Weekly Poll: Is Religion More a Force for Good or Evil?
Weekly Poll: Is Religion More a Force for Good or Evil? Thursday February 21, 2008 A common criticism made by atheists against religion is its record of violence, warfare, bigotry, prejudice, and hatred. Many religions proclaim that they are peaceful and opposed to violence, but these same religions generally have traditions in which violence, war, and aggression not only exist and are not only permitted, but are in fact sanctified. To be “sanctified” means “to be made holy” thus violence becomes a form of religious devotion like prayer or reading sacred scripture. This suggests that the problem for religions goes much deeper than a contradiction between theory (proclamations of peace) and practice (violent behavior), but is instead a conflict between two important and fundamental aspects of religious theory: one part that treats peace as holy and another that treats violence as holy. Religion is definitely a mixed bag. There are aspects which inspire goodness in people, but also aspec
