While I do often talk religion, one thing I generally avoid is the discussion of whether or not religion is a cause of evil or a cause of good. I do mention that without religion we wouldn’t have people flying into the twin towers and such, and I do acknowledge that religion’s effect on humanity is something worth discussing, but in my discussions about God and my atheism and the like, the one thing I avoid is that same matter. Why?

Simple: that debate hinges entirely on whether or not God is real in the first place, but has no bearing on it.

One thing atheists may not admit out loud but still inwardly know is that if there were a god, there would be no excuse not to follow the Bible to the last detail. The pious sinless life spent testifying the salvation through Christ would be the only option. If I believed in Jesus Christ and that Hell was a true place that one could go to, then I would have no way to justify living a life in sin.

Moreover, it would simply be illogical to even tempt eternal damnation for immediate pleasures. If it were true that I will live for roughly 80 years and my time spent during it will determine what happens to me for eternity, then it seems odd that I would risk the fires of hell for the remainder of time so I can have sex or sleep in on Sunday.

Pascal’s Wager comes to mind: believing in god is safer than not believing. This is thoroughly lambasted by Dawkins in The God Delusion, but it’s a reasonable question for agnostics. If you aren’t sure one way or the other, and you consider it a possibility that God is real, then live as though he is. You acknowledge that it might be the case, so why would you not err on the safe side of your own unsureness?

What I’m getting at is the simple concept that religious fundamentalism would be the only option if God were real. If there were a God, then obviously we would all have to act as he commanded and I would be right on board with all of the fundamentalists. The “goodness” or “badness” faith has on humanity is completely irrelevant because in a situation where God is real and the Bible is true, we have no choice but to do whatever it says, and it would all be considered “good” as such.

On the flip side, if God is not real, then the debate may occur in that we have to consider that some people should not be deprived of their illusion. Certainly people exist who do good things because they think they’re doing God’s work and they may not find reason to do so if robbed of their faith.

I don’t find that particularly compelling. People will continue to do good things no matter what. And those who lose their motivation, I think, will find that a temporary setback. Even without believing God is watching, these people will find their sympathy for the plight of the poor and needy undiminished. At least I’d like to think so. I gave a fair amount to multiple Hurricane Katrina charities, my lack of belief proving no barrier to my desire to help others.

Secondly, even if acting upon faith is a good thing, it doesn’t change it’s falsehood. And at heart I am more concerned with the truth than anything, no matter how much it hurts. If there is no god, then that is the truth and from a strictly intellectual standpoint it hurts me to suggest that because it’s somehow beneficial that the truth can be ignored and the lie can be spread down the generations. I’m not a believer in the “tis better to believe a noble myth” theory.

Not to mention belief in God is inherently antithetical to a number of scientific spheres as well as social ones. The origin of the universe and multiculturalism being the two most obvious examples. Of course, in the first example then it wouldn’t matter because it’s a given that god is real so any evidence found would simply bolster that, but now I’m drifting in another direction.

So you see, whether belief is good or bad is irrelevant. If there is a god, then faith is mandatory, its effect on humanity has no bearing on the issue. If there is no god, then faith should be eliminated because as a culture who is concerned with the truth and the pursuit of such, holding onto false beliefs is simply unethical.

It should also be noted that one can still hold onto Christianity or Islam and still acknowledge that god does not exist. Social reasons, liking the morality, etc. You can find many atheists in churches of all kinds.