by John F

Created on: April 24, 2007   Last Updated: May 21, 2007

Religion: Truth AND fiction

(1) The truth is that only through belief in most religions that salvation in some afterlife is supposed; so it is also a fiction that through a religion, or otherwise, that salvation or an afterlife could be known.

(2) The truth is that hope of a better life in the here and now and in some afterlife is offered through belief in many religions; so it is also a fiction that belief in a religion does offer a better life on Earth, or an afterlife.

(3) The truth is that faith is the tool used by many believers in most religions, but often at the expense of critical thinking skills acquisition; so it is also a fiction that most religions are founded upon logic and reason.

(4) The truth is that many believers of most religions have wreaked havoc on the world; so it is also a fiction that there are no believers of some religion that would want to physically force their views on the rest of us.

(5) The truth is that few believers of some religions do help the poor and down-trodden; so it is also a fiction that all these believers help others altruistically (without religious PR, recruiting or conversion campaigns).

(6) The truth is that through belief in most religions alone that there are so many who are prepared to die or kill; so it is also a fiction that religions can cause some to kill others or do prevent any from dying, ever.

(7) The truth is (in spite of there being many religions with vast numbers of believers), god is no more than an ideological concept; so it is also a fiction that religious experiences are other than just brain-states.

(8) The truth is that many who believe in most religions so freely espouse that all those who do not are evil; so it is also a fiction that tolerance and acceptance for all is the core foundation of most religious institutions.

(9) The truth is that through widespread belief in any religion that scientific advancement can stall; so it is also a fiction that creationism or ID are worthy of serious study as real theories of any science.

(10) The truth is that many religions have a rich history and are aesthetically pleasing to many including some non-believers; so it is also a fiction that beauty, heritage or culture is missing when religions wither and fade.

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