Ingrained in childhood, religious beliefs are a source of faith and hope and, in some persons, a stimulus for charity. On the other hand, they also instill fear, guilt and an intolerance of those who do not share the beliefs; the latter, of course, has been a common trigger for civil strife and war throughout human history.
Beyond its impact on the spiritual mindset of believers, the power of religious faith, rooted in the fear of death, has exerted significant influence throughout human society, primarily via its effects on politics and education. Long an archenemy of science, religion impedes social progress by demonizing the fundamental tenets of biology and by opposing technologies such as birth control that are vital to the welfare of our planet. Finally, religious organizations, often functioning with impunity, free of taxation and government oversight, amass a great deal of wealth with which to ensure their continued influence; financed by devoted followers, religious leaders and their hierarchies are often able to avoid scrutiny and prosecution, even when their actions and proclamations deny basic human rights to other groups.
Many will argue that the "good works" of religions far outweigh any negative impact that they may have on human society. Others, myself included, feel that their cost, primarily as divisive agents of intolerance and as enemies of education, injecting delusional beliefs into the realm of science, far exceeds their charitable programs, most of which are tied to recruitment and indoctrination campaigns. While we should not eliminate religious freedom, it is equally important that we uphold freedom from religion and begin to treat those organizations as the businesses that they have always been.
