freeinfidel

Religion has a pernicious effect on our lives partly because it is immune from truth and reason. To understand what I mean, take a look at the forces that affect us.

The laws of the land describe and circumscribe what is regarded as acceptable behaviour. We may think the law an ass - it often seems arbitrary and inflexible. But laws get changed. Evolving social ideas and morals put a constant pressure on our legal frameworks forcing them to adapt. For example, most people find capital punishment abhorrent, and its use is now confined mainly to the more backward corners of the world.

The actions of politicians are similarly subject to social pressure. Few people think of politicians as bastions of truth, but they have to be elected and that means that any divergence from truthfulness or socially acceptable behaviour puts politicians in danger of losing their grip on power. Politics may not be built on truth, but it is vulnerable to it.

Not so religion. In fact, religion openly disdains truth. It prefers belief. If facts or experience contradict the dogma, the dogma is always ‘right’.

So why is it, exactly, that we are supposed to respect religion? Personally, I prefer truth every time.

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