Religion is not inherently good
Religion is not inherently good. It deserves no special reverence by society.
There is a false notion among many that most religions, at their core, promote positive values, suggesting that the fundamental principles of most faiths are inherently good for society and individuals, encouraging ethical behavior and fostering a sense of community.
But to believe this, you have to take into account only the good that can be traced to religion and ignore all the bad, similar to the tendency of people who believe in God to give God credit when something good happens but not when something bad happens.
The problem is that it's not random bad actors who use religion as a vehicle to harm others, it's entire institutions, organizations, leaders in society, and large segments of the population.
The harm done by religion is significant, and should be self-evident. Entire Christian churches and institutions promote bigotry and misogyny as part of their doctrine. An internet search will give ample accounts of atrocities committed throughout history. Or you can just keep up with social media or the news to find examples happening every day. Just turn on the TV on Sunday mornings and there will be no shortage of godless 'Christian' grifters pretending to preach 'the word' while asking for donations from those who cannot afford it.
Religion will never cease to be a source of tremendous harm. Something that is perpetually harmful is not inherently good.
The nature of religion makes it the perfect vehicle to make bad actors and actions socially acceptable. It's the perfect cover for society's worst individuals. It has always been that way, and it is likely to only get worse. The proliferation of social media and other means of mass communication make it so much easier to spread fear, hate, and false messages. At the same time, wealth inequality and other factors have made people more susceptible to lies and false promises.
Perhaps though, it is the false assumption of inherently goodness that is itself responsible for most of the damage done by religion.
The false assumption of inherent goodness leads people to fail to challenge bad actors, teachings or messages. A grifter may pose as a religious leader, or a dishonest, self-serving politician may quote the bible or praise christianity, and people will accept their lies or harmful messages as being good, simply because the bad actors associate themselves with Christianity.
When people make church or religion their central focus or barometer because they perceive it as being good in and of itself, they can lose sight of what's more important - - simply trying to be a good person and helping others.
We should be measuring conduct and character based on honesty and other human principles (also known as 'integrity'). Religion should never be used as a gauge. Following in the ways of God or Jesus is ambiguous. It can mean very different things for different people.
Many will make the argument that the good that religion does outweighs the bad. There is no way to objectively measure that, but should that matter? It should be pretty apparent that even if the good does outway the bad (which is questionable), the harm done by religion is certainly not insignificant. If the good / bad ratio was 60% / 40%, would that make everything ok? What about 70% / 30% or 80% / 20%? There would still be significant harm being done.
The good done by religion for society overall, such as things like charitable acts and serving as a guide for principled behavior, can and is being done by people and organizations who are not affiliated with religion.
However, the harm caused by religion is specific to religion. An atheist or someone who is not religious can still behave in an unprincipled manner, but they won't have religion to use as an excuse to make it somehow socially acceptable. You won't find them using religion to swindle money from the poor, or to justify discrimination.
‘Religious people’ should be measured by the same standard as everyone else - personal integrity and the practice of human principles. Religion should never be the standard.
I know that people will never stop being religious, but it's not unreasonable to expect them to be honest about their religion's shortcomings and its natural susceptibility to manipulation by bad actors.
In fact, people who truly care about their religion should be the most critical and vocal about the harm that religion does.
If you belong to an organization that does a lot of harm, you need to take some responsibility, even if you're not the one causing the harm. Should you really be trying to promote your religion when you know it will always be a significant source of harm for society?
The solution is for people to keep alignment with human principles at their center - - not religion. This will not diminish anyone's faith. It will strengthen and protect it by making people less vulnerable to being led astray. Use principles as a compass or lighthouse to keep you from getting off the path of your religions true teachings. Use it to help you identify false messengers and messages.
Honesty and other human principles are what is most important for humanity, not religion. The good that is done by religion can and is being done without religion, but the harm caused by religion is specific to religion. It will never go away, and is likely to get worse.
If religion helps people to live a life of honesty and integrity, that's great, but that is too often not the case.
