Religion's track record

Overview

This page is for documenting how well religion has performed as a means of making decisions and as a source of good, as opposed to non-religiously based methods such as science or personal intuition not based on any religious argument.

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Notes

Bad decisions

Religious arguments were used to support slavery (and, later, discrimination, when slavery was outlawed in the United States) long after public sentiment had turned against it.

Areas of study suppressed for religious reasons

More specifics are needed on the following:

• electricity -- I seem to recall that Benjamin Franklin's study of lightening was condemned as being tampering with God or some such
• medicine?
• anatomy?

To balance the picture, there should be a catalog of valid areas of study which religion has been alone in supporting – any candidates?

Achievements

• Has Religion Made Useful Contributions to Civilization? by Bertrand Russell

Best

• helps build community between its members, typically strengthening the larger community of which it is a part
• countless majestic cathedrals and works of art
• popularization of a number of generally good memes, including:
  • taboo against killing; the sanctity of (human) life (Judeo-Christianity)
  • taboo against lying (Judeo-Christianity)
  • "turning the other cheek", i.e. taboo against vengefulness (Christianity)
  • taboo against envious or jealous thoughts/behavior (Judeo-Christianity): helps to avoid the temptation to steal and also helps reduce friction between people of different levels of wealth
  • help the poor (Christianity)
  • respect for elders (Confucianism, Judeo-Christianity, others): supports parents in their efforts to impart good values to their children; supports the transmission of community history, so it can be learned from; helps prevent elder abuse
• popularization of memes useful within their cultural context:
  • taboo against stealing; the sanctity of personal property (Judeo-Christianity): some viable cultures don't/didn't have the concept of personal property, at least not to the same extent; results have been mixed

Worst

• The Inquisitions (Catholicism)
• The idea that not only is believing the wrong ideas a crime, but a crime punishable by death (heresy) (Notes for page about heresy: Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake for heresy)
• Persecution of homosexuals and others with non-standard gender traits
• Suppression of learning, especially in certain areas such as: sexuality and reproduction; biology (anti-evolution); geology (young earth creation theories)
• The declaration that rock music is the work of the devil (American Christian extremists, late 1950s)
• The burning of Beatles albums in response to John Lennon's off-the-cuff statement that the Beatles "are more popular than Jesus now" (American Christian extremists, 1966)
• Repression of women (most religions, throughout history)
• Repression of scientific progress
  • religion vs. science
• Sexual repression, including: repression of homosexuality and transsexuality [W] [1]; adverse control of heterosexual behavior between consenting adults; adverse control of non-interpersonal sexual behavior
• The destruction of countless works of art; examples:
  • The Buddhas of Bamiyan (Taliban - Islam)
• Countless instances of religious violence; examples:
  • the 2006 Mohammed image riots (Islam)
  • The 9/11 attacks are believed to have been planned and carried out by Islamic extremists (Al Qaeda)
• The Ku Klux Klan claimed to be a Christian organization (what was Christianity's reaction to this?)
• The Flat Earth Society
• Doctrinal arguments in support of slavery caused much of Christendom to support what we now know to be a great evil