The role religion plays in our lives vary to different theists all over the world. Some like liberal Christians understand it as goodness and a spiritually fulfilling experience. Unfortunately these Christians who as Dan Barker puts it have grown smarter than the Bible, are considered fake Christians. I wouldn't take this as an insult if I was one of them, the term religious freedom is something they have embraced unlike the delusional fundamental Christians who still adhere to institutional Christianity and live by the "holy" book.
I think the biggest problem with Christianity like any other religion is its status as an institution. I am an Atheist and I don't get any problems with my liberal Christian friends because they aspire to be Christ-like, (not that I would mention the crooked human sacrifice crucifixion story which they are indifferent about) and they live more like the humanist does except that they pray, which I don't. Fundamental Christians on the other hand; the Adventists or Catholics, maybe some evangelicals (the gospel of hell if you don't believe) are passionate about how the bible should be taken as a basis for moral living. Despite the evil and immorality in the book , they base their moral decisions. How different are they from the Nazi's or the Lynch mobs? Will hatred and conflict come to an end if Christianity or any other religions seize to exist as institutions? Will the current Christian/ Muslims wars end if they understood their faith simply in terms of love and goodness rather than the institutional idea of salvation? Are religious leaders going to stand in the ways of such reforms even? Will the fundamental Christians TRADE their doctrines that put God before humanity and holy books whose hateful commands pollute their mentalities making them prejudiced against people with different world views FOR humanism? Dissolving the institution and preserving the few humanistic aspects could be the cure for religion.
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"Dissolving the institution and preserving the few humanistic aspects could be the cure for religion"
I think that would require a level of maturity, honesty, and rationality that is missing from far too many folks.
The only cure for religion, imho, would be to stop cramming it into children's heads before they can think logically. It's very hard to throw off after that. It needs education, education.....
For real, indoctrination to immature gullible and vulnerable children should be prohibited for the same reason they are not allowed to drink until 18, they are not mature enough to handle beliefs rationally, and religion could be a time bomb if accepted with irrationality at an early stage. A human character is molded by events that goes on in his or her life before he or she turns 5, that experience forms sub conscience and a young adult might feel so strongly about a belief, not knowing how he or she knows it, convinced its a miracle that it feels right because he or she won't remember the indoctrination process, there you go we have fundamentalists.
"indoctrination to immature gullible and vulnerable children should be prohibited for the same reason they are not allowed to drink until 18"
That a great point, comparing it with other things considered harmful like alcohol.