{"id":1784,"date":"2018-06-15T14:09:55","date_gmt":"2018-06-15T13:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/religion-law-and-the-constitution\/?p=1784"},"modified":"2025-11-26T11:21:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T11:21:35","slug":"religion-is-it-bad-for-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.manchester.ac.uk\/religion-law-and-the-constitution\/2018\/06\/15\/religion-is-it-bad-for-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion: Is it bad for us?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For those who don\u2019t feel like taking a thriller or romance to the beach this summer, a couple of interesting books have just hit the shelves: \u2018Dangerous Illusions: How Religion Deprive Us of Happiness\u2019<\/em> by Vitaly Malkin, and a new edition of \u2018Is Religion Dangerous?\u2019 <\/em>by Keith Ward.\u00a0 In different ways, both essentially ask the perennial question of whether religion is a blessing or a curse to the human species.\u00a0 Of course, exploring this conundrum inevitably spills over into asking \u2018Should<\/em> people be religious?\u2019 at which point this becomes very personal.<\/p>\n

There is no denying that extremist beliefs are often associated with faith in the popular imagination, and \u2018most wars are caused by religion\u2019 is a line frequently trotted out in the course of internet and pub debates. However, in actual fact, academic research shows that wars almost always have multiple causes, and only a fairly small minority involve religion as one of the dominant ones.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to deny that some<\/em> religious communities and ideologies foster beliefs which are deeply damaging and destructive, and some religious groups are accused of treating women, LGBTQ people, children, animals and the environment unfairly, not to mention being resistant to beneficial scientific and social progress.\u00a0 It has to be acknowledged that these claims are not without foundation, because people of faith are sometimes guilty as charged there.\u00a0 But, and it is a big BUT, many religious people defend the equal rights, dignity and beauty of all human beings (regardless of gender, sexuality or race), promote a compassionate stance towards animals and the environment, are passionate about advancing scientific knowledge and social justice, and feel that their faith is a motivating factor behind this.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also undeniable that some citizens who regard themselves as Atheist, Agnostic or Undecided cling to behaviours and beliefs which are oppressive, bigoted, selfish or dangerously irrational.\u00a0 \u00a0Fortunately, they are a minority and they meet with the strong rejection of mainstream society, but this week regrettably we have again seen headlines about individuals prosecuted for sending letters promoting \u2018Punish a Muslim Day\u2019, as well white supremacists in the UK on trial for plotting to murder an MP with a machete.\u00a0 Furthermore, a celebrity make-up \u2018expert\u2019 has very publically joined the ranks of the \u2018anti-vax\u2019 campaign, opting to reject the conclusion of evidence based medicine that failure to vaccinate children puts them, and others, <\/em>at increased risk of death, brain-damage, blindness, deafness and other tragic outcomes of preventable diseases.<\/p>\n

The truth is that whether an individual identifies as Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Pagan or Spiritual does not tell you whether or not they happen to be racist or homophobic, nor whether they base their decisions on health-care or empirical data and peer reviewed studies.\u00a0 The questions are, in fact, unrelated, and adopting an antagonistic or stereotypical view towards another person or group on the basis of flawed assumptions is not the most appropriate way to build a positive and cohesive society.<\/p>\n

Human beings have a deep-rooted desire to divide the world into mental categories of them and us, insiders and outsiders.\u00a0 If any further proof were needed, recent media coverage of debates around the Brexit process illustrate this all too clearly: with accusations, counter-accusations and ad hominem attacks now apparently endemic.\u00a0 That kind of binary thought might have been a useful strategy in prior stages of our historical development, but in the twenty-first century relying on such a polarised formula is in no way beneficial.\u00a0 Given that for all of our technological sophistication, human rights abuses are rife around the globe, and we are rapidly rendering our planet uninhabitable, we desperately need to adopt a more sophisticated approach.\u00a0 Rather than labeling religion as a problem (or alternatively, as a blessing), we need to examine carefully what stance is being taken on a concrete question and why.<\/p>\n

Related Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kat Von D: The make-up mogul who has reignited the \u2018anti-vax\u2019 row<\/a> BBC News (14\/6\/18)<\/p>\n

Punish a Muslim Day letter suspect charged<\/a>\u00a0 BBC News (14\/6\/18)<\/p>\n

Tory rebel Dominic Grieve insists he is not out to destroy Brexit: So what is he doing addressing a secret meeting in the EU\u2019s London HQ of those plotting to reverse it?<\/a> Daily Mail (13\/6\/18)<\/p>\n

National Action Trial: Neo-Nazi admits terror plot to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper with a machete<\/a> The Independent (12\/6\/18)<\/p>\n

Do Orthodox Jews Believe in Vaccines<\/a> Jew in the City (3\/2\/15)<\/p>\n

Does Religion Cause War?<\/a>\u00a0 Huffington Post (18\/11\/14)<\/p>\n

Sex and death lie at the poisoned heart of religion<\/a> The Guardian (14\/9\/10)<\/p>\n

Humanists UK: Complementary and Alternative Medicine<\/a> Humanists UK<\/p>\n

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