There is nothing in religion per se that can be directly and indiscrimately linked with either human health or human pathology. No swooping generalization can be made in this capacity.
What is fair to say however, is that both the best and the worst in human behavior can be linked in many cases to the influence, directly or indirectly, of religion.
When I think of the best leaders of religion -- and I confess that my knowledge of religous history is very short here -- I think of Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and His Holiness, The 14th Daai Lama. Many more could easily be added to this list.
What this means is a number of things such as:
1. A religion is only as good as its ethical contents, which in turn must be:
2. Ethically interpreted and practised by the leaders of the religion, and;
3. Ethically interpreted and practised by the individual followers of the religion.
In general, it can probably be assumed, that if the leaders of a particular religion are preaching suppression, oppression, unabated either/or rigtheousness, anger, hatred, exclusionism, and violence, then they are preaching human pathology.
In contrast, in general again, if the leaders of a particular religion are teaching/preaching tolerance, acceptance, love, peace, caring, generosity, altruism, alleviating human misery, helping those who are struggling, etc. then we are more likely talking about a healthy religion. This is assuming that there are not other pathological characteristics that may be 'poisoning the religous brew' such as sexual abuse.
Similarily, there is nothing that can be directly and indiscriminatively linked between atheism and human health or pathology. Here too, no sweeping generalizations can be made.
The issue of atheism relative to human health and/or pathology may not even be a factor. Or it may be. Here again, we need to dig underneath the surface of a man or a woman's atheism and get to the roots of his or her applied ethical system. Again, there may be no connection that can be easily and/or rightly made linking a person's atheism with his or her ethical system -- or lack of it. There are plenty of religous people who lack ethics and morality -- in fact, 'hypocrites' is a good word to describe many of these people. And similarily, there are plenty -- perhaps even more (although this is pure speculation) -- unethical, immoral, greedy, selfish people out there who do not believe in God -- regardless of whether they choose to go by the name of 'atheist' or not. But alternatively, I imagine (and again I am purely speculating) that there are plenty of 'humanistic atheists' out there as well.
This brings me to the essence of my argument here.
Firstly, there needs to be a level of tolerance, acceptance, and respect between both religious and atheist opinions and values. Because the epistemological truth is that none of us know individually or collectively, whether God exists or not. That is an 'agnosic' philosophical opinion on my behalf, and I believe that it is the most epistemologically truthful one. Anything else is either 'specualtion' or 'faith' based on reasonable or unreasonable, rational or irrational, argumentation.
Now having said this, not all values should be treated equally. If someone believes in 'killing people' as a value -- regardless or whether he or she is religous or atheist -- this is not a value that should be condoned, accepted, respected, and/or tolerated. This can be viewed as a 'socio-pathological' value whether you want to quote the Bible -- 'Thou shalt not kill.' -- or not. The same goes with 'stealing' which again you can quote the Bible -- or not.
Thus, in order to get to the roots of the health or pathology of a particular religous/atheist system, you need to get to the underlying ethical values that the religion teaches/preahes -- and how this system is both interpreted and applied.
The common bond between all healthy religous and/or non-religous (atheis) systems is their underlying 'humanistic-existential' values. Similarily, all pathological systems -- whether relgious or atheist -- can be connected to a lack of underlying humanistic-existential values.
This brings us to the question of: What exactly are 'humanistic-existential' values?; Can we all agree on what exactly humanistic-values are? (Almost undoubtedly not likely -- where there is human opinion, there is always going to be at least a certain level of disagreement -- which can be one of the most frustrating elements of democracy.)
For me, the qualities of 'humanism' and 'existentialism' partly overlap with each other -- and partly complement each other. With 'humanism', I associate such values as: caring, loving, altruism, helping others, generosity, compassion, empathy, social sensitivity...With 'existentialism', I associate such values as freedom, democracy, identity, individuality, aloneness, reason, passion, impulse, spontaneity, romance, spirituality, responsibility, accountability...Together, I see the combination of humanistic and existential values leading us to a balanced life of 'self-assertiveness' and 'social-sensitivity. This balance can also be called 'fairness' and/or 'civil justice' between the will of the individual and the social harmony of people living in contact with each other.
Whether you -- or I -- choose to be 'religious', 'spiritual', 'agnostic', 'deist', 'pantheist', 'Buddhist', 'mythological, 'mystic', or 'non-religous' (atheist) is secondary in my opinion to the humaistic-existential values that you hold and practice -- or not.
This is the mission statement of this secion on religion and spirituality.
For me the purpose of religion is, and/or should be: To add a level of substance, depth, spirituality, humanism, existentialism -- and wonderous appreciation -- to living life on earth in harmony with ourselves, and with a compassion, tolerance, and respect for other people, animals, and our enriornment.
db, Nov. 10th, 2007.
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