A number of recent authors have argued that it is. Sam Harris, for example, in The End of Faith, argues that religious belief -- particularly theistic belief -- is anything but benign. His claim isn't just that it is lible, when misinterpreted or abused, to lead to atrocities; rather, it is that religious belief -- even in its most reasonable form -- has a devestating effect on society.
I find the ideas of Harris, and many of the other 'New Atheists', quite provocative. Moreover, they argue at at level of rigor and detail that very few contemporary defenders of Theism even come close to.
Some recent experimental work at the University of Miama, however, suggests that religious belief actually leads to much more good than harm. Click here to read more on the study.
What do you think?
I find the ideas of Harris, and many of the other 'New Atheists', quite provocative. Moreover, they argue at at level of rigor and detail that very few contemporary defenders of Theism even come close to.
Some recent experimental work at the University of Miama, however, suggests that religious belief actually leads to much more good than harm. Click here to read more on the study.
What do you think?
