Is Religion Really A Bad Thing? A Response to "The Real Scandel of Religion"

Rather than simply commenting on Jasmine's blog post, I felt that what I had to say would be large enough to create a separate post entirely.

" 'It is very difficult to understand how those who worship a man on a cross could help to drive the bloody nails themselves.' - Copyright 2009, Washington Post Writers Group

The article basically talks about how many religious people are able to commit terrible murders, and yet they are people of god. And it doesn’t just talk about terrible crimes like what Hitler did; it also talks about how religious people do things like save themselves instead of helping others."

There is one major flaw that I see in the argument that it is difficult to understand why religious people commit such violent acts and are still people of God. If you remember Dan Merrill's post about the myth of pure evil, you should see that it's obvious that these religious fanatics are not seeing their acts as unjustified. They see their acts as the right thing to do. They are deluded into thinking they are acting for the greater good.

"Moral Idealism
- Good vs. Evil (your violence is a means to a moral end)
- The ends justify the means"

Now you may be thinking, "so religion is the cause of these people thinking this way and acting violently" to which I say that there are always people who take something good and twist it around. Medicine is a good example. Take the technology that is being used to treat patients. Drugs. These drugs that are good in the right cases can be misused. Governments can use the chemicals during wars as attacks on enemy soldiers or civilians.

"I realize that most people that do commit crimes or murder people are religious to begin with. It also makes me wonder, is religion really necessary on this planet? I’m sure we could live without it."

Religion has caused some people to commit acts of violence, this is true. Hindsight is twenty-twenty as the saying goes. But don't let the violence get in the way of looking at the good things religion has done. It has given countless people new directions in their lives when their current paths may have led to destruction or violence. So before you go and say your sure that we could live without religion, think about the good things religion has done. Not only that, think about human nature and the way the brain usually works.

The brain makes up stories. Many believe this is the reason why man has created a God or gods and other spiritual stories. Would it really make sense to try and fight the natural tendency of the brain to come up with explanations? There are many stories of religion giving people hope to live or peace with the idea of passing on. Would you think to take away a pleasant thought from a dying man or woman? I believe that religion is not only necessary in this world, but I think that it is only human nature to want to believe in something bigger than we are. Think about it. If you were bedridden in a hospital bed and the doctor came in and gave you 2 months to live due to an incurable disease, what would be more comforting. The idea that you are about to die...and that's it? Or the idea that you are about to die, but you at least have something to look forward to? Not all is lost.

I guess the question that I have this week is: Would rather know that you'll be dead in the ground, or believe that there may be some kind of existence after death?