Published Otago Daily Times, 30 October 2009
In a Faith and Reason column, published in the past few months in the Otago Daily Times, the writer – a pastor – started his discourse on religion by quoting Karl Marx as saying “Religion is the opiate of the people”.
As a non-expert citizen, my basic claim is this: Religion is nonsense. Often it is dangerous nonsense.
The late American writer Kurt Vonnegut observed “say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith. I consider the capacity for it terrifying.” I agree.
The common religious belief in a “supreme being” is a psychological and social construction.
Religion is made up, an invention given credibility simply because a lot of people agree with it.