How Religion Pollutes Politics

by John Winsor

Any belief that contradicts facts is false. Period.

Write that down. Save it. Memorize it. It should be obvious, but in the postmodern "cultural relativism" community, what is true and what is false are considered matters of opinion or "worldview." Some Christian apologists have asserted that religion and science are essentially compatible and complementary ways of understanding the world. This may seem magnanimous, but it's false and accepting it has consequences.

Science isn't a religion. We don't have to "believe in it." Its efficacy is apparent in our daily lives. Science has given us global telecommunications, vast advances in medicine, agriculture, transportation, and on and on. Here are just a few differences between Biblical falsehoods and scientific truths:

BIBLICAL FALSEHOOD SCIENTIFIC TRUTH

When believers die, their souls go to heaven to live with God.

The ancients were ignorant of biology. The brain and central nervous system perform all functions that they attributed to the "soul." There is no evidence that gods exist.

Diseases are caused by evil spirits and can be treated by exorcism or the "laying on of hands."

Diseases have many causes, all of which are natural. Many are caused by viruses and bacteria and can be prevented via inoculation or treated with antibiotics.

The earth is 6,000 years old. It was created before the sun, moon, and stars. Man was created in the beginning.

The universe is billions of years older than the earth. The earth is billions of years old. Our species evolved from earlier life forms.

Nature is unknowable magic controlled by God. Good hunting and bountiful harvests are signs that God is pleased. Fires, storms, floods, earthquakes, drought, and famine are signs that God is angry.

Nature is entirely physical and knowable. The more we know, the better we plan. Disciplines like climatology, meteorology, and geology have vastly increased what we know.

Religion thrives when its dogma is accepted without question. Science thrives when inquiry into the natural world is unfettered by preconceived notions. The Church regards faith (aka gullibility) as a virtue and doubt as a weakness. In science, the opposite is true. Accepting the validity of a Christian "worldview" has negative consequences. Here are a couple of the biggest:

  1. Christian fundamentalists believe that Old Testament morality was dictated by God and dutifully recorded by "prophets." In fact, the Old Testament authors were barbaric, ignorant, chauvinists. To them, for example, women were property and. appropriate punishments included stoning and mutilation. Their moral code was similar to that of the Taliban today. It has no place in modern western society, but when voters demand adherence to it, our ability to rationally address issues such as homosexuality and reproductive rights is impaired.
  2. "Faith" is a euphemism for "gullibility." As Mark Twain said, "Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool." Fundamentalists believe what their preachers tell them. It's relieves them from the arduous task of wrestling with complex questions. When religion influences politics, fundamentalists tend to accept the assertions of pious politicians in the same way. For example, a politician who demonstrates his piety by saying that Creationism should be taught in our schools can also assert that Global Warming is a hoax. In this way, he can secure both votes from his gullible constituents and campaign funding from the fossil fuel industry.

Christianity is a hierarchical and authoritarian religion. Through its insistence on obedience and conformity, corrupt priests gained power - which they used to confirm the legitimacy of kings in order to gain wealth as well. Democracy itself is undermined when facts are replaced by dogma and thought is replaced by mindless obedience. A representative democracy thrives when its participants are well-informed and capable of making good decisions about how to vote. Unfortunately, we all have to live with the consequences of an uninformed electorate.