A
healthy skepticism is like a healthy immune system. Skepticism allows the
thinker to defend him or herself from attacks of stupidity and destructive
thoughts. But it is not over-reactive: it does not, or should not, lead the
thinker to be deeply suspicious of and react against everything. Skepticism is
also like the immune system in the way it develops. A mind, like an immune
system, may be initially naïve against an initial assault, whether of antigens
or of stupid ideas, but upon second contact, antibodies and skepticism react
quickly enough that hardly any discomfort or danger occurs. I refer to
skepticism, not militant atheism.
In
contrast, religion is like a dysfunctional immune system. It is dysfunctional
in both extremes. First, religion lowers a person’s defenses so that the
craziest and most brutal ideas can slip or march right into the brain. If a
revered religious leader says you should believe something, then you just might
believe it, even without evidence, even against evidence, even against every
feeling of altruism and empathy. Religious services, in particular, are
designed to allow this to occur. The organ plays softly, you bow your head in
prayer, and the preacher specifically instructs you to clear away all skeptical
thoughts from your mind. The he (or she) may go right ahead and say something
like, “Help us, O Lord, to see that Donald Trump is doing your will on Earth
and leading us into the righteousness of which you approve...”
Second,
religion overstimulates our defenses as well. It makes believers react against
the very things that make us empathetically human. When we see someone in need,
religion can make us actually see that person as a sinner who deserves
suffering. Religion does not have to do this but often does. Religion can make
us look upon environmental pollution and destruction, which ruins the
livelihoods of millions of poor people who want to raise themselves out of
poverty but cannot do so because their soil is eroding away or they are sick
from toxins, and see that environmental destruction is actually God’s will,
since it blesses billionaire industrialists with additional billions.
Religion
says “O” while skepticism says, “oh.” Destructive religion says, “O Lord,
confirm us in our beliefs,” while skepticism (and religion that is skeptical
and thoughtful) says, “Oh, Lord, how could we have been so wrong?”
It
will be entertaining to see whether religion plays any role in the current war
of the billionaires. The Koch Brothers say that Trump’s tariffs are
destructive, while Trump says that the Koch Brothers are “a total joke in real Republican circles.” He
says he does not need their money in the upcoming elections. This remains to be
seen. But what I want to know is, what will the rabid fundamentalists do about
this?
Whatever
they do, you can bet it will not be based on reason.
