The Myth of the ‘God Cult’
You have 10 followers, you have a cult; you have 10 million, you have a religion. That doesn’t make it more irrational or extreme, its just more people. Religion has been described by one eminent philosopher as a “process of non-thinking called faith”.




Scientific Truth vs. Religious Truth
I find it astounding that, at a time when global society has dived headlong into the ‘Information Age’, religious faith is actually on the upswing, despite the world’s growing awareness of rational, scientific truth.

Science, which by definition is based on scepticism, must endure extremes of investigation and evidence procurement, continuously testing its own concepts and claims. Faith, on the other hand, exists in juxtaposition with evidence: it a ‘belief system’ nothing more nothing less, and is therefore the polar opposite of science.
Furthermore, though religions preach morality, peace and hope, in reality, they bring intolerance, violence and destruction. The growth of extreme fundamentalism in so many religions across the world (and you only have to go to the US mid-west to recognise that this is not a purely Islamic problem) not only endangers humanity but is in direct conflict with the trend over thousands of years of history for humanity to progress – to become more enlightened and more tolerant.




The Least Enlightened People in The World
Consider those involved in the terminal conflict over what is called the ‘Holy Land’. The eternal clash of Abraham’s three quarrelsome children (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) is symbolic of organised religion's threat to rational values and civilisation. Nowhere in the world better outlines the process by which the irrational roots of modern religious thought are providing succor to intolerance, inhumanity and murder.

Further, we can investigate the political power of the powerful Christian fundamentalist groups who lobby and to some degree finance the US Congress like the frighteningly charismatic leader of America's National Association of Evangelicals, who believes he has been chosen by God to convert Americans through religious gatherings that resemble rock concerts or perhaps the Nuremberg rallies.
Then there are the desperate, like those carrying burdens of disability or disease, who are among the thousands of people a year who make the pilgrimage to Lourdes. According to Professor Richard Dawkins, “out of the millions who, over a century, have placed their faith in a miracle restoring them to good health, there have been only 66 authenticated cures.” (All psychological?) This is hardly a strong record, he says, arguing that it is better for us to embrace truth than false hope”.




The Club Mentality
Drawing on such examples, it is not difficult to demolish the claims of religion as nothing more than fairytales, and dangerous ones at that. But there is more to religion than ancient stories and articles of faith. Like football fans or collectors clubs, the sense of belonging promised by religious groups is a significant force, one which is capable of producing strong feelings of unity and emotional wellbeing. However, unlike these other organisations, to members of religious groups this emotional comfort becomes confused with the spiritual health. Consequently, these feelings of faith may be dismissed as seductive group solidarity, a shared delusion.

Looked at in this light, it is less challenging to consider how religions and religious traditions become intertwined with people's ideas of 'community', 'history' and 'identity'.


We all need to feel like we’re a part of something, it helps us to find our place in the world, gives us our identity. Now consider how much greater is the pressure on minorities, the oppressed, those under extreme economic, political or military pressure to develop a sense of ‘belonging’. Having a sense of one's place in the world is important to everyone but has particular significance for minorities and peoples under political, economic or military pressure. When your faith the backbone of everything you hold dear, when it’s the one thing that allows you to make sense of a cruel and irrational world, you’ll defend it to the end – even if (ironically) that means giving your life.


Faith as a Weapon
There have been a great many cases throughout history where religion was used as a tool of oppression. Karl Marx famous proclaimed that ‘religion is the opiate of the masses’, whereby Christianity in particular was utilized by the powers-that-be to maintain the status quo. There is also the more sinister context in which faith is specifically constructed to enhance subjugation.

A key example of this may be seen from the perspective of 17th and 18th century slavery. The vigor with which Christianity was thrust upon slaves by their white owners seems out of touch with their belief that Africans were ‘sub-human’ until you realise that these mass-conversions were carried out through economic, rather than spiritual necessity. Surely the logical thing for the slaves to do, given the wretched conditions in which they lived, was to resist. However, the perceived consequence was that such an act would result in eternal damnation and as a result, insurrection was rare.


The Unenlightened Enlightened
Then there is another sector, specific to the western world. That being those who accept the logical deconstruction of the scientific argument, at least theoretically, but maintain their faith because ‘there has to be something out there, doesn’t there?’ These individuals may even accept the logical deconstruction of the ‘myths’ they grew up with but still feel the need to defend the complex maze of institutions, practices and relationships which, they feel, make them who they are.


Whatever your standpoint, it is always important to question everything. Having done so, I would argue that you will be left with the only possible conclusion – that the very groundrock beneath all relligions is nothing more than a delusion.


Prove me wrong……please!



For further reading on this and related subjects, I recommend the writings of Professor Richard Dawkins