An argument I’ve seen before, in blogs, forums and so on, is this: that it doesn’t really matter whether God exists or not; religion does good, makes people live happier lives, and so it should be accepted, perhaps even encouraged.
It’s not something a fundamentalist theist would say, of course, but both liberal theists and some non-theists have argued for that. Do you agree with them? Or do you see a problem with it?
I do see a problem. Several, in fact.
First, we must question whether religion really does good. One could, here, cite the usual examples: the Inquisition, crusades, witch burnings, the harassment of scientists, the slaughtering of other cultures, and so on.
To which the proponents of that point would reply: that’s mostly in the past. Religion also does charity work around the world. And, anyway, believing in an all-loving God, in life after death, in going to a place of eternal bliss (if you behaved and believed, that is) after you die, makes people feel better, more comfortable. That’s a good thing, right?
Well, first of all, while those examples are mostly past ones, there are still many bad things coming from religion these days: banning of contraceptives, pedophile priests, “intelligent design” / anti-evolution / anti-science teaching, banning of stem cell research, attacks on abortion, and the general anti-reason, pro-blind faith teachings.
Second, it’s not necessarily true that religion makes people feel better. Even though many Christian sites try as hard as they can to convince readers that atheists must undoubtedly lead sad lives of grey emptiness and hopeless despair, it’s simply not true - as you can confirm by reading many atheist blogs and sites. Not wanting to start that discussion again (at least for now), many Christians tend to believe that this world is Satan’s, that there’s no point to this life except as a “test” to see whether you go to heaven or hell, that there’s no reason to try, in any way, to make either the world, or your life, any better, since it’s not “the real thing” anyway. It’s certainly not all of them, but there are far too many Christians of the “take me, lord Jesus!” variety for it to be a coincidence. And most Christians, to put it simply, believe that their lives don’t actually belong to them. How is that different from earthly slavery? How is that “good”?
However, even if it was shown that theists, on average, were a little happier than non-theists, there would still be a problem with encouraging belief, independently of whether God actually exists. A huge one, in fact.
Reality. And the (then) necessary evasion of it.
Young children live in fantasy worlds of their own making, and that’s perfectly normal and healthy. But adults aren’t supposed to live like that. We’re supposed to live in the real world, no matter how much we love fantasy or science fiction (and I do!). Any scientist, any inventor, any creator, was only able to do what he did because he dealt with reality on its own terms. Because he accepted that reality exists, that it’s not fluid, and that only by dealing with it honestly, without deluding himself, could he begin to understand it, to learn how it works, and how to use it to his own advantage.
Suppose you end up on a deserted island. You’re hungry. Do you try to find some berries to eat? Try to make a rudimentary weapon to hunt or fish? You’re cold. Do you attempt to build some kind of shelter?
Or do you simply refuse to believe in the facts around you? Believe as if you’re in a dream, and will wake up at any minute? Or, perhaps, simply sit and pray to God to save you?
The first case is of a man who accepts that reality is real, and deals with it honestly. The second one doesn’t, and, while he may have some comforting delusions for a while, he’s the one — I think you won’t dispute that — most likely to die of starvation in a couple of days.
Honesty isn’t just something desirable when dealing with others. It’s not merely something “social”. Honesty, when dealing with reality, can mean the difference between life and death.
Therefore, a belief in something that doesn’t exist, that isn’t real, is dishonest. It’s an evasion of reality - an immature, cowardly one, too. Encouraging it is harmful - it holds back one’s development as a rational adult, leaving one like a crippled being who, as a supposed “grown-up”, still has to run to his little fantasies and delusions, because reality is too scary for him to cope with.
In short: the only reason, the only possible motive to encourage religion would be if it was true - that is, if God really existed, and did so according to people’s beliefs. Because they certainly only cause harm — both in the physical and mental senses — otherwise.
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