1. It divides people.
Religion brings people together much like racism brings people together. It creates an “Us vs. Them” mentality that divides people…leading to discrimination, fighting, and even war.
2. It misrepresents scientific facts and gives people a false understanding about the world around us.
3. It brings about unnecessary guilt and shame.
Christianity teaches us that we are all “born sinners.” That is a bit of a burden for some people to have to carry. It also teaches us about the concept of “sin” which makes us feel guilty and/or shameful for doing such non-harmful things as lusting after someone, engaging in premarital sex, masturbating, and missing church on Sunday…not to mention a whole host of other trivial matters.
4. It stifles progress.
The Dark Ages…need I say more? If we just answered all of the “unknowns” with “God did it” then we would never have any reason to seek out the true answers to those questions.
5. It gives unscrupulous people something to hide behind.
Certainly nobody would suspect that a “man of God” would be capable of doing something inappropriate, immoral, or illegal…right?
6. It uses fear (hell) and the promise of rewards (heaven) to keep its followers.
The good news: There is no hell. The bad news: there is no heaven either. Some people just can’t accept the fact that when they die there will simply be nothingness…just like before they were born.
7. It gives people false hope.
It makes people think that their prayers will be answered and that after they die, they will be reunited with their loved ones. It promises “eternal life” to those that believe, yet there is no evidence that this is the case. In fact, science has pretty much squashed the idea that a “soul” even exists. You can’t really have an eternal life if you don’t have a soul!
8. It interferes with people’s personal lives.
If two consenting adults want to have premarital sex, then let them. It isn’t any business of the church to tell them that they are “sinners” for doing so. Religion also prevents consenting adults from doing a lot of other things that are none of the church’s business. The Catholic Church’s insistence that its members abstain from using condoms/birth control makes it responsible for overpopulation and the spread of AIDS in poor countries, such as in Africa…what a great legacy!
9. It makes people believe strange things.
Religion makes people believe that they have guardian angels looking after them, that the earth was created in 7 days, that “man” was created from dirt, that heaven and hell are real…not to mention a lot of other hokey things!
10. It tries to force its questionable morals onto the rest of society.
Not everybody agrees that homosexuality or same-sex marriage is wrong, or that assisted suicide is wrong, or that abortion is wrong, or that birth control is wrong…
11. A certain number of people become obsessed with their religion and do crazy things as a result.
…like 9/11, killing of abortion doctors, honor killings, etc. Remember Waco and Jonestown? Ever talk to a “Jesus Freak?” I’d rather speak to a schizophrenic; at least they have an excuse for their delusional beliefs.
12. It cheapens life.
As an Atheist, I value my life more now than I ever did while I considered myself a Christian…because I know that this is the only life I get and that I need to live it to the fullest, leaving no unfinished business. Believing that there is an afterlife cheapens the one and only life that we actually get.
13. It confuses people.
So why did God have to send Jesus to earth to be killed so that he could save us from him? Also, the Bible is so full of contradictions that I can’t imagine most Christians really know what is truly expected of them (of course, most Christians haven’t read the Bible so maybe that’s irrelevant).
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