What about me Wednesday

I saw a film over the weekend called Religulous. It's a documentary which is a skeptics view of the current state of world religion. While I did learn a lot of new fun facts about Religion, I've been thinking about the closing statments of the film more and more since it ended. Since it's what about me wednesday, and this is affecting me, as I keep pondering these words, I thought that I would post them here to discuss in a rational manner and get peoples opinion of it. However, if you are among those who are sensitive to matters of faith, I do not wish to offend you, so maybe skip this one ok.

Here are the closing statements of Religulous:






The irony of religion is that because of its power to divert man to destructive courses, the world could actually come to an end. The plain fact is, religion must die for mankind to live. The hour is getting very late to be able to indulge having in key decisions made by religious people. By irrationalists, by those who would steer the ship of state not by a compass, but by the equivalent of reading the entrails of a chicken. George Bush prayed a lot about Iraq, but he didn't learn a lot about it. Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking. It's nothing to brag about. And those who preach faith, and enable and elevate it are intellectual slaveholders, keeping mankind in a bondage to fantasy and nonsense that has spawned and justified so much lunacy and destruction. Religion is dangerous because it allows human beings who don't have all the answers to think that they do. Most people would think it's wonderful when someone says, "I'm willing, Lord! I'll do whatever you want me to do!" Except that since there are no gods actually talking to us, that void is filled in by people with their own corruptions and limitations and agendas. And anyone who tells you they know, they just know what happens when you die, I promise you, you don't. How can I be so sure? Because I don't know, and you do not possess mental powers that I do not. The only appropriate attitude for man to have about the big questions is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion, but doubt. Doubt is humble, and that's what man needs to be, considering that human history is just a litany of getting shit dead wrong. This is why rational people, anti-religionists, must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves. And those who consider themselves only moderately religious really need to look in the mirror and realize that the solace and comfort that religion brings you comes at a horrible price. If you belonged to a political party or a social club that was tied to as much bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, violence, and sheer ignorance as religion is, you'd resign in protest. To do otherwise is to be an enabler, a mafia wife, for the true devils of extremism that draw their legitimacy from the billions of their fellow travelers. If the world does come to an end here, or wherever, or if it limps into the future, decimated by the effects of religion-inspired nuclear terrorism, let's remember what the real problem was. We learned how to precipitate mass death before we got past the neurological disorder of wishing for it. That's it. Grow up or die.







Now while I do not agree with everything said above, it did get me thinking. What if he's right? I mean, i don't think it's bad for people to wish their loved ones well at night before they go to bed by praying for them. But the people who bomb buildings, organize an anti-gay marriage protest, oppose stem-cell research, just because of their religion. I think the core values of most religions are good noble values to have, but it's when religion is used to justify these hateful extreme things, that's when I just go....WTF!


So I guess I'll just toss this into the void. Again, I hope I didn't offend anyone. I'm just looking for some conversation on the topic, because it's weighing on my mind.