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Apr. 26, 2006 Every day when I hear someone praising their imaginary god, attacking someone because they aren't of a certain religion, or blocking the work scientists are doing because they feel that work goes against the imaginary god they believe in, I ask myself – How is this possible? How is it possible for so many people to believe in the absurd stories told through religious scripture? How can anyone in their right mind actually believe that bushes at one time were able to talk, men could walk on water, and a single boat could carry two of every creature around the planet? Aside from a heightened imagination, has any good come from religion? From what I can tell, and from what history has shown us, no. Religion has done more to slow our intellectual and scientific progress, and to divide us than anything other force throughout our human history. It saddens me to know that so many people have allowed themselves to be persuaded by the mythology of religions like Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and have allowed the influence of those religions to destroy the stability and unity of our culture. Maybe at one time we needed religion. We needed something to give us quick and easy explanations to answer the whys and hows about ourselves and the universe. But with the advent of scientific research and revelation, and the advancement of psychiatric advice to help us with our internal problems, do we still need make-believe stories and religious gimmicks to console us? What good could come from forcing ourselves to believe in the fairy-tales and intolerance preached by religion? Are there any natural reasons outside of religious scripture to believe homosexuals are sinners? Are there any natural reasons outside of religious scripture to believe people who prefer one religion over another will burn for eternity in some mythological hell? If it weren't for religion, the world would be a far more unified and peaceful place. Religion has not only divided us, but it has made us ignorant and lazy. Instead of searching for complete answers about how our bodies, the planets, and our universe operate, many of us like to answer these questions with the three word reply "god did it" to avoid any kind of deep thinking. Can any good come from people who base their rationale on religion rather than science? What kind of a contribution to medicine could an answer like "god did it" make?
We need to grow up. We don't need to depend on religion for comfort
and guidance anymore. We're smart enough to console and guide
ourselves. Some religionists might attack me for being a materialist,
or a humanist, or for not centering my life on a god. But is there
anything really all that bad about basing your life on something real,
something that is based on nature, rather than on something made up by
poets and corrupt political groups? There is no reality to the ideas
in religion, and that is why they have to believed through faith
rather than experienced directly.
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