Though religion may be many things to many people, one of them is not “harmless” especially when it comes to children. Though many are mystified by why non-theists go out of their way to convince the faithful their religions are false, the fact is that false beliefs are immensely harmful.
Imagine for a moment that you are shopping for a used car. The salesman tells you the car you like comes with a 10-year engine and drive-train warranty. You buy the car and drive away with a smile on your face knowing the warranty will protect you from major repair expenses that could occur later on. But unknown to you, the salesman lied when he told you the manufacturer’s 10-year warranty transferred to subsequent owners. That false information could wind up costing you thousands of dollars because you had faith that the salesman was truthful about the warranty.
The fact is that believing you are a sinner in need of salvation… Religion creates conflicts within ourselves especially when we are prohibited from doing some of the things we want to do because religion says it is sinful and we will go to hell if we do such things.
Now religious people argue that even if they are wrong, there is no harm in believing in god. What they don’t understand is that once you accept a particular religion’s teachings, you will go on to make many decisions that greatly affect your life based upon your faith that…
I once met a nice woman who told me she taught bible classes to children aged 6-9. When I began to question her about how she knew her religion was the one true religion in the light of all the other religions, she became quite and obviously did not want to talk about it. This made me wonder about how this woman was willing to accept ideas without scrutinizing them for whether they were true or not. I find it interesting how people protect what they have learned to believe from countering ideas. She mentioned the fellowship in her church as being important to her and I agreed that fellowship was a good thing. But somewhere in all of this is the important element of truth.
