What are the pros and cons of organised religion?
Pros: All religions give a person a sense of what life is all about–what our purpose *is*. They provide an idea of the afterlife. Organized religion specifically can allow people to feel safe and comforted. The routine and structure provide reassurance, and the divine books give guidance. There is a feeling of belonging, and of commonality (with other believers, anyhow). Cons: Some people interpret the structure of their religion as an injunction against independent thought (there are “fundies” in all organized religions). It can feel restrictive to people who don’t like hierarchy or edicts. The same thing that makes some feel reassured can make others feel claustrophobic. Hypocrisy is common–not because the religion is invalid, but because people are, well, people–and flaws are magnified when you have a systematic religion. This can be disillusioning. None of that negates the value of organized religion. Whatever floats your boat, I say.
Con’s: war, death and destruction in the name of a mythical deity, subversion of science due to failure on science’s part to agree with defunct hypothesi of natural laws postulated by religion as the answer to the “great questions”, failure of society to adapt to newer ways of doing things based on challenges to “morality” which is no longer applicable to modern norms of living, racism based on scriptural applications, child abuse justified by scriptural statements, manipulation of masses using ignorance and fear, tremendous wastes of time and resources to further the organised religion’s causes, loss of revenue due to protection from taxation of religious institutions, molestation of defenseless children by clergy, abuses of political authority based on moral objections to constitutional protections….these are just a few! Pro’s: haven’t come up with any yet…..
