Religion and Society - The Societal Harms of Religion

[Petros Agapetos]

Authoritarianism is a form of social control characterized by strict obedience to the authority of a state, organization, or individual; the central authority figure often maintains and enforces control through the use of oppressive measures.

Common examples of authoritarianism include:

Authoritarian family structure: children submissive to their parents, with the wife submissive to her husband (or sometimes the husband submissive to his wife)
Note that the former arrangement (wife submissive to husband) is commonly what is meant when a family structure is described as "traditional".
Authoritarian state (or form of government): the people submissive to their leaders, with lower-level officials submissive to a strong central committee or individual.
A related concept is the so-called authoritarian personality (or character), a set of characteristics purported to predict antidemocratic or fascist leanings.
There are two types of authoritarian followers, right-wing and left-wing:

Right-wing followers advocate submission to traditional authorities, such as churches or other religious institutions, and the government.
Left-wing followers are submissive to a radical leaders who seek to overthrow the status quo.

[Petros Agapetos]

Separation of Church and State

The actions of the Constitution's authors at the 1787 Convention best reveal their thoughts and intent regarding religion. They avoided attempts to insert worship into their deliberations, keeping religious activities separate from the process of creating our government. If no religion at the Constitutional Convention was good enough for our founders, it should be good enough for all public officials in the execution of their duties.

Our founders created a secular government based on freethinking political philosophies. Our founders' Constitution is a stunning rejection of "government under god", or theocracy. Only the Constitution establishes our government, not any other piously-worded document (such as the Declaration of Independence, Mayflower Act etc.). The Constitution makes no reference to god, except for the date, which is indicated by use of the convention, "In the year of our Lord." "We the People," not god, are the authority for our government. The Constitution prohibits any religious test for national office. The Constitution's first amendment prohibits Congress from passing any laws even "respecting an establishment of religion." During many Constitution ratification sessions in the states, Christians attempted to insert references to God and Jesus into the Preamble and sought to remove the "no religious test for office" provision. The fact that these religiously-motivated efforts failed demonstrates that even though the Constitution was a heated public issue and subject to controversy as a result of its secular nature, it was ratified as written. Our founders and the public knowingly chose a godless Constitution.

Conservative Christians argue that the First Amendment language, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," means our founders only meant to prohibit one denomination from becoming the official national religion. The evidence refutes this narrowest of interpretations, aside from the fact that the Constitution must give government such a power, and there is no power to do anything religious in the Constitution. In his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association (1/01/1802), Thomas Jefferson cited "a wall of separation between Church and State" as his reason for denying their request for a national day of fasting. Jefferson's metaphor came from London school master James Burgh, one of England's leading enlightenment political writers. Burgh's Crito (1767) included the phrase, "build an impenetrable wall of separation between things sacred and civil." Along with numerous other documents, Jefferson's message clarifies the intention of the amendment.

The proverbial "nail in the coffin" for the "Christian nation" argument is located in the Treaty of Tripoli. This treaty was unanimously ratified by the U.S. Senate on June 10, 1797 and was signed into law by President John Adams. Article 11 of this document states, "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion..."

The Constitution and amendments only mention religion three times, and only as prohibitions against government doing things religious. One cannot pervert express prohibitions against government doing religious things into powers for government to do religious things. Many public officials have a long history of violating their oath of office by mixing religion into government or by supporting religious groups. A tradition of violating the Constitution does not, however, change the Constitution.

[Petros Agapetos]

Contraception is the practice of reducing the likelihood that coitus will result in procreation. No form of contraception entirely removes this possibility.

Some religious denominations - notably the Catholic Church - regard contraception as immoral, claiming that it contradicts God's commandments to "Go forth and multiply." Genesis 9:7. This has lead to controversial announcements in opposition to the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa and to lift from the impoverished the curse of progeny whom they cannot support.

Calendar-based contraceptive methods are murder

The some denominations, such as the Catholic church, consider calendar-based methods, which includes the rhythm method and NFP, to be an acceptable form of contraception. It is the only form of contraception if church teachings are followed and is often practised despite its unreliability.

"The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love."

The rhythm method produces fertilized embryos that are incapable of surviving because the uterus is not in a state that makes embryo implanting likely. [9] This causes a high likelyhood that the embryo will be aborted as part of the menstrual cycle. The likelihood of embryo death is higher with calendar methods than some other contraceptive methods. By their own logic, this makes the church's support of calendar-based contraception the same as calling for the murder of embryos!

"Some proponents of the pro-life movement argue against morning after pills, IUDs, and contraceptive pills on grounds of a concern for causing embryonic death. What has gone unnoticed, however, is that the pro-life line of argumentation can be extended to the rhythm method of contraception as well. Given certain plausible empirical assumptions, the rhythm method may well be responsible for a much higher number of embryonic deaths than some other contraceptive techniques."

Ultimately, this illustrates that "pro-life" Christians are not really concerned with embryo death but use this reasoning as an ad hoc justification for their arbitrary beliefs about abortion and contraception.

Condoms are ineffective

Pro-life groups claim that condoms are ineffective at preventing pregnancy and preventing the spread of STDs. Similar claims are made by the Catholic church.
Medical practitioners do not claim that condoms are 100% effective. Critics of condoms seem to demand a solution must be perfect to be acceptable; however, this commits the nirvana fallacy. Doctors do claim that condoms are very effective (but not perfect).

"STDs are very tiny organisms, minuscule in size compared to sperm. These super-small viruses can get through a hole in a condom much more easily than sperm can. For example, HIV (the AIDS-causing virus) is so small that two million of the disease-causing agents could crowd on the period at the end of a sentence. In 1993 the University of Texas analyzed the results of 11 different studies that had tracked the effectiveness of condoms to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus. The average condom failure rate in the 11 studies for preventing transmission of the AIDS virus was 31%."

This probably refers to Weller's 1993 paper, which cautions the reader to treat the results as tentative. A 1999 meta-analysis by the same author had a more optimistic result:

"Generally, the condom's effectiveness at preventing HIV transmission is estimated to be 87%, but it may be as low as 60% or as high as 96%. [...] Consistent use of condoms provides protection from HIV. The level of protection approximates 87%"

"[...] condoms are a very, very poor protection against sexually transmitted diseases"
— Mike Pence, US Vice President 2017Islam

Contraception in Islam

Muhammad was said to be aware of his followers' use of contraception (coitus interruptus). He did not forbid the practice, therefore contraception is generally considered to be allowed by Muslims. However, sterilization is generally not allowed by Islam. Reasons for using contraception include spacing pregnancies, prevention of disease, protection of heath or if the family is too poor to support more children.

[Petros Agapetos]

The Bible suggests that adultery is immoral; the punishment for adultery is death. Almost every Christian believes that adultery is immoral.

Old Testament

Although the Bible condemns adultery (it being the seventh commandment), God himself allowed Bible characters to engage in what most would consider adultery (or polygamy depending on interpretation). Genesis 16:1–6 explains how Abraham's wife Sarah prostituted her servant so that he could have children.

"Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face."

Either Abraham committed adultery with Hagar, or he married Hagar ("and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife"), which would be polygamous.
Perhaps one of the Bible's few consistencies is the condemnation of adultery.

Exodus 20:14: "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
Deuteronomy 5:18: "Neither shalt thou commit adultery."

Punishment

The Bible routinely establishes that the Christian punishment for adultery is death for both people involved. Daughters of priests, however, should be set on fire.

Leviticus 20:10: "And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death."

Leviticus 21:9: "And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire."

Deuteronomy 22:22: "If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel."

New Testament

Matthew 19:18: "He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,"

Mark 10:19: "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother."

Luke 18:20: "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother."

Romans 13:9: "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

James 2:11: "For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law."

The New Testament widened the scope of adultery to include re-marriage after divorce.

Matthew 19:9: "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery."

[Petros Agapetos]

Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction to members of one's own sex. The rights of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals is a contentious political issue in much of the world, due in part to religious views on the perceived immorality of homosexuality. In contemporary times, the legalization of gay marriage is hotly debated.

Many conservative Christians, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs prefer to continue current restrictions against gays, lesbians and bisexuals — including prohibition of same-sex marriage. Some advocate the restoration of laws which once criminalized same-sex behavior. Many oppose the extension of existing hate-crime laws to include sexual orientation.

Homosexual believers sometimes persist with their religious belief, either openly or by suppressing that part of themselves, often at great personal cost. Homosexuals are twice as likely to leave their religion for atheism.

There are many instances of religiously justified or motivated homophobia, including:

Disownment by family
Violence and death
Legal sanctions
Biased treatment
Refusal of goods and services
Attempts to "de-convert" people from homosexuality, sometimes by exorcism or deliverance ministry. [2]

This is an example of how religion causes social harm.

[Petros Agapetos]

Which is the gravest harm from religion nowadays:

1. Inequality of rights (ex. for atheists, free-thinkers, non-believers, other religious groups, homosexuals, etc.)
2. Unreasonable restrictions on rights of other people
3. Blasphemy laws criminalizing criticism of religions
4. Religious hate speech laws criminalizing speech deemed hateful to a particular religious group.
5. Socially and societally retrograde force

etc.

Offer your own reasons why you think religion is harmful.

[Petros Agapetos]

The Bible on homosexuality

In Genesis 2:24, “a man” “is united to his wife”

In Genesis 19, God destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah; some say that widespread practice of homosexuality was the main reason. Ezekiel 16:49 says otherwise.

Leviticus 18:22: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

Leviticus 20:13: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them."

Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 23:17) and 1 Kings (1 Kings 15:12) state that there shall be no sodomites allowed in Israel.

Romans 1:26-27: "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence [sic] of their error which was meet."

1 Corinthians 6:9-10: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." (emphasis added)

1 Timothy 1:9-10: "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine."

[Petros Agapetos]

Which aspects of religious faith are more harmful to society?
Atheists, is this one of the reasons why you left religion?

[Petros Agapetos]

Abortion is the medical practice of terminating a viable pregnancy. There is disagreement as to when a pregnancy begins: either at when sperm fertilizes the egg or the implantation of the egg into the lining of the uterus. In modern times abortion is a surgical procedure or is medically induced using drugs, but the ancients had their forms of abortion as well. In ancient Greece, for example, the practice was to have the pregnant woman drink a poison that would force her to have a miscarriage. Both pregnancy and abortion carry a variety of medical risks.
Medically speaking, an abortion can be spontaneous (miscarriage) or therapeutic (induced). This article treats abortion as synonymous with induced abortion.

People who believe that elective abortion should be legal as called "Pro-Choice" - choice in this case referring to the woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. Availability of legal abortions has societal benefits, individual benefits and prevents risky unregulated abortions. Those who believe that access to abortion should be legally limited, or that it should be illegal, are described as "Pro-Life." Religious belief and a pro-life attitude typically go together, but one by no means implies the other. The terms "pro-choice" and "pro-life" are examples of political framing.

Abortion is allowed by law in many Western nations, including nominally Christian nations such as Canada and the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland). It is more regulated in Ireland, Poland, and most of South America and Africa. In many of these jurisdictions, it is often allowed if the pregnancy endangers the woman's life.

[Petros Agapetos]

The majority of Christians believe life begins at conception, which means abortion is comparable to murder.

"Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law"

This teaching applies even in cases where the pregnancy was caused by rape. A significant number of Christians have abortions, despite this teaching.
"More times than I can count, I’ve heard this remorseful comment from a post-abortive parent: 'I knew it was wrong to abort my child. I was brought up in the church and was pro-life. But I did it anyway.'"
In fact, the abortion rate of Christians and non-Christians in the US is about the same or even higher for believers! (Although abortion rates vary based on the specific denomination and other factors).

This may be largely due to the lack of sex education and contraception usage in more religious groups. If we consider abortion as bad, this is an example of social harm caused by religion. The behaviour of Christians in this regard is evidence that, for many, their faith is not as sincere as they tell themselves.

Assisting in abortion is also considered a sin. The Catholic church applies an automatic excommunication on anyone obtaining or providing an abortion.
In 2012, Irish anti-abortion laws prevented Savita Halappanavar from receiving an abortion which could have saved her life. The law was religiously motivated.

If abortion was wrong, it is strange that it is not explicitly addressed in the Bible. Sometimes James 2:26 is cited but this only says the spirit must inhabit the body to consider it alive, not that life begins at conception. The current Christian teaching is based on questionable interpretation of certain verses. Murder and causing a miscarriage do not carry the same penalty in the Old Testament, therefore they are distinct Exodus 21:22-23. The Bible contains several other verses that contradict the Christian view.