Aside from drethelin’s point about multiple contradictory religions, religions as actually practiced make predictions. It appears that those predictions do not stand up to rigorous examination.
I don’t think it’s fair to say that no one of the practical predictions of religion holds up to rigorous examination.
In Willpower by Roy Baumeister the author describes well how organisations like Alcoholic Anonymous can effectively use religious ideas to help people quit alcohol.
Buddhist meditation is also a practice that has a lot of backing in rigorous examination.
On LessWrong Luke Muehlhauser wrote that Scientology 101 was one of the best learning experiences in his life, nonwithstanding the dangers that come from the group.
Various religions do advcoate practices that have concret real world effects. Focusing on whether or not the wine get’s really turned into blood misses the point if you want to have practical benefits and practical disadvantages from following a religion.
Alcoholics Anonymous is famously ineffective, but separate from that: What’s your point here? Being a christian is not the same as subjecting christian practices to rigorous examination to test for effectiveness. The question the original asker asked about was not ‘Does religion have any worth’ but ’Should I become a practicing christian to avoid burning in hell for eternity”
I don’t think it’s fair to say that no one of the practical predictions of religion holds up to rigorous examination. In Willpower by Roy Baumeister the author describes well how organisations like Alcoholic Anonymous can effectively use religious ideas to help people quit alcohol.
Buddhist meditation is also a practice that has a lot of backing in rigorous examination.
On LessWrong Luke Muehlhauser wrote that Scientology 101 was one of the best learning experiences in his life, nonwithstanding the dangers that come from the group.
Various religions do advcoate practices that have concret real world effects. Focusing on whether or not the wine get’s really turned into blood misses the point if you want to have practical benefits and practical disadvantages from following a religion.
Alcoholics Anonymous is famously ineffective, but separate from that: What’s your point here? Being a christian is not the same as subjecting christian practices to rigorous examination to test for effectiveness. The question the original asker asked about was not ‘Does religion have any worth’ but ’Should I become a practicing christian to avoid burning in hell for eternity”