Most people throughout history have believed in them. Most people alive today do the same. The tradition propagates down the timeline by force and conformity. Of course I am speaking of the greatest package of logical fallacies to ever be accepted by the overwhelming majority of people - religion.

First off, let’s agree on a common definition of what religion actually is - the belief in deities and/or objects and lifestyles based on pure faith. It is the last word that really defines the concept of faith. The inexhaustible self convincing cycle of telling oneself that there is indeed a greater being or plan which guides us toward salvation. In terms of logic this is known as proof by assertion -in other words repeating the same thing over and over as to suggest that such repetition would make something actually become true. It is indeed such mindless repetition that has convinced most people that there is a god, a Buddha or Allah (praise be to him). It is indeed also the key to modern propaganda - simply and repeating until every idiot understands it. After all, how much easier does it get than to suggest that everything good that happened in your life is due to the existence and guidance of your favorite deity.

This brings us to the next issue which religion seems to love doing to people - it is an excuse for people to surrender their human curiosity. Why question how things truly work when we can simply say god did it? It doesn’t even seem to matter whether it was an event caused by human decisions - if it somehow affects you personally, god did it because you have sinned. If you win the lottery, it’s not because of statistical chance and well understood mechanics of probability, but because god did it. If god does all these awesome things, why bother trying in life when the old guy in the sky can take care of everything for you?

God only helps those who help themselves. You can find variations of this in any deity based faith. It is a safety net provided to people so that they give credit to god when their own hard efforts pay off. The result is a culture of self-deprecation as a result of the assertion that humans are little more than puppets of a greater being. There is no longer the need for aspiration other than to serve the lord almighty in his self-serving glory. If everything we do is the will of god, then we are but a cosmic game of chess. One big flaw in the idea of god doing everything is that if god was responsible for our glorious and bountiful civilization, why are there so many problems in our biology, society and economy? The devil did it? One imaginary friend is enough, thank you. God wants to punish us? Why should we believe in such a being? Why would god care? Believers of such faiths will discount these essential questions by stating that one should not question the will of god. I beg to differ by asking why the hell not!

Religion is an excuse for irrational actions taken by those who have a little too much faith. It is not too hard to find examples of these events in history. Muslim fanatics caused the fall of the World Trade Center 1 and 2 in New York, 2001. Christian kings were responsible for the crusades in the early second millennium. Judaism is the central reason for conflict between Israel and Palestine. Some Buddhists sacrifice themselves to make their point. See where this is going? Religion is responsible for an incredible death count. But it also plays a role in the everyday lives of citizens in any country. People pour incredible amounts of money into the churches of their faith. This is for the most part a burden on the economy which could better allocated to useful things such as education and hospitals.

On a side note, please take a look at this clip from the science fiction series Stargate SG-1 as it sets up the storyline of an evil army preparing for war:

Now take note that this is not too far off from what some faith-driven people are actually doing:

It is not a pretty sight. Granted this comparison represents the minority of religious people, but it also represents just what religion does to people who take it too seriously.

Equally significant is the sheer amount of time people spend on religious activities. Going to church, praying and reading your holy book of choice are some of the most unproductive ways to spend time. Instead you could be working or educating yourself or making love. Life is too short to be wasting it on belief systems that tell you not to do things which will move you forward in life, possibly compelling you to commit unforgivable deeds. Which brings us to the next issue - where did people ever get the idea from that they have to have faith in order to be well mannered and behaved citizens? The concept of life after death trivializes life itself, if anything. Why shy away from killing people when you know they will live on in some paradise? Not to mention the threat of “hell” is nothing more than getting people to be nice out of fear rather than to be good for the sake of being so and living in harmony with others.

Needless to say there are more issues about religion that I could rant about, but I leave that task to the likes of Richard Dawkins and likeminded people. With so many different things pointed out it is hard not to realize that religion is BS and that we would all be better off without it. Instead I propose that people have more faith in themselves and placebo-effect themselves to being better people and in turn forming a better society that is based on good will rather than fear of the almighty.

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