Is Religion a Force for Good?
Topics: Culture, Education, Religion
Public Release Date: April 05, 2024
Religion has long shaped human civilization, from creating legal systems based on religious laws to inspiring countless works of art and foundational aspects of culture. Yet its influence can stem beyond this into other topics, such as politics, education, and global relations. Many have long wondered what religion’s net impact on society is and whether it’s good for us. Those who say it’s a force for good argue that religion offers a sense of identity and belonging, promotes altruism and charitable acts, and provides a moral compass that encourages personal growth and commitment to justice. Those who argue it is not a force for good say that religious beliefs are a source of historical and military conflict as well as discrimination. They also say that it can be used to justify the erosion of individual freedoms and can hinder social progress by upholding ideas that clash with modern values.
With this context, we debate the question: Is Religion a Force for Good?
ARGUING YES:
Shadi Hamid: Columnist and Editorial Board Member of The Washington Post; Assistant Research Professor of Islamic Studies at Fuller Seminary
ARGUING NO:
Annie Laurie Gaylor: Co-Founder and Co-President of the Freedom from Religion Foundation
MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:
John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist
Religion is a force for good:
Certain basic values necessary to collective survival have to be formulated in every society. A minimal set of such values are God’s ten commandments and the golden rule which can be recognized across societal boundries and include positive moral values.
People can know what is morally right and wrong independently of religious beliefs, but religion supplies the main motivation for doing what is right, and more important for not doing what is wrong.
The Golden Rule—“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—provides a moral standard that transcends divine command and instead relies on mutual respect and reciprocity. This principle is found across diverse religious and philosophical traditions, including Christianity, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Kantian ethics. By appealing to shared human experience and empathy, the Golden Rule establishes a basis for moral judgment that is not contingent on divine will or arbitrary commands.