Los Angeles Times (most e-mailed) editorial by Rosa Brooks describes how too much religion may be a dangerous thing. She cites a study of social health indicators and "popular religiosity" that suggests a correlation between social dysfunction and absolute belief in God.
We shouldn't shy away from the possibility that too much religiosity may be socially dangerous. Secular, rationalist approaches to problem-solving emphasize uncertainty, evidence and perpetual reevaluation. Religious faith is inherently nonrational.
This in itself does not make religion worthless or dangerous. All humans hold nonrational beliefs, and some of these may have both individual and societal value. But historically, societies run into trouble when powerful religions become imperial and absolutist. ...(The) study invites us to conclude that the most serious threat humanity faces today is religious extremism: nonrational, absolutist belief systems that refuse to tolerate difference and dissent.
We know a few of them, Coco
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