According to me the greatest problem with religion is that it embodies doing good for the sake of a God, as opposed to doing good for the sake of doing good itself. In this life where almost every living thing is beset by the unfairness of life itself, there is no time for praising a God who might have created us – that time can be much better spent trying to make life a better place to be.
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Oom Stoffel, Centurion said
My sentiments exactly. I first encountered (and learnt to appreciate) this very attitude to life way back in my youth in one of Betrand Russell’s books.
scienceteacherinexile said
IMHO religion does not embody doing good for God at all. It embodies converting people who do not believe what you do to their flavour of religious dogma. That is with most religions that I am familiar with. But your point is taken.