I get asked this question every once in a while. I usually respond by saying, "I don't hate religion. I just think people need to learn how to think critically, and religion doesn't promote that idea." I don't hate religion. I am actually fascinated by certain aspects of religion. My issue isn't with religion, but with faith. Naturally, given that faith is almost always an intrinsic component to religion, one can understand why religion per se is often in the crosshairs.
Faith is the problem, because faith is the blatant disregard for reason. Even my intelligent Christian friends, who earnestly try to apply reason to their lives and worldviews (and I believe they really do try, even if they may be misguided concerning the application of reason), don't emphasize its importance in their dealings with other believers, and don't apply it equally in every aspect of their lives. They may look both ways before crossing the street, but they don't apply the same demand for evidence when it comes to which religion they should follow.
My Christian friends and family members don't care why someone believes; they just care that the person believes. When a close family member of mine confronted me recently about my atheism, not once, in all the various messages sent to me (phone call, text, written letter), was I asked why I stopped believing. It doesn't matter why I believe or don't believe. All that matters is that I believe. That's why I was hounded, and even scolded, in an attempt to coax me back to believing. This blatant disregard, not just for reason, but for another person's personal thoughts and feelings, is one of the many horrible consequences of upholding faith as a virtue.
If faith is virtuous, then things like thinking through a nagging concern about the nature of reality or the existence of god, having doubts, and questioning religious authorities are anathema. It doesn't matter why you doubt or question, you are wrong, because you should just believe.
I think most anti-theists, even the most ardent of their rank, would agree with me that religion is a problem because faith is the problem. Religion is a product of humanity, so it stands to reason that, if religion had never been invented, then something else would have been invented in its place, and we'd have the same problems. Don't agree? Look at politics. All the greed, hubris, fear, irrationality, and hatred that fuels religion can be found running rampant throughout the political sphere. Politics is as touchy a subject around the dinner table as religion, to be certain. In fact, it's hard to separate political motivations from religious motivations. Look at radical Islam. Or the Republican party.
So, no, I don't hate religion. And I certainly don't hate religionists. I don't hate anybody. What I hate is the influential force that causes people to 1) neglect their intellectual responsibilities, 2) show disdain for science and progress, 3) promote prejudice against those who are different, 4) judge, condemn, exile, excommunicate, or execute people for being different, and 5) be so blind as to ignore all these atrocities and say they are acting "in love."
I hate faith. And I hate the pain and damage faith has caused throughout human history.
— Dead-Logic
Why Do You Hate Religion?
Why Do You Hate Religion?
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