Although spiritual traditions can give answers to important human needs, Religions have also produced, and some of them still produce, enormous harm, such as persecution, mass killings, rigid hierarchy, and exclusion. Here we explore some of the ways these traditions can go wrong.
- Dogma — Imposing answers as absolute truth, and forbidding honest doubt and revision.
- Coercion — Forcing people to convert, or to adhere to their religion, by pressure and threats instead of persuasion.
- Fundamentalism and zealotry — Putting doctrinal purity above compassion, at any cost.
- Religious violence — Wars, killings of “heretics”, destruction of holy sites, and persecution of religious minorities.
- Violation of human rights — Genocide in the name of God, and cutting children’s bodies in the name of a religious commandment.
- Rigid adherence to the past — Treating “the way it’s always been done” as sacrosanct, even when change is needed.
- Hollow or rigid practices — Rituals performed by rote, or imposed rather than freely chosen.
- Conformity — Groupthink, and hostility toward those who don’t belong.
- False perception of superiority — Teaching that only one’s own group has the true faith, or is “chosen” by God.
- Restricting love, relationships, and marriage — Overriding the free choice of consenting adults over their own relationships.