Religion

God is dead. Friedrich Nietzsche, 1882 Religion is the opiate of the masses. Karl Marx Those who believed in God are probably mad Peter Atkins (scientist) Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest. remark made in the heyday of the French Revolution Philosopher Anthony Graylings recent work titled The Good Book: A Secular Bible joins the ranks of publications by numerous renowned figures like Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, who, it seems, perceive it as an important mission to educate the masses about the fallacies of religion. In a modern world marked with unprecedented scientific and technological advancement, rising affluence as well as rise in education and, above all, an era of uncertainty and unpredictability, religion, that is a belief in the supernatural and existence of one of more omniscient beings, appears to fail to stand up to the rigour of logical scientific thought processes that are prevalent today. However, the fact is that religion is more resistant than in seems. Science seems unable to quell the irrepressible vitality of religion. Instead, religion maintains a strong foothold in modern society and continues to deliver its promise in satisfying the spiritual and psychological needs of mankind. While religion appears to be weakened by the pervasive scientific thought and processes in the modern world, it has, instead, proven itself to be remarkably versatile and robust in advancing its ideas and beliefs. Above all, religion is personal and crucial to the human psyche, and its role in providing psychological, spiritual, and emotional support t mankind remains exclusive, and, to date, unfulfilled by science or rationalism. Thus it is notable that as much as philosophy and scientific enthusiastically attempt to debunk the followers of religion, the prevalence of religion will continue to be sustained in the modern world by the inextricable relationship between faith and humans. It has to be acknowledged that faith and reason, and by extension, religion and science, are largely divergent approaches, but they are by no means antithetical. In many ways, they are good complements to each other and exhibit a symbiotic relationship. Ultimately, one has to realise that science and the belief in God have the same aim to better human life. Both are tools that serve to fulfil this purpose through different domains of human experience one more material and tangible, the other more spiritual and intangible. Therefore, as long as this universal purpose remains unchanged, both science and the belief in God remain very relevant to serve this purpose, and neither should be obsolete. -

Arguments FOR Moral compass - Set the standards for right and wrong, regulates the behaviour of the people stability - Advocate the teaching of love, peace, harmony, without which the world may descend into moral decay. - Voices for justice and morality Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africas fight against apartheid and later crime Dalai Lama preaches understanding and is a noted recipient of Nobel Peace Prize - Secularised, codified values as a formal constitution religion is the basis of law, and the basis by which individuals may feel morally compelled to unhold law and by extension, own religion. The U.S: Traditionally leaves a moral imprint in its international dealings. Its code of conduct and ethics for research has been developed by politics steeped in Christian beliefs. This has ensured that ethical violations in healthcare and scientific research are kept at a minimal China: Regularly placing moral implications as one of its lowest priorities, behind business profits or economic interests. This has been illustrated with the melamine-milk scare in 2008 where critics have argued that the lack of a religious following subsequently led to weak morals

Arguments AGAINST Religious fundamentalism historical atrocities: Justify extremist behaviour The Crusades expanded Catholicism throughout the Middle East and Western Europe, violently displacing Islam and Judaism at all costs. An estimated death toll of 200,000. Torture and genocide committed by the Catholic Church during the Inquisition movement (12th century France) were based upon how peoples worldviews disagreed with those of the Church. The Galileo affair (1610) was a prime example of how the Church deemed emerging scientific theories as heretical. Islamic Jihad movements have waged holy wars against non-Muslims in the name of religion. These have resulted in severe repression of human rights and terrorism. Majority of moderate Muslims relegate such radical Islamism as a gross misinterpretation of the Quran and lack of true understanding of Islam. It can be argued that both Catholic and Protestant churches helped to make the Rwandan genocide (1994) possible by giving moral sanction to the killing. Churches had longed played ethnic politics themselves, favoring the Tutsi during the colonial period then switching allegiance to the Hutu after 1959, sending a message that ethnic discrimination was consistent with church teaching. The church leaders had also long had close ties with the political leaders, and after the genocide began, the church leaders called on the population to support the new interim government, the very government that was supporting the genocide. Violence and bloodshed due to hostile interaction between faiths bearing irreconcilable differences, precipitating a state of conflict whereby each faction attempts to unseat the other. Northen Ireland scriptural differences, hostile religious sentiments brewing between Catholics and Protestants precipitating a multi-century long fued, culminated on Bloody Sunday with the massacre of many Protestants. The actual, and ironic, outcome of this, however, is that religion is still a potent force in the lives of these people. Religion motivates them to participate in the most extreme actions in support of their faith, thus reinforcing its importance, even though the outcome may be destructive in many cases Balkanised societies by creating political disenfranchisement and emasculation - Religious majorities ruled by religious minorities, preventing large swathes of populace access to representation deep-seated political divides, drive a wedge between religious factions conflict, instability

Political stability, fair representation and compromise emancipation of all religious groups Lebanon practises a form of confessionalism whereby President is always a Maronite Christian, Prime Minister a Sunni, Head of Military a Druze.

Religious watchdogs in government vehenmenty safegyards the rights of its diverse population

Altruism - Purpose in life, some have inevitably made the world better off with their efforts - Promote altruistic morality (caring for the welfare of others in opposition to selfishness) Buddhism The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes Dalai Lama Love and compassion are core components of all forms of Buddhism and are believed to be the ultimate source of human happiness Karma is the chain of cause and effect which comprises the elements of "volitional activities" and "action". In order to achieve enlightenment (nirvana), ones motives must be aligned with goodness Christianity Love our neighbour more than our ourselves, share in eternal beatitude, a more desirable thing than bodily well being. Amnesty International, Mercy Relief made up of a majority of religious individuals.

Social cohesion - Religion is an expression of our collective consciousness, which is the fusion of all of our individual consciousnesses, which then creates a reality of its own. Emile Durkheim, father of modern sociology - Establishes a sense of community, history and identity in an organizational setting Inter-Religion Organisation in Singapore, leaders of various religious

In the Ottoman Empire, Muslim Turks had repressively ruled majority groups of Orthodox Christians from Yerevan to Athens from centuries birth of secessionist and self-deterministic insurgents In Syria, Alawi minority rules Sunni majority, preventing Sunnis access to religious freedom of expression and provision of needs present-day Syrain conflict The U.S state of Utah has been argued to be a theocracy under the Mormon Church of the Latter-Day Saints. All of its members of Congress, Supreme Court and 90% of its Legislature comprises Mormon followers. In June 2012, The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against state officials for alleged civil rights violations- denying non-Mormons access to police services, housing and public utilities. Irrelevance to morality - Unnecessary to lead a moral life. Morality stems from interaction with society and instincts of empathy Bernard Williams secular utilitarian outlook establishes that the morally right action can be defined as that which affects the greatest amount of pleasure or happiness for the greatest amount of people. This perspective is non-transcendental and does not appeal to religious considerations. - Sociological literature has evidenced that theists do no better than their secular counterparts in the percentage adhering to widely held moral standards (e.g., lying, theft and sexual infidelity) - Numerous non-religious individuals have contributed to the good of society: Jawaharlal Nehru: Leader of the Indian Independence Movement and first Prime Minister of independent India. Pioneered the Non-Aligned Movement in the Cold War era as a champion of freedom of association between the U.S and Soviet blocs. Admired throughout the world for his idealism and statesmanship, particularly in the cause of youth development. Instituted socio-economic reform in India to eventually establish it as one of the worlds strongest economies. Nadine Gordimer: South African writer and political activist who received the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature whose writing has long dealt with moral and racial issues, particularly apartheid in South Africa. Also a prominent HIV/AIDS activist. Cognitive fallacies - Religious faith requires the suspension of the critical and reasoning faculties. In order to believe religious concepts such as the creation and the afterlife, one must deny reasoning faculties. - While fairy-tales and fiction, which also involves similar temporary suspension of disbelief, play an important part in developing the creative

communities came together to promote understanding and dialogue and exchange. Mirrored on global stage, Vatican host conference of worlds religious leaders in 2007. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sg is perhaps one of the only countries in which relations between Muslim community and rest of society did not worsen after 911, in no small part due to excellent inter-faith dialogue that we have instituted.

aspect of the mind, these are not taught as factual reality. This demonstrates the harmful potential of religious indoctrination which skews perceptions of reality in logically-fallacious ways. While many doctrines do not raise theological objections to the modern evolutionary synthesis as an explanation for the present form of life on Earth, various fundamentalist religious sects have objected militantly (in certain states of the U.S. and Islamic fundamentalist states) Shift in emphasis towards science and technology, with its reliability and efficiency

Introduction of Charles Darwins theory of evolution through natural selection 150 years ago heralded beginning of evolutionary biology and caused religious followers to question the once uncontested belief of the existence of a higher being. - No longer infer natural disasters to be due to dissatisfaction of gods/ offer sacrifices to appease them, but can explain calamities scientifically and factually. Theistic science: Intelligent Design, proves that science can test absolute religious doctrines. Proponents are largely publicly religious Christians, but has been dismissed by scientific circles as non-scientific Spiritual solace - Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. Karl Marx - Consolation in times of difficulty - People are constantly searching for answers in their lives, wondering about their existence, what happens after death, and the rest of life's pressing existential questions. Religion provides the answers to these musings, and assuages doubts regarding our purposes in life. Zen Buddhism emphasises the attainment of enlightenment. Rather than being tied to the abstract wisdom of the sutra scriptures, Zen encourages the practice of a Buddha-nature in everyday human life. Meditation, spiritual discipline and introspection are keys to Zen teaching. Economic profits, religious tourism - The financial gains brought in by religion helps governments in areas from subsidies for necessities to relief efforts. Thaipusam, or the holy pilgrimage to Mecca

Science makes belief in God obsolete. YES Faith and reason are mutually exclusive approaches when appied to same issue divergent in nature - Science: logic, rational thought, requires corroboratory evidence and experimental results - Religon: faith, regardless of rational proof NO Serve different domains of human experiene, coexist peacefully - Stephen Jay Gould: science gives explanations for objective facts and laws of nature, religion provides insights to a variety of conundrums for which no explanation can be found in the domain of science - Religion: moral compass, motivation behind research works of scientists 1996 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Richard Smalley: universe is exquisitely fine-tuned for human life, we are somehow critically involved in its purpose, expouses religions ideals when thinking about science Geologist James Hutton: prompted by theological views to develop theory of geographical uplift Successfully integrated, complement each other, interdependent Liberal Catholics reconcile scripture with Darwins theory of evolution Buddhism enourages investiation based on casuality and empiricism Abdul-Bahai, founder of Bahai Faith: religion without science is superstition, science without religion is materialism

Conflicting ideas - Heliocentrism supported by empirical evidence vs. geocentrism backed by Bible - Darwins theory of evolution vs. creationism - Scientific theories incite backlash from church, undermine religious doctrine, blatantly contradict Gods word, disrepectful