What's the point of religion?

What's the point of religion? Is religion something you should just give your whole life over to? What about the lives of your children? I'm not talking about giving up your Sundays to church, or taking the time to pray 5 times a day. I'm talking about murder and torture.

In Wisconsin last week, an eleven year old girl died from Type One diabetes because her family believes in prayer over medicine. Dying from that type of diabetes means that you have been incredibly sick for weeks. It's being reported that she was barely more than a skeletal waif when the authorities found here. It's also important to note that the only reason the authorities went to her home, although they were sadly too late, is because relatives IN CALIFORNIA had heard how sick she was and knew that her parents wouldn't take her to see a doctor. After all, they hadn't taken her to the doctor since she was three. They had also pulled her out of school this semester.

Going on what I've been told, from someone with firsthand evidence, being sick with diabetes like that is extremely painful and a miserable and horrible experience. Those parents tortured their daughter to death because of religion. The thing that makes me the angriest was this quote:

"They said it was the course of action they would take again... They firmly believe even if they had taken her to a doctor, if this was the time God had chosen for her to die, she would die regardless of medical interference."

You know what, fuck that god of theirs. If that's what their god thinks, IT'S THE WRONG GOD. How any parent could ever feel like they shouldn't provide the most basic of care to their child because of religion, then THEY ARE WRONG. Type One diabetes is one of the most treatable illness in the world. Insulin injections and the right diet mean a long, healthy life. They took 50+ years off of their own daughters life because of their selfish religious beliefs.

So... if religion causes parents to torture their children to death... then what's the point of religion? I'm pretty agnostic at this point in my life, but I always thought of religion as something uplifting... something that fills your life with purpose, something that gives your respect for other people and for this planet. I suppose that's a pretty naive view of religion. Religion has been used to enslave people, start wars, murder, terrorize, etc. since recorded history. But... why? What's the point in believing in something bigger than yourself if that's the outcome?

Sometimes I feel that other people think they have no choice but to be religious, or to follow a certain religion. I don't think that's the case. A bad religion is like a bad marriage--it might be painful, and you might have to start over from scratch, but you can leave it. A few months ago, there were lots of stories about the polygamists in Utah/Arizona, and stories about how some people left that religion. It was hard for them. It was tough. But I don't think many people would argue that they aren't better off for doing it.

Maybe I just don't understand that level of religious devotion. Maybe I just don't understand the devotion to a belief that will let your child die when a simple trip to the doctor can save her. Maybe I just don't understand the conviction that a higher power will rain hellfire down on you if you drive your own car.

Maybe I'm better off this way.

Link to article about girl in Wisconsin.

Two of my favorite stories/songs: one, a Judea-Christian flavored very short story, the second, a humanist flavored song by Voltaire.

A man is sitting on top of his house during a flood, praying to God to save him from drowning. As the water rose up over the windows, a canoeist paddled by and offered a ride. The man demurred, saying he was confident his prayers would be answered. As the water came up over the gutters, rescuers in a speedboat stopped - and were told the same thing. As the water lapped at his feet, a helicopter hovered overhead, the pilot imploring him to save himself. He replied that God would take care of that, and was stunned when the waters finally submerged him.

At the end, the drowned man asks God why he hadn't answered his prayers. "I did," comes the response, "I sent you a canoe, a boat and a helicopter."


God Thinks
God thinks all blacks are obsolete farm equipment
God thinks the Jews killed his son and must be punished
God thinks the white man is Satan
God, they know what God thinks

God thinks we should all convert to Judaism
God thinks we must all be Christians and
God thinks we should all embrace Islam
God thinks the only true religion is Hinduism

And I
I know what God thinks
God thinks you're a waste of flesh
God prefers an Atheist

God God
God thinks all people like you are hateful
God thinks all people like you are an embarrassment to creation
self-righteous, judgmental, first to throw a stone
and using His name for your own protection

God thinks the sun revolves around the Earth
God thinks there was something very wrong with Copernicus
God thinks abortion is murder and
God thinks everything that science gave us is wrong
God thinks women deserve it
God thinks AIDS is a form of punishment

I hate people who blame the Devil for their own shortcomings and
I hate people who thank God when things go right

And I
I know what God thinks
God thinks you're an idiot
God prefers a heretic

God God
God thinks all people like you are hateful
God thinks all people like you are an embarrassment to creation
self-righteous, judgmental, first to throw the stone
and using His name for your own agenda

God is a liberal
God is a democrat
God wants you to vote republican
never trust a man who puts his words in the mouth of god
and says it's absolute truth
its lies and it smells like death
its all in a day's work taking money from the poor
Why do you think that God would need your dirty money
if you want to start a holy war?

self-righteous, judgmental, first to throw a stone
and using His name for your own protection

God thinks puppies need to die and
God thinks babies need to drown
'cause God is neither good nor bad
God is you and me
God is Everything