Weekly Poll: Is Religion a Necessary Crutch?
Many nonbelievers and other critics treat religion like a crutch for those who cannot otherwise handle life without comforting beliefs. In this critique, religion is something people use when they cannot bear to deal with problem in life directly. If that is at all true, however, there is still the question of whether religion is a necessary crutch. After all, some crutches are needed. Is religion one of them, or is it a crutch which can be dispensed with, whether immediately or with a short transition?
This is important because it carries so many implications for how critics approach religion at all. If you believe that religion is a crutch and even suspect that it may be a necessary crutch which many won't be able to get rid of without a lot of work if at all then you need to take a close look at what the goals of your critique are. It's hard to reduce the extent of religion if you also believe that many people can't do without it.
On the other hand, if you think it is a crutch but one people can manage without (even if they don't realize it), then you have to be able to address why people rely on it so much. Where does the dependency or at least the perceived dependency come from? Knowing this might be very important when it comes to eliminating that dependency.
Comments
“Religion is the Tin Foil Hat theists wear to keep Reason and Logic out of their brainwaves”
-Apeiron
Derived from Bevets: “evolutionism is the tin foil hat atheist wear to keep god out of their brainwaves”
Todd, disproving evolution would not prove the existence of god, try again.
If you don’t want to die some day you have to have some way to live when your body dies. Religion is the only way to achive this.
Atheists have taken a stand for reality by accepting that death is final.
But, reliions will always win in the end if they have more organization, more will to fight and kill to rule. In the past they have had that. They appear to still have it.
Don,
“If you dont want to die some day you have to have some way to live when your body dies. Religion is the only way to achive this.”
Religion certainly dose not achieve this, it doesn’t even take away the fear of death. And what about legacy?
“Atheists have taken a stand for reality by accepting that death is final.”
While I personally have taken this stand, there are many atheists who do not believe death is final, one school of thought is that the mind and brain are separate, and so, after the body dies, the mind lives on.
“But, reliions will always win in the end if they have more organization, more will to fight and kill to rule.”
More and more atheists are organizing and I for one have the will to fight to the bitter end not to rule, but to be free of someone else’s dogma. Kill perhaps not, unless someone were trying to kill me. But it will be the atheists who fight with words, morality and facts who will win the hearts and minds of other sane people. If you will notice even nonviolent muslims are seen as terrorists because of the majority that does participate in or support violence and murder. Looks like they are losing to me.