Religion is good for America
Joseph Perce
Perhaps what Americans need is religion to keep them together and unify the American spirit. No, I am not advocating some sort of Christian version of a "Sharia" state. But rather, what's wrong with pleding allegiance "In the name of God", or "In God we trust"?
Yes, the US Government has always been about the separation of Church and State, and I support this. However, often times, I notice the American religious right gets a bad rap; "Those crazy evangelical Christians!". While I do not support extremism of any form, I feel that a belief in God and spirituality could be of benefit to society.
People need to feel they belong and that there is a sense of community. The local town Church provides just that. Please note that when I say "Church", I am using that as a blanket term for any spiritual organization that is not extremist and that serves the purpose to help the community and its people in which it operates.
Let's not forget all of the good things that religious organizations have contributed to the world - Aid for the poor and displaced in times of need, help for the community, and a place that provides people a spiritual refuge from the day to day stresses of life.
It is easy to attribute all of the problems in the world to the far right Christians (Or Muslims, or whoever). However, let's look past these extremists and understand that there are in fact good things that have come from being a believer in God.
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Religion is the last gasp of an ignorant populace.
Edmund Ross
I think there is definitely a place for religion in society. Actually, I’m not sure society can function without some unifying element. We’ve certainly never seen one yet in history. Even when the Marxist states disavowed a belief in God they replaced it worship of the state leaders, which has shown itself to be remarkable similar to most organized religions. During the evolution of the human species (and yes I believe in evolution), the most basic form beyond the core familial ties was that of the tribe. Up to about 20 individuals could coexist and live in relative harmony. Their objectives were the same and there was a natural division of labor and equality of possessions. However; as soon as the number gets much larger and a village begins to form and grow into a town or larger community, the collective purpose of the community gets divided. Goals diverge and the competitions that arise start to produce winners and losers. At this point a unifying force is necessary. It’s obviously more complex than this but religions sprang out of the need to unify the community.
With that said, some form of unifying force might be helpful in an extremely divergent, unequal, and culturally mixed nation such as the United States. The problem is that religion really doesn’t work any longer. There is such overwhelming evidence refuting the “truths” espoused by the religions of the book (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) that the only way they can sustain themselves is by coercion and/or force. In the modern age, reason and the scientific method explain natural phenomena far better than any supernatural explanations. Thus, those espousing the virtues of supernatural explanations must rely upon the ignorance and lack of reason among the populace in order to survive. To me this does not sound like a good prescription for a nation trying to compete in an increasingly secular, developed world.
Modern science has invalidated nearly every claim made by the religions that from Abraham. We have seen a steady decline in religious belief and Christianity in particular. Something has to step up and become the unifying force in order to hold the nation together. Religion is passé. Thank God for American Idol!
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