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In such times, having nowhere else to turn, so much of America, in conformity with the nearly unanimous incan'tations of our leaders, turn to a god. Even if untrue, they say, it is a necessary and valuable comfort.
I, for one, donØt believe it. Of course, it is presumptuous at best to ridicule or attempt to interfere with the private observance of religion, and certainly there are individuals who do indeed depend on delusions to get through life. As I would not go into a bar and announce, "Liquor rots your liver!" I would not go into a church or a religious home and announce that religion is an unnecessary burden.
It is, however, as true of religion as of alcohol that the majority of people who really believe they are helped are not, and are probably hurt by it.
LetØs look at some claims of religionØs personal benefits.
The best documented, of course, is that regular church attendance promotes good health. Indeed, there is a strong correlation between health, especially in the elderly, and church attendance. The obvious explanations for this are numerous, including the fact that healthy people are more likely to be anywhere outside their homes.
More important, though, is the social network provided
by many organizations, not just religious ones. We like to think
we are providing that here in AU, and we are constantly working on strengthening
it.
The one, of course, weØve heard the most about
in the past months, is prayer. It is, for me, the easiest to understand
of all the lures of religious fantasy. In the face of so many great
tragedies and small hardships, we are helpless, and the fantasy that we
can help is tempting. Everyone who has ever supported a sports team
with cheers understands this. But when your team loses, you are allowed
to experience disappointment, even anger. The faithful are left to
contemplate why their god denied their request.
This must have been difficult for those who prayed for the rescuers at the Trade Center and in Oklahoma City, where such prayers were answered with menacing rains.
Meditation does have real health and psychological benefits. In prayer, however, this is often weakened as the contemplation turns into fantasy.
Religion may have some origins in our natural desire to deny death. But the tears shed at Christian funerals suggest the few really believe in a heaven where all is good and everyone will meet bye and bye. And people who really believed in a hell with eternal punishment would not take the chance of committing any sins.
I have heard believers tell me that they need a god to keep them from raping, stealing, murdering. The fact that a religionist is twice as likely as an atheist to go to prison suggests they misunderstand the reason for their putative good behavior.
People often attribute their inspiration to do good works to their faith. I think they are sincere; but we know that heroes like Thomas Paine and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were inspired, as we are, by their rational view of the world and their humanistic values. In fact, in social animals such as we are, evolution favors groups which cooperate.
Because religion is entirely the construct of human imagination, there is no limit to the benefits it claims, but these are the ones most touted. Those who try desperately to find the comfort they have been promised in religion are victims of a cruel hoax.
Religion is sometimes called The Noble Lie. There are white lies, harmless lies, stupid lies, dramatic lies and strategic lies. There are lies of convenience lies of necessity.
But only truth can be noble.