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”.
Terence Kealey falls out of love with market myths at New Scientist and is descended upon by hordes of screaming libertarians (AKA self justifying plutocrats)
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.