Are you asking whether, in some situations, religion can be a force of good? (I am trying to avoid complicated words here.)
Your example shows that hope, even if it is false hope in supernatural, can help people e.g. avoid suicide, which is a real effect in real world. Belief in false rewards or false punishments can similarly change real behavior.
And that’s just on individual level. Many religions come with a social structure, telling you who is your (spiritual) boss, so they can react flexibly on things that are not described in the holy books. They are, in effect, parallel governments, doing some of those things that governments do, such as providing support for the poor. They can be even more effective, because their workers believe they are under divine surveillance.
So… clearly yes.
That said, all of the effects above can work in either direction. Religion can also provide fake despair, and reward harmful actions. The commanding structure of organized religion can also be used to kill members of other religions, or to provide impunity for crimes of the religious leadership.
This is further complicated by the interaction between the religion and the surrounding society. For example, in secular countries, religion is often a force of good, because the evil actions are often illegal. (It is legal to organize charity, but not to organize burning witches or heretics.) If a religion, even a benevolent one, became much stronger, it would probably legalize all it wants do to, and suddenly the effects might be quite different. This is mostly to say that even “religion = good” would not necessarily imply “more religion = better”.
Are you asking whether, in some situations, religion can be a force of good? (I am trying to avoid complicated words here.)
Your example shows that hope, even if it is false hope in supernatural, can help people e.g. avoid suicide, which is a real effect in real world. Belief in false rewards or false punishments can similarly change real behavior.
And that’s just on individual level. Many religions come with a social structure, telling you who is your (spiritual) boss, so they can react flexibly on things that are not described in the holy books. They are, in effect, parallel governments, doing some of those things that governments do, such as providing support for the poor. They can be even more effective, because their workers believe they are under divine surveillance.
So… clearly yes.
That said, all of the effects above can work in either direction. Religion can also provide fake despair, and reward harmful actions. The commanding structure of organized religion can also be used to kill members of other religions, or to provide impunity for crimes of the religious leadership.
This is further complicated by the interaction between the religion and the surrounding society. For example, in secular countries, religion is often a force of good, because the evil actions are often illegal. (It is legal to organize charity, but not to organize burning witches or heretics.) If a religion, even a benevolent one, became much stronger, it would probably legalize all it wants do to, and suddenly the effects might be quite different. This is mostly to say that even “religion = good” would not necessarily imply “more religion = better”.
(Related part of the Sequences: Can Humanism Match Religion’s Output?)