Religion and Delusion: Branch Davidians and the Siege of Waco

[Warren Stupidity]

35. Well, in this forum there are quite a few people who proclaim that religion is just ducky.

And appear to resent any and all suggestions that religion is not just ducky and is in fact quite problematic. I also think rightwing ideologies, and some leftwing ones too, are hugely problematic, but I don't think any of them should be banned, nor do I think that criticism of awful ideologies ought to muted for fear of offending Nazi fuckwits, teabag idiots, or lost in the 70's Marxist revolutionaries.

I think it is important to recognize that religion is not revealed truth, that it is a system of indoctrination, that many religions indoctrinate people to believe unquestioningly in whatever nonsense the authoritarian leaders of that religion deem to be "revealed truth", that in some cases that system of indoctrination can produce mass delusional behavior that we should all agree is wrong. Instead of pandering and deferring to religiosity we should be wary of it. Are there 'good' religions? Certainly there are some religious sects that do no harm, that do very little indoctrination, that invite skepticism, that do not defer to an authoritarian hierarchy.

We would be much better off in this country if religion were much less important, if our society was much more secular.