Often when life gets too hard, people turn to drugs and alcohol as a way to escape the hardships of life. It numbs them so they don’t have to worry about their problems, and no longer have to think about the trouble they might be in or how bad their life has become. But when you think about it, isn’t that exactly what religion offers?
Many times people turn to drugs and alcohol when scared, lost, or depressed, but people are turning to religion for the same reasons. Life can be hard and scary at times, and it is natural to want to find comfort and religion does just that. It is why there can be so many variations of religion and all work for the ones who believe it. It doesn’t work or improve their lives because it is true, it works because it numbs them from the pain and harshness of reality. We all are aware of our mortality and that can be a scary thing to think about. So in order to overcome that fear people prescribe to a religion. If we are taught a religion from an early age, we have been addicted ever since we have had the ability to think. (It is why many atheist say religious indoctrination of children is child abuse; it is basically addicting them to a drug at an early age that will cause delusions for the rest of their lives.)
The pill people take every day called religion numbs them to reality. They don’t see how much suffering is going on in the world. For example, many know children were dying in Africa every day, but because they think God has a plan, they don’t realize how tragic it really is. They don’t have to think about the problems of the world because to them it is all God’s plan, and this life is just a test to see who deserves heaven and who deserves hell. It is sad to think how many people live the one life they will ever have addicted to this delusion.
It is extremely difficult for those who are addicted to this drug to quick. Just like with any addiction the way to get rid of it is to replace it with something else. So in order to stop taking religions pill, they must have a good reason to do so. It is comforting to think there is a God in control and heaven is in our future, so it makes it extremely tough for anyone to even want to consider losing that belief. Since no religion is right and they all have their flaws, it is easy to just stick with the one you have always known because it seems to work. The only way for addicts to quit is to introduce them to reason, logic, and science so they can determine if their beliefs are true. However, for those who don’t care whether their beliefs are true and just want to feel good, this will have little to no impact on them.
Drug users will deny they are addicted and come up with excuses for why they don’t have a problem. Religious people do the same when shown evidence of the harm their beliefs have caused, but they have no problem pointing out the problems in other religions. People become so blind and numb to the harm their beliefs have caused and make up excuses such as, “they weren’t a true believer”. Of course, many who follow a religion are good people and are a positive influence but it doesn’t mean their belief is true; it is their same belief that is giving others a reason to be hateful and violent toward others. The irony is that those who are not “true believers” actually just believe it more than they do. They are basically overdosing on their religion of choice, and it causes them to be completely irrational. If a belief is true, that does not happen. Just as the right amount of a drug can make you feel good, too much of a drug will kill you, and those who have overdosed on religion are the fundamentalist and religious terrorist.
So should religion be illegal? No, just as alcohol and other drugs are legal and the harmful drugs are illegal; the same should go for religions. For religions that are for the most part benign and help people cope with their fears should be allowed, but it doesn’t make them true. Just as someone who is prescribed a drug to feel better shouldn’t give it to their friends, religion shouldn’t be forced on anyone either. People who are drug free and eat healthy feel great, and it should be encouraged for people to eat healthy doses of reason, logic, and science in order to live better and more rational lives. Reality is much more fascinating than any religion, and because people will no longer have delusions, they will be amazed at the things they will learn and discover.
Religions which are obviously harmful such as Muslim extremists or the KKK should be illegal but will never go away even if it were because religion is too powerful. Simply taking their religion away will only make them go crazier unless they are given something to replace it with. Just like those who don’t stop doing illegal drugs because they are so strongly addicted. This is why religion should not be encouraged and instead we must encourage people to base their beliefs on reason and logic and not on what makes them feel good.
People shouldn’t stop believing their religion because Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris or anyone else tells them to. Instead, they should take an honest look at what they believe and decided for themselves if it is really true. By using the scientific method which is proven to work and has allowed us the ability to create amazing things such as airplanes, satellites, television and all the other countless things we enjoy today. People need to learn to think for themselves and not follow a belief because it makes them feel good. If we want to be right, we must be willing to be wrong. If we can do something as simple as that, our world would be a completely different place, and if we can’t, we should be extremely jealous of the generation that can.