Comments on: How Religion Poisons Everything

By: Paul Oliveri

Paul Oliveri — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:09:31 +0000

Not having read the book myself,except articles on the web regarding Mr. Hutchinson’s book one might agree on his premise but not with absolutism. Raised as a Catholic and having attended a releigious school,at least until junior high I must say it was an experience. The discipleneran actions of the nuns often defied logic and reasoning; at time it was as though the sisters were taking out their fustration on the pupils in the name of discipline. In present day possible they would be sent to jail.It has always been confounding to me where love and forgiveness is preached but very seldom sees adhered to, not to mention killing and sacrificing of animals to god as offerings of salvation.Pagan rituals for sure but refuted by those relious sect as being somehow different because He is an unseen god,but often heard by the chosen few!
It is bewildering as to whether some of these people actually belive what they say,or just expect others to belive because they wore the chosen? To me religion with very few exceptions, tends to put a human-especially the mind in quandry as to what action or lack of caused the result or situation. It is almost like walking in land mines.Is something done because they will go to heaven, or because it is my duty as another human being? How can you have dirction when tied with chains of obligations to direct you to that outcome. how can that be free choice? For many years I too have wrestled with rlegion and my own conscience,having seen so much hypocracy and double talk for so long, I’m glad of have coming to my senses to follow my own conscience and direction,although not perfect but it is easier to come to grip with things in this manner.It does not make sense to be able to reason and have a conscience only to be steered and herded in to a corral whether it be heaven or hell; free choice means having the ability to choose the direction, even if its bad other wise, one cannot be considered to have a free will. There is no sense in going into the usual arguments,because to me they just don’t jive; love cannot be conditional,otherwise it is not free, if it comes with a price of consequence.This is the problem with most relegions its not so much the choices but the consequences of not adhering to a specific doctrine, often not being certain if it is God,or that man uses God as a tool to dictate the other men.Hopefully perhaps in the not to distant future men and women will come to the realization and take charge of their own conscience and mind rather than be indoctrinated into the fallacy of the chosen few.

By: Deep Thought

Deep Thought — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 03:24:05 +0000

Vihar,
Of course, you are making some errors and assumptions. First of all, religious people can be just as rational and scientific as atheists. Second, it appears, statistically, that people cannot fill that ‘hole’ you speak of with reason and science – thus, the non-religious are unhealthier and unhappier. Third, what is more concrete than ‘religious people are healthier and happier than the non-religious’? Maybe the studies that show that religious people make more money, give more to charity, and volunteer more of their time to charity? What is more concrete than the fact that religious people – regardless of education and socio-economic status, religious people are healthier and happier than the non-religious. That’s pretty concrete!

By: Vihar Sheth

Vihar Sheth — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:55:48 +0000

Deep Thought,

Thanks for the info. I believe it’s not religion that helps people be healthier and more successful (potentially) but the state of mind that it brings. Uncertainty causes stress, which is inherently unhealthy. For some, religion removes that uncertainty, not because it has any validity, but because it fills a hole, allowing people to no longer question their purpose or where they came from, and thus allowing them to focus on family and business. Of course, other people have the ability to fill that hole with reason and science. I’m not saying I’m better or worse than others, just that I appreciate that I can abate my uncertainties about life with something more concrete, and explainable. I’m really interested to see what additional research shows about the “god gene”. As with almost everything, genetics predisposes to certain mental, physical and emotional states.

By: Deep Thought

Deep Thought — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:18:50 +0000

Vihar,
Actually, religion is making a rebound world-wide with such a surge that demographers are scrambling to understand what is going on. Everyone knows that women with more education and more wealth have fewer kids, right? Not anymore! In the last 20 years or so there has been an accelerating exception to this rule – religious women (defined as women who attend religious services at least once a week) have *more* kids as their education and wealth increase, now. In the meantime, non-religious women still follow the ‘old rule’.

Toss into the mix the stats that show that religious people are healthier and more successful in business and religion world wide and other little bits (i.e., religious people marry earlier and stay married more often [another change] and married people are healthier and wealthier) and you see something that is counter to what we are told to expect – the largest predicted percentage gains in religious belief within populations over the next 100 years are in the most educated and wealthiest Westerners!

By: Vihar Sheth

Vihar Sheth — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:52:32 +0000

I really hope Deep Thought isn’t right but I do have a fear that the stat may be true. As long as entire regions of the world remain marginalized, the less fortunate will have nowhere to turn to but religion, and that won’t get them any closer to a better life. We can thank the world’s super powers for that. Oh, they should also heard all the poor into flood zones and then pollute the world so badly that flooding kills most of them. What? It’s happening already?