Definitions HQ

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠contradictory as evidenced by the fact that all religions practice selective atheism insofar as Christians do not believe in the muslim God and vis-versa.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠dangerous as evidenced by the fact that 53% of Americans are creationist who believe that dinosaurs lived alongside man on the ark and that the earth was created six thousand years ago (roughly a thousand years after the sumerians invented glue).

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠dangerous as evidenced by the fact that as many as 44% of Americans believe that Jesus will return in the next fifty years and thus perversely await a catastrophe significant enough to merit his return.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠dangerous in that religious conflict such as that surrounding islamic fundamentalism is not tied to a lack of education, poverty or politics, but to highly educated cosmopolitan individuals (such as in 9/11) who were very consciously striving after paradise.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠harmful in that faith inspires violence in that either its adherents directly believe God wants them to do so (e.g. Islamic terrorist) or indirectly, it increases political tensions insofar as its adherents define their moral communities and identities on the basis of their religion affiliations.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠harmful in that it raises the stakes of human conflict much higher than tribalism, racism, or politics ever can, as it is the only form of in-group/ out-group thinking that casts the differences between people in terms of eternal rewards and punishments.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠harmful in that it stands in the way of a desperately needed public discourse that encourages critical thinking and intellectual honesty about ethics, spiritual experience, and the inevitability of human suffering.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠hypocritical as evidenced by the fact that a devout member of one religion has precisely the same reason for being of that religion (the holy book says so) as does a member of another religion and yet neither believes the other's faith.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠hypocritical in that people of faith claim for themselves humility, while condemning scientist and other non-believers for their intellectual arrogance. There is, in fact, no worldview more reprehensible in its arrogance than that of a religious believer: The creator of the universe takes an interest in me, approves of me, loves me, and will reward me after death... my current beliefs, drawn from scripture, will remain the best statement of the truth until the end of the world... everyone who di

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠less moral than non-religious morality in that the atheist helps people purely out of concern for their suffering while the Christian helps people because he believes that the creator of the universe will reward him for it.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠responsible for us building a civilization of ignorance, as evidenced by the fact that the u.S. Is ranked 33rd in their belief of evolution and also ranked below every european and asian country in science and math.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠still untrue even if it could be shown that it has a positive effect on human behavior.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠stupid but this is not to say that religious people are stupid. The problem is that religion has been sheltered from criticism and allows perfectly sane, perfectly intelligent people to believe en masse, what only idiots or lunatics could believe in isolation.

Religion's (n.) true ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠horror is that it allows perfectly decent and sane people to believe by the billions what only a lunatic could believe on their own.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠so harmful to the world that opposing it is in fact a moral necessity. Religious hatreds, religious wars, religious taboos, and religious diversions of scarce resources are directly responsible for a great deal of human suffering.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠lunacy. We will look back upon this period in human history with horror and amazement about how it could have been possible for people to believe such things in the twenty first century.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠wrongly given credit for any personal transformative experience. Billions of other humans have had such experiences while praying to any number of possible Gods, as well as when making art or music, or while contemplating the beauty of nature.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the one area of our discourse where it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the one area of our lives where people imagine that evidence and logical arguments do not apply as the standard of intellectual integrity.

Religion (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the product of cognitive processes that have deep roots in our evolutionary past, and though it may have played an important role in getting large groups of prehistoric humans to socially cohere in the past, today it is perhaps our greatest impediment to building a global civilization.