First of all, I do know the problems inherent to religion, we all know it too well. But I think it's mostly religious institutions that we have to blame, and too often I see people forgetting to put them apart. Religiosity is something really powerful, and that's why we look at it suspiciously, because we know people can use their appeal to manipulate us like a gorgeous woman can charm a man with no effort. But see, it's the misuse of religion we hate, not religion itself.
"But religion is a lie!". Thanks, Sherlock. But we don't keep going back to millenium-old mythologies for their scientific validation. In this age we judge stories by their logical explanations and bitch when that shooting that oxygen tank blowed the shit out of that shark when in reality it totally wouldn't.
I've once heard someone saying science's literality is killing the poetry in the world. I guess I have to agree with that. Why do we need truth so desperately, even in art?
We are not being amazingly enlightened people by dismissing Bible for its lies. That's ironically idiotic, actually. Sure, we do have people believing in the Bible literally. Does that make us any superior to them, both of us taking it wrong?
Now, it's incredibly easy to climb on our arrogance and say religion is bullshit and the very cancer of the world. We live our lives ruled by science, which has been able to give us amazing answers. Science can grant us power and cure. As Aldous Huxley said in Brave New World, we don't need religion when we are feeling invincible and forever young (and that's the goal of science, isn't it?). So we have to thank science for everything, religion being just a bastard laying around uselessly, right?
I think this is an arrogant and individualistic thought. We're not thinking in the name of the old and the sick, for these are the ones who made religion present since the dawn of mankind. During our history, people have experienced suffering in the form of war, plagues, starvation, unhealable diseases and so, so much injustice. We'd better realize we're just a bunch of pussies comfortably sit in our chairs judging them for what was quite much their only option to help them find reason and hope in the midst of so much cruelty.
And the world is still stained by this much suffering. Here, I know this woman whose husband has a muscle disease and he can barely move his body. Science didn't find the cure for this disease yet. And now she learned her two older daughters have the very same disease. Science isn't helping her and she's going back to religion because, really, what else could possibly give her strenght to carry this burden?
That's the whole point of religion, in my opinion: looking for order into our own chaos (it sure is weird how these recurring subjects fit together this simply). I'm pretty sure it wasn't like someone one day just thought "hey, I'll try manipulating people by telling them lies". It could work indeed, people are fooled easily. But it wouldn't be a worldwide success for this long if people, the old and the sick, didn't really have the huge need to believe in something to give them peace and comfort and hope to keep living. And they won't give a shit if it's true or not, you don't care about that when there's no hope left.
I am not religious myself (I am young and healthy, ha), but whenever I go inside a church, I can feel the difference in the air. It's quiet and ominously peaceful. You can almost feel comfortable in there if you were feeling troubled before stepping in. And science can't really give us that kind of comfort. It won't bring order to our chaos, it can't do that out of friendliness, it'd be against its own principles. It's okay, really. But in a world ruled by science, we strive for truth instead of hope. That's why "realist" pessism prevails over naive optimism, I guess?
But so what if heaven is a lie, George Carlin? Why does the dead need science and its glorious, logical truth? So what if one believes something just so their pain and fear won't hurt this lot? I think this is no longer a matter of binary judging, of believing in a truth or a lie. And I actually believe we should reflect more on why the fear of being called dumb is worst than suffering.
But I don't think we should keep thinking like we have to have either science or religion.
I mean, are they really the opposite of each other? Are they really sworn enemies? Can't they really co-exist properly? Maybe we saw science taking some roles of religion, like giving us answers, and... I think science shouldn't take the whole role of religion and become our own religion of truth, for that kills the purpose.
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