Harm To Society
Some aspects of religion are criticized on the basis that they damage society as a whole. Steven Weinberg, for example, believe it takes religion to make good people do evil. Bertrand Russell and Richard Dawkins cite religiously inspired or justified violence, resistance to social change, attacks on science, repression of women, and homophobia.
Hartung has claimed that major religious moral codes can lead to "us vs. them" group solidarity and mentality (often referred to as moral superiority) which can dehumanise or demonise individuals outside their faith as "not fully human", or less worthy. Results can vary from mild discrimination to outright genocide. A poll by The Guardian, a UK intellectual newspaper noted that 82% of the British people believe that religion is socially divisive and that this effect is harmful despite the observation that non-believers outnumber believers 2 to 1.
Read more about this topic: Criticism Of Religion
Famous quotes containing the words harm to, harm and/or society:
“Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.”
—Joseph Wood Krutch (1893–1970)
“There is no harm in repeating a good thing.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“A society which is clamoring for choice, which is filled with many articulate groups, each urging its own brand of salvation, its own variety of economic philosophy, will give each new generation no peace until all have chosen or gone under, unable to bear the conditions of choice. The stress is in our civilization.”
—Margaret Mead (1901–1978)