Organised Religion has damaged the world

ISSUE:
Religion continues to be associated with violent fanaticism, as religion-inspired horror
occurs with "unceasing regularity. Whether the struggles occur among Sikhs, Muslims and
Hindus in India, or between Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem". No major world religion has
avoided generating violence extremist movements from within its ranks. This has been the
case "since time immemorial". Religion-inspired violence is the stimulus for some people to
call for the abandonment of religion altogether- it's not worth the risk. Monotheism has
bred the most violent individuals and cultures due its intolerance of 'other' gods and a
general strictness on the specifics of belief but, other forms of religion also breed antisocial
and violent individuals.

INSIGHTS:
Three factors lead believers into uncivil behaviour.
(1) The irrationality of belief
(2) The legitimization given to actions by beliefs in higher authorities, without the teaching
of any critical and skeptical way of judging between claims as to what those higher
authorities would want. For some people, voices in their heads are all that are required as
long as they believe in god(s) which have authority to speak to them. For others, including
atheist skeptics, such voices are immediate warning signs of impending mental ill health.
(3) An otherworldly idealism and fixation with the corruptness, evilness or immorality of this
world often pushes groups into extreme isolation where they cease to consider outsiders to
be worthwhile human beings. Both irrational and criminal behaviour are given freer rein
within religious systems of thought, as is suicide to escape this world and move on to the
'next'. Mass suicide, shoot-outs, gas attacks and other atrocities have befallen groups whose
main thing in common is self-isolation from wider society, and a dread of a generally
Christian-themed apocalyptic judgement-day. Many such groups emerged from mainstream
religious movements and gradually became more and more sectarian over time. The main
causes that allow this slip are insipid supernaturalism, poor education, sectarian schooling
and a lack of critical thinking.”

Our quote for the advertisement, which is also our solution statement is, “Religion is like a
pair of shoes, you may wear yours, but don’t force another person into it.”

- Debolina Chakravarty.
Roll no: 07.