Quote:
Originally Posted by Flashpoint
I suppose my point is that religion serves a purpose in developing societies. A positive role. But when it becomes a hindrance to advancement, well, that is what gets me bent out of shape.
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As a religious person, I would respond to this by claiming that when religious doctrine becomes a hinderance to advancement, or when it becomes dangerous, this is not so much a problem with "religion" as it is with people who wield power in the name of that religion.
Religion is not evil. It just is. Evil happens in the name of religion because of people and their propensity for wickedness; that is: people's selfish desires taking the place of their pursuit of the common good. The triumphs in religion occur when a person is able to overcome this natural propensity for self preservation and self promotion. I believe both are a product of the same deep emotion which capable of producing such beauty and such terror. As a Christian, it is this infathomable passion that I perceive to be the "divine spark": the
imago Dei, if you will. How we manage to harness that passion ultimately is the measure of how moral we are.
On another note, "advancement" is not always positive. Sometimes advancement in the wrong hands, with the wrong motivation, with improper education or understandning, is exceedingly dangerous. It is generally agreed that the greatest, most immediate threat to our survival is the sustainability of our planet. Humanities continued existence is jeopardized by the potential threat of global warming, the deteriorating quality of air and water, and the over-depletion of natural resources. These things are all the result of advancing technology—produced through scientific discovery—and a poor understanding of how to use it. Does this make science evil? Technology? Certainly not. But it is illustrative of my point that it is these sorts of excesses I believe religion is key to correcting: learning to appropriately manage our passion.