These two questions are entirely separate from each other, and completely ignore the concept of divine command. The question of whether it's "bollocks" seems to refer to whether there is any actual truth to it. That has no bearing on whether it has done harm or good. If God enlists human help to commit mass genocide, you can debate whether it's good or bad, but it has nothing to do with whether it's real or not. Likewise, if we can demonstrate that donkeys can't talk, humans can't walk on water, horses can't fly, etc then we can establish that many mainstream religions are bollocks without having any answers as to whether they have had a net positive effect on the people who believe in them.Jock Jock wrote:is religion bollocks?
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Overall has religion been a good thing for humanity or done more harm than good?
It's also interesting that you took some relatively mild examples of religious persecution while ignoring the various atrocities that are glorified in the Bible and the Koran. According to the Old Testament, God and Moses conspired to commit genocide by means of biological terrorism, resulting in the deaths of millions.
In the case of Christianity, one also needs to consider the suffering it brings upon Christians themselves. This is a religion that teaches us to hate ourselves. It teaches that from the moment we are born, we are such terrible people that God has sentenced us to burn in hell for all eternity (because our great great great ancestor stole an apple), and that the only way to avoid such a fate is to beg for forgiveness from his son. It's the epitome of self hatred.
So, which question are we getting into here? The question of whether these religions are "real", or whether they do more harm than good? It's important to separate the two issues as they are both massive in their own right.