Hjälper inte religion också? (respons från Tracie Harris)

Som ni kanske förstå gillar jag att forska och diskutera religion. Man stöter hyffsat ofta på argumentet att folk faktiskt anser att religion hjälper människor då de inte har något annat hopp, och ingen annanstans att vända sig till. Jag hörde te.x. från en god vän att han varit i, Argentina tror jag det var, och bevittnat hur kristendomen tagit dem ur kriminalitet och liknande. Jag är absolut säker på att det finns exempel på när religion har "hjälpt" människor. Men vad jag är ute efter är utbildning och att få människor att hjälpa människor. Jag är ute efter att människor även ska kunna hjälpa sig själva. Jag skrev till The Atheist Experience som jag länkat till massor av gånger här på bloggen, för att fråga vad de ansåg om saken. Jag visste att jag inte skulle få ett lika uttömmande svar om jag presenterade mig som ateist då de får väldigt många mail och troligen finner mer intresse i att övertyga troende snarare än ateister. Därför presenterade jag mig som en kristen person och lade fram argumentet ovan. Alltså, varför är det fel att folk vänder sig till religion när de inte har något annat hopp och då det tydligen hjälper dem.

Svar fick jag just av Tracie Harris, en oerhört begåvad kvinna som jag anser är bäst i moraliska frågor. Hon har stor kunskap i religion då hon tidigare var en kristen fundamentalist. Här är ett klipp där hon briljerar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I78Oz6pwA00

Svaret jag fick av henne kommer här:

Hi Daniel:

It's ironic that this morning someone sent me a link to a situation in Nigeria where people are killing and torturing children in villages where the kids have been labeled as witches by village pastors. Since the Bible instructs that god's people should not suffer a witch to live, the people, including the parents, are killing these children or exiling them from villages--some kids as young as two years old.

Also, in Uganda, they are passing laws to put gay people in prison for life. This is, I suppose, better than their prior idea--which was to execute them--because the Bible says god's people ought to stone gays men to death.

In other parts of Africa, where AIDS is common, the Catholic church has easily convinced the uneducated there that condoms are a sin--which I don't think is very helpful.

I have trouble believing that combining uneducated people with superstitious beliefs is a good idea or a healthy combination. When I see religion in uneducated countries--such as in the Middle East or Africa, it doesn't seem to yield good results?

As far as religion "helping" people, I have no idea if the "good" is claims to do is worth the hideous amounts of harm and pain it causes, clearly, around the globe. But to me, the question becomes, can we offer people support without including superstition and hate that comes inherently with religion? Could, for example, a community support someone who needs help? Could a person be taught to rely on himself or herself without also being taught he or she is a horrible, sinful person worthy of eternal damnation because he or she was born a human being? Could a person perhaps be more mentally able to face adversity if they have a foundation in education and critical thought instead of superstition and reliance on supernatural beings to help them?

I recently watched a video where a Muslim woman was beaten and nearly strangled to death by her husband. She recited some Islamic appeal to Allah during the attack. She said, as she was losing consciousness, Allah comforted her. I posted this online with a statement about how loving Allah was to comfort her while he was letting her husband nearly kill her. Obviously it was facetious--as it's not any help to pray desperately to a god while you're being murdered. The idea of her relinquishing her fate to some fantasy is, to me, sad. She would do better to live in a society where her fate is in her own hands and the hands of a sane system of social support--where it would not be the case that she would be married to a religious lunatic who thinks it's his religious duty to beat and kill her for her attitudes.

If we can achieve good results without the harm that religion seems to bring inherently to the scene, I'd prefer a secular and sane response, not fantasy solutions.

Just my thoughts.

-th