen.
d.) They have been "converted." This often happens when Christians embark on mission trips to less fortunate nations. The people in these areas are often easy prey for religious zealots; they are often uneducated, and are of course willing to believe any bullshit religious doctrine... because the missionaries are feeding and clothing them. Although mission trips do much good in the way of feeding, clothing, and sheltering the less fortunate, they cruelly strip away any free thought that these people may have had an opportunity to experience otherwise.
e.) They have been raised in a religious culture/tradition. This applies to much of America. You were raised as a Christian, and you know no other way of life. When I first started embracing agnosticism and atheism, I was honestly nervous and unsure. However, I am now much happier and better off because of my choice. This also applies to Islam; their strict religious doctrines allow for no freedom of thought whatsoever in the realm of religion.
4.) Point #2 may also be met with: "Yes, there is evidence of [miracles, God, heaven, hell, etc.]. I have personally witnessed it." No, you haven't. If someone prays to God, and it comes true, it was going to happen anyway. When someone prays to God and it doesn't come true, they often reply with "God works in mysterious ways." This is another way of saying "I don't know why things happen." The same applies to miracles. A "miracle" can be loosely defined as something that happens when the odds are against its occurrence. Just because something defies probability doesn't mean that it was a miracle. That would be like saying "since it is unlikely that I roll a 12 with these two 6-sided dice, it will be a miracle if I do it 10 times in a row." Although this is improbable, it is certainly possible, and there is absolutely no evidence for divine intervention. Anything in any religious text that actually DID happen, and was hailed as a miracle, can be explained by science. Although certain phenomena cannot fully be explained by science, the probability that they are spiritual events is very low. Admittedly, the possibility is there, but it is a logical fallacy to assume that unexplainable phenomena are acts of God, because there is absolutely no evidence, proof, or logical reasoning used to arrive at that conclusion.
5.) Religion is a hazard to humankind for many reasons. These reasons include:
a.) Crippling of the advancement of science, which is essentially equivalent to the crippling of the advancement of the human race.
b.) The deaths of millions of people in unspeakable acts done in the name of religion. Many such acts are detailed in the Bible, such as the mass slaughter of thousands of people for not being Christians. The Crusades, countless terrorists attacks in the name of Islam, and the Salem Witch Trials are a few well-known examples of murder in the name of religion.
c.) Religion stifles free thought, which is an essential human right.
d.) Far too often, radical religious practices lead to corruption. Televangelists like Joel Osteen steal millions of dollars every year from innocent, brainwashed Christians. Celibate Catholic priests rape small children, scarring them for life. In a more general sense, people use Christianity as an excuse to perform immoral acts, because they are under the assumption that God will always love them, and whatever "sins" they commit can be erased through repentance. Again, this process is often subconscious, which makes it even more dangerous.
6.) Religion was once a philosophy to explain the world around us. There is no reason why it should be any different in modern times. Instead of vehemently opposing science, religion should embrace it. Religion is meant to be an explanation for the unknown, and as we uncover more of the unknown through science, religion is needed to explain less. We truly don't know what happens after we die, so philosophy and religion are needed to fill that gap. However, we should NOT invent complicated, contradictory doctrines like that of Christianity and Islam.
"With or without religion, good people will do good, and evil people will do evil. But for good people to do evil, that takes religion."-Steven Weinberg'
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