I have no trouble conceding that people gain some benefits from the practice of religion. However, I don’t think it is the beliefs that confer the benefit. When people are involved in stable communities, stable social situations and so on, they tend to be happier than when they are not. Many religious fellowships offer a support network that may be beneficial to the individuals who come into contact with that fellowship.

However that people gain benefits from religions does nothing to demonstrate the veracity of the dogmas or belief systems of those religions. And the benefits that are gained from religious fellowships may also be gained from membership in other communities.

As secular humanist communities and other freethought and rational communities gain strength, social networks which offer support to those members are also being formed. It takes time to do this, but there is plenty of evidence that it is happening.

There is no good thing that cannot be accomplished without the involvement of religions.

Posted: May 20th 2009

See all questions answered by George Ricker

It’s an interesting topic. It is true that some studies suggest that in very religious countries, people gather a lot of comfort from their beliefs.

But, if you look at the European countries where belief is much less common, you’ll see that people are much more satisfied and less worried about their lives.

I know from personal experience that the 3 or 4 people who I know who had serious mental issues were also deeply religious. I don’t know if there is any correlation there, but I’ve found it interesting.

Finally, I would certainly find the world much nicer if there weren’t children starving every day. But my wishes and beliefs about how I would like the world to be place no burden on how the universe is.

Posted: May 20th 2009

See all questions answered by Eric_PK

A little “suspension of disbelief” can be a pleasure: it allows us to imagine things we have never seen, and situations we may never experience, as we do when we read a book or see a movie. No-one’s saying that everyone has to look at the world with hard-nosed realism at all times. However, in my opinion, religion is an extension of this “suspension of disbelief”, and there can be cases when it goes too far, and prevents people from seeing and dealing with the world as it is.

Of course, when I talk like this, I get accused of wanting to deprive a little old lady of her religious comforter, exposing her to the bitter winds of reality. That is missing the point entirely, ignoring the personal history of the person in question. We know that “organised religion” can be more than just a statement of one’s current beliefs about gods; it is also part of the social life, history, and culture of a person, a town, or even a country.

As an ethically-minded atheist, I’m not here to knock all of that down: I concern myself with practical questions, such as “is it true?”, “is it causing harm?”, and “what is the best course of action”. On the other hand, if I was to say (as some have recently) that “people in Africa need religion”, I would think that an incredibly patronising thing to say: as if I was “above” all that, a superior person that does not need a religious crutch, compared to the primitive Africans. I can’t win … 8)

Posted: May 20th 2009

See all questions answered by brian thomson

By showing that the benefits of religion are not unique to religion.

The fear of death can be softened as much by the concept of a legacy and a well-lived life as by that of an afterlife.

The presence of a loving, caring parent or partner can be more reassuring than the idea of an all-powerful guardian who might at any time decide that His will is better served by your suffering than by your happiness.

The fruitless search for a divine purpose we are not even meant to know is less fulfilling than a purpose chosen by people themselves and then pursued full throttle.

Religious morality may be based on some absolute authority, but that authority might not even be there. Stronger ethics come from things which definitely exist, like logic, empathy and consensus. They can certainly be challenged, but the act of defending them makes them even stronger.

To my mind, the benefits of religion may be clear and present, but if they can come from elsewhere then it’s not worth putting up with the drawbacks inherent in religion.

Posted: May 19th 2009

See all questions answered by SmartLX

I think many more studies need to be done investigating the effects that religion has on people before we can get a better grasp of its effects. We are heading into that direction, especially with the work being done by Dr. Andy Thompson now that the taboo of directly questioning religion – without worrying about religious believers insisting that their beliefs be handled with deferential respect – is lessening.

The few studies available do point out some positive correlations between having religious beliefs and certain states of well being. But certain states of well being also are correlated with other, non religious activities/traits. So religious beliefs do not have a monopolistic correlation (and we are not even talking about any causation being proven) with states of well being.

Posted: May 19th 2009

See all questions answered by logicel