PZ Myers once said that things would be better if people treated religion as an enjoyable hobby, sort of like knitting.
(This clip was part of a hit piece, so ignore the desperate music.)
Miss Perfect (my girlfriend-partner-fiancée) says that a more apt comparison would be quilting, because quilters are a bit more intense about it, it’s more socially involved, and they’ve evolved rules and customs about their quilting, sort of like a religion.
Crafty metaphors are okay, but after some reflection, I realised that I feel the same way about people who do religion as I do about people who do drugs.
I don’t choose to do drugs (substitute ‘religion’ if you wish) — it’s not my thing — but I have some friends who do. I don’t really mind that they do. I don’t like it, but I guess it’s their choice. Actually, I bet I have some friends who do it, but I don’t even know who they are because they’re not hardcore into it, and it doesn’t interfere with their lives. On the other hand, I do have some friends whose abuse is kind of messing them up, and I feel bad about that.
Is it a healthy habit? Not at all, but I guess it normally won’t harm someone who goes easy on it. I absolutely think it should be kept away from kids, when they’re just learning to use their brains.
I really don’t mind if there are a few people in society who indulge, but society just won’t work if everyone’s into it all the time. And there’s no way that people who use it should be making the rest of us subsidise their habit, or make us to start using it ourselves, no matter how great they think it is. And I’m certainly not going to pay it any undue respect.
If someone realises that they have a problem, and it’s taking over their life, we should have ways for them to get help. Otherwise, as long as they’re cool about it, I can treat it like a private, mildly undesirable pursuit that some people enjoy.
EDIT: A reader is taking me to task for lumping all drugs in together. So fine, it just extends my metaphor.
Just like some drugs are more or less addicting, and some are more or less harmful, we could say the same thing about religions. Maybe casual cannabis use is like default Catholicism — mostly harmless with light use. Don’t get too deep into it though.
Scientology could be like cocaine, or perhaps crack. I hear that stuff’s addictive.
Evangelical mega-churches? Meth.
What about Mormons? Unitarians? Put your pharmaceutical comparisons in comments.
7 September 2012 at 4:05 am
Hmmm. Charismatic/Apostolic churches might be like hallucinogens, in that both cause delusions and breaks from reality. Violent radical religion could be like belladonna, in that both are terrifying and toxic.
7 September 2012 at 6:15 am
Mormonism is like TUMS. It seems perfectly reputable until you realize that it's just a dressed-up version of something you can get from a less expensive source. Plus, something's off about the flavor and you're always left with a disturbing, chalky sensation in your mouth.
Okay, so it's not a perfect comparison…
7 September 2012 at 12:10 pm
Maybe Mormonism is diazepam — meetings will put you to sleep.
7 September 2012 at 6:02 pm
you can thank RANDI
youtube.com/watch?v=wHs0vM3gRTA
______
youtube.com/watch?v=gHbYJfwFgOU
which WORLD-VIEW will not exist, sh*thead?
______________
5000 whining atheists vs the Great Prophet
how the divine pen of Michel N. crushed the international atheist movement
sguforums.com/index.php?topic=43121.0
youtube.com/watch?v=s3lwG4MytSI
one applicant right here…
get the POINT, Randi….
for lies on top of lies
youtube.com/watch?v=bbmXpNEFipE
do you think you can threaten my right to FREE SPEECH?
what if I told you that I am not who you think I am….
Not Dennis Markuze – but a FAN!
youtube.com/watch?v=nvatDdOWcLw&lc
you're not the center of the universe!
youtube.com/watch?v=3yRpSNIOwA4
a dishonest liar
____
youtube.com/watch?v=ruQFh_TkPto
WHINE WHINE WHINE
______________
youtube.com/watch?v=wHs0vM3gRTA
you can thank RANDI
——-
BRING IT ON!
7 September 2012 at 9:36 pm
Unitarians = camomile tea (the softest 'drug' of all)
8 September 2012 at 3:26 pm
(some kinds of) Anglicanism = placebo
24 June 2013 at 12:21 pm
Is it a healthy habit? Not at all, but I guess it normally won't harm someone who goes easy on it. I absolutely think it should be kept away from kids, when they're just learning to use their brains. How To Pass A Drug Test