[TheNumber42]

Originally Posted by Lugez

When it comes down to it, I think pushing any viewpoint to borderline extremism can be pretty unhealthy. These viewpoints can include Atheism, Islam, Christianity, a specific political affiliation, or otherwise

I agree.

Originally Posted by Lugez

Science, government, and political ideologies have all done the same things. Give me an old institution that has never had any corruption/bloodshed within it. Religion might have the most, but that's just because it's the oldest (if we include every religion that ever existed). It's had quite a lot of time to piss the world off.

Except science, government and political ideologies all have tangible benefits for their adherents. All religion has is shaky promises of a better afterlife. Pair that with moral immunity since you are only following God's orders and it becomes a pretty serious problem.

Originally Posted by Lugez

I believe religion has helped alot of people, and it still continues to do so today. Some of the greatest minds in human history have been religious.

The only thing that religion does that secular organizations couldn't is to make fancy promises of some better afterlife and to offer false hope and fairly tales. All of the charitable functions could be fulfilled much better by secular organizations who didn't feel the need to preach as part of their mission.

And jsut because many of the great minds in history were able to overcome that pparticular shortcoming doesn't mean anything. Many of the greatest minds in history were male. Does that mean being male gave them some advantage over females? Correlation does not equal causation

Originally Posted by Lugez

People who take these ideas to extreme lengths are the problem. They forget what their ideas/religion were meant to do, and start to put everyone else down as the result.

I agree. Though religion treats the putting everyone else down part practice
a commandment.

Originally Posted by Lugez

It's good that people have something to follow, and who cares if it's false? It helps them, and that's what matters in the end. Having faith in what you believe in can really make you achieve extraordinary things.

Because it is harmful. People are scared into spending their whole lives living up to the expectations of religion by the idea of hell and with the promise of a reward in the next life. They essentially throw away this life for a most likely imaginary reward. It's no different than if you told someone all they had to do was follow a strict set of arbitrary rules their whole life and they could be resurrected as one of Santa's elves.

Then there is the part where religion brainwashes children, promotes archaic bigotry because their magic book says so, corrupts education, stifles science and promotes violence among other things.

I mean, it's just like any other mental illness, they have to want to get better, but I would feel like a heartless human being if I didn't at least try to help.