Katrina Firlik
Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: a brain surgeon exposes life on the inside
pg 154ff
I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I have the utmost respect for people’s religious beliefs. I am, in fact, fascinated by those beliefs (in circumstances when it’s not impolite to ask). I understand why religions were created and why they persist. The benefits of affiliating yourself with a religion are without question: a ready-made framework for morals, a welcoming social network, comfort in times of duress, and a repeating schedule of events (weekly worship, yearly holidays) that strengthen belief and bring order to one’s life. Those are very nice benefits. The not-so-hidden downsides, though, can sometimes put a damper on these benefits: dividing humans along religious lines, encouraging war, discouraging marriage between otherwise perfectly compatible individuals, inhibiting free thought, and invoking guilt in those who stray from the flock.
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