Religion as a Helpful Delusion

aeon.co

1 pointoa3352 comments

I appreciate the lack of bias in this article, but do feel that it's missing depth.

Religion isn't a "delusion", and in fact believing or following a religion doesn't mean your life will be easier, it will probably be harder! I don't like how the author sees religion, because it's not just something that "manages emotions." These conversations can always come out so explosive, as I believe in God too.

Religion gives purpose to our lives, it helps us understand why something is happening to us or to the world. Without the purpose, I feel it's a bit shallow to suggest religion solely helps manage our emotions.

Personally, I agree with you that religion does give purpose to our lives and that the author is a bit reductionist in his analysis. However, I found the article noteworthy exactly because the author is speaking from a "scientific" or "evidence-based" point of view, and was showing the positives of religious belief.

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