| | | Good morning Bob,
Religion's role is a subject that I have thought about a fair bit. My conclusion is that in the modern world, strong limitations should be put on religious organizations because without it, far more harm will come from them than good.
Why? There are two reasons for it. Firstly, the greatest human atrocities always happen for the "greater good." Left on our own, most of us have some sort of checks and balances (consciously or not) that prevents us from going too extreme for too long. But religions, with their emphasis on eternity and absolutist views obscure those checks and balances and can lead people to commit the most horrendous acts.
Secondly, and just as importantly, this power of religion is a magnet for the scoundrels and the sociopaths. We often say that power corrupts, and it is true, but it is equally true that power attracts the corrupt. A child mollestor can dream of no better job than being a priest - someone cloaked in a position of moral authority beyond reproach. A sociopath can dream of no better position than one where people just trust him and do as he preaches. A scoundrel can go on TV with no shame claiming that God wants him to have a new private jet even though he already has two and that money sent to him will prompt the almighty to cure your cancer or give you tenfold in the afterlife.
This combination - of the absolutist perspective and its lure to the wrong people makes Big Religion too dangerous.
For an individual, religion is not a bad thing. It gives people a moral compass and the endurance to deal with life's misfortunes. But as a collective, specially a big collective, it is terrible. |
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