Religion with Benefits
I've been having an offline discussion with ianvass about this article, which claims that "belief in God makes you happier and healthier". I am of three minds on this subject.
On one hand I don't find the argument persuasive. Decreasing religiosity is correlated with decreasing social ills and increasing prosperity and intelligence but there's more likely to be a common cause than a causal relationship. Superstitious and supernatural belief is a coping strategy for loss of control, and it stands to reason that people need less of a religious security blanket with greater security.
On the other hand I do find the observation plausible. The motions and trappings of religious practice - ritual, community, ethics, and contemplation - seem equally beneficial whether they're Allah's divine commandment, self-directed practice of Buddhism, or general secular "enjoy quality time with nice people" advice. Religious practices seem likely to be beneficial to the extent that anyone would expect the same secular practices to be beneficial. You might as well say that Christianity is beneficial because most doctors who tell you to stop smoking happen to be Christian.
And both of the above are immaterial to the unstated major premise. Whether or not Flintstones Vitamins make kids "happier and healthier" is unrelated to the question of whether Fred Flintstone is real. Fred Flintstone may be a source of wisdom and moral inspiration, but only because humans choose to honor this fictional character by ascring their wisdom to him. It's branding, not truth. The active ingredient remains the same regardless of whatever cartoon character you draw on the side of your bottle.
I'm not against religion, because there's a lot in religious practice that's good. I'm just against the parts that aren't true.
On one hand I don't find the argument persuasive. Decreasing religiosity is correlated with decreasing social ills and increasing prosperity and intelligence but there's more likely to be a common cause than a causal relationship. Superstitious and supernatural belief is a coping strategy for loss of control, and it stands to reason that people need less of a religious security blanket with greater security.
On the other hand I do find the observation plausible. The motions and trappings of religious practice - ritual, community, ethics, and contemplation - seem equally beneficial whether they're Allah's divine commandment, self-directed practice of Buddhism, or general secular "enjoy quality time with nice people" advice. Religious practices seem likely to be beneficial to the extent that anyone would expect the same secular practices to be beneficial. You might as well say that Christianity is beneficial because most doctors who tell you to stop smoking happen to be Christian.
And both of the above are immaterial to the unstated major premise. Whether or not Flintstones Vitamins make kids "happier and healthier" is unrelated to the question of whether Fred Flintstone is real. Fred Flintstone may be a source of wisdom and moral inspiration, but only because humans choose to honor this fictional character by ascring their wisdom to him. It's branding, not truth. The active ingredient remains the same regardless of whatever cartoon character you draw on the side of your bottle.
I'm not against religion, because there's a lot in religious practice that's good. I'm just against the parts that aren't true.