[A]ttempt to disabuse aficionados of the brain-warping faiths in the name of which so much blood has been and is being spilled, and so much unnecessary anguish forced on so many innocents, and they will quite likely shower you with abuse, calling you an agent of Satan, morally deficient, intolerant, or just plain disrespectful…. Religion - which is to say, a construct of comprehensive, evidence-free propositions about our universe and mankind, entertained with often fanatical certitude - enjoys, even in 2016, undeserved respect, tax exemptions costing government coffers $71 billion annually, and even a place of honor on our currency. In the world’s first secular republic, this is an outrage.
For the most part, I try not to write in specific terms about the specifics of my religious/spiritual beliefs. Though my conviction that I’m good without God is no secret (nor have I attempted to camouflage it) I’ve tried to limit my writing about religion to specific issues. There are times, though, when I find myself frustrated in the extreme with those whose attachment to their religious beliefs allows them to shed reason and rationality and travel to the realm of intolerance and judgment.
I understand the power of faith, and I realize that for some a core belief in a higher power is what anchors their existence…and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. That beautiful thing about this country is that one of its features is the freedom of religion, the right to hold such beliefs as you see fit. Unfortunately, the flip side of that is the far too many who would use their faith as a club with which to bludgeon others. I may not feel as strongly as the author of this article, that
all religions are nothing more than man-made contrivances of domination and submission, exploited by humans for mundane ends, and accoutered with sundry superstitious rituals meant to ensure tribal loyalty and generate animosity toward outsiders.
When you consider the untold suffering inflicted upon human beings in the name of religion- gays tossed from rooftops, female genital mutilation, shunning, the Crusades, the Holocaust, to name but a few examples- a reasonable person might wonder how something so positive in theory could be used to justify the creation of so much torment and bloodshed.
Considering what’s been done in the name of religion, it doesn’t take much to understand why one might choose to believe they’re good without God. Why would anyone choose to believe in an unproven, unseeable Supreme Being or force who would allow for so much suffering, bloodshed, and generalized mayhem to be dished out in their name?
The baseline for progressives should be, however, the truth. If a proposition, however unpleasant, can be supported by objective evidence, we need to recognize it as true, at least until new evidence arises that disproves it. If we’re interested in the wellbeing of our fellows, and we see them behaving in accordance with disproven propositions, we should tell them so and help them see the light. We should, thus, importune our faith-addled friend on the way to the church, mosque, or synagogue, and patiently explain to him the errors of his ways. He needs religion, in short, like a hole in the head or an icepick up the eye socket, and we should tell him so.
I would certainly agree that living in the reality-based world is an infinitely preferable place to be. Depending on evidence and objectivity as guideposts will in most cases lead to a happier and more productive existence. If the world could operate in this realm, I suspect it would be a happier and less restive and conflict-riven place.
Where I part ways with the author is his assertion that we owe it to the religious people in our lives to “help them see the light” and explain to them the “error” of his ways. I’d agree that in a milieu in which empirical truth is the highest uniformly accepted value, helping someone “see the light” might make sense. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, using my own family as an example, it’s that assuming you can reason with the unreasonable is a fallacy. Frankly, you’d be better off slamming your head into a wall; you’ll end up with the same headache without the accompanying exasperation. The faithful believe what they believe, and for many no amount of persuasion and/or evidence to the contrary will sway them.
Not all religious people are unreasonable, but there’s something in the human psyche that causes many religiously inclined people to cling to their beliefs with an intense, unshakeable devotion that can be surprisingly impervious to reason. If asked, I will discuss religion and its fallacies with someone who’s curious and inclined to listen. Assuming that appealing to one’s sense of reason will cause them to see “their errors of his [or her] ways” is a recipe for frustration…because very often, they’ll be trying to appeal to you to accept their religious beliefs.
Discussing religion is not a way to effect a meeting of the minds; quite the opposite, in fact. My experience has been that religion should be discussed only in the abstract. When you begin discussing (or worse, questioning) another’s religious faith, that person likely as not will take such an inquisition as a personal attack.
We may think of our “faith-addled friends” as delusional and unreasonably attached to an empirically unsupportable belief system…and that may very well be true. Before you approach them in that vein, however, you might want to consider that they might just see you as “lost” and in need of “salvation.” That gap, at least in my experience, is exceedingly difficult, and very often impossible, to bridge. This is why I rarely discuss religion with anyone, even friends and family. If asked, I will discuss my beliefs. As much as I hate the term “atheist,” burdened with too much emotionally baggage, it’s the most accurate description of my spiritual and religious beliefs. Several members of both sides of my family are deeply religious, and I try to be respectful of that. With one notable exception, the same has been returned to me, and I appreciate that.
Live and let live. Respect me and my beliefs and I will do the same for you. The sad thing is that such mutual respect seems to be in such short supply these days. That so many millions have died in the name of religion over the course of human history speaks to the destructive nature in far too many of those who claim to follow religions that teach love, tolerance, and acceptance. I’d like to be able to disabuse people of the destructive notion that believing fervently in an unseeable concept is dangerous as it is intellectually untenable…but I know that will never happen.
And so I try to live my life in a way that reflect the values I hold dear- love, compassion, charity, acceptance, and tolerance. I may not be able to change hearts and minds, but I can set an example. Sometimes that’s the best- and only- real option available.
