Religion: a moral compass?

For those of us who had a religious upbringing, religion has always been a moral index. It would then come as no surprise when a church congregation seeking transport rebukes the offer by a bus named Hellraiser.

“I would pray before boarding it!” arises a reaction.
Religion defines our culture; it narrows the people we hang out with, chooses the way we dress, the way we speak, and the way we think. Judging from the solicitation going around in churches for example, it does plays a big role in society. In fact, mention the slightest doubt in the existence of a god and the response you get is close to a beating, if not the beating itself. It would however be interesting to note that non-believers take up 12% of the world population according to a survey done by flatworldknowledge.com.
Like any other institution, contrary to what we have known, religion represents both good and bad. Research suggests that it even promotes crime. According to “The New Criminology”, Max D. Schlapp and Edward E. Smith determined that the ratio of convicts without religious training is about 1:10, meaning that out of 10 convicts in a penitentiary, a whopping 9 have had religious training; a very strong indicator indeed that religion endorses crime. Here are reasons why:

1. The concept of original sin reinforces the idea that we are helpless to stop our criminal urges

2. “God works in Mysterious Ways” can diminish a person’s desire to make a difference because they believe it’s all part of some great plan

3. “Submit to and put your faith in God” can make you feel helpless to make your own decisions and reduce your confidence

4. Following the church, preacher, the holy text, etc. makes people more susceptible to propaganda and pressure from peers

5. “Religion will draw you toward goodness”. People take this to believe that it happens automatically so they never come to realize that it takes real willpower

6. When you are less able to see things from other people’s perspectives, you are less likely to feel compassion for them, and therefore, more capable of doing things that harm them

Bill Maher, a Comedian in the movie Religuluos suggests that religion suppresses one of our most important human attributes – doubt. It is absurd to take things on faith, without doubting or testing them in any way, and go on preaching that you really do have the answers. It is also absurd that we can find out everything there is to know by listening to our parents and elders. Our ability to question – question authority, question existence or question society – is critical for human progression.