Why Can't We Acknowledge the Harm Done by Religion



I've been doing this blog for several years and a frequent comment is, "Why do you always talk about the bad in religion when it does so much good?" Those comments, of course, refer to the hospital down the street with a denomination's name on it and many other charitable causes.

My response it, why not end the harm done be religion so only those good works remain? If the harm is pointed out maybe it will end. If it is not pointed to surely it will go on forever. One of many places there is harm is that which surrounds treatment of people who take drugs such as heroin.

Rhode Island is the least religious state in the U.S. measured by church membership and church attendance. Perhaps that is the reason it has the most successful treatment of prisoner incarcerated for drug violations and who are themselves addicted. These prisoners receive regular amounts of methadone, a drug that takes away the desire for heroin. Statistics show that taking methadone for quite a while, sometimes for a few years, eventually takes away entirely the need for heroin.

If you are new to this topic it might surprise you to learn taking methadone to reduce the craving for heroin is controversial. The controversy goes back generations and is steeped in Christianity.

Perhaps everyone knows that Alcoholic Anonymous preaches the need for surrender to a higher power. Inside this preaching is that alcohol use is sin and the higher power will help you eliminate this sin. The sin concept was transferred from alcohol use to all other drug use, including heroin. The goal of both treatments is to be sin free, that is, alcohol and drug free.

Using another drug, methadone, is seen as merely substituting one sin for another. The addict must be made drug free and the sooner the better.

Data has shown conclusively, however, methadone is more successful than a higher power. Not only that, substituting one drug for a less harmful one is more successful than eliminating sin.

This is an example of the harm done by religion.

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