Another interesting excerpt....

Excerpt from the book, The Question of Religion
by William Corlett and John Moore
Bradbury Press, 1978

If I leave aside religion’s involvement in temporal matters – political, economic and social – at least for the moment, then the religious image has among its assets the advantages of comparative permanence, stability, continuity and security. Its importance may fluctuate from time to time and from place to place, but in the main, its threads, in their various forms, have woven continuously through the tapestry of human history.

Certainly it is debatable whether man invented religion for his own satisfaction, but there can be no doubt that it has fulfilled its human requirements – indeed, it still does. In general, the forms of religion have always been accepted as an essential ingredient in human society, even though at times the different forms have sought to suppress and eliminate each other. (But are those unseemly activities the fault of the religion or the men who are interpreting it in inappropriate ways?)

Now, in modern times, as a result of the effects of science, technology and industry, certain materialistic ideologies, gathering strength in many parts of the world, have elected to dispense with religion altogether and actively discourage it in their societies. This last development seems very significant.

Does it not indicate a crucial point in human evolution? Does it represent a foolhardy and disastrous movement which will result in men being no more than well-organized colonies like ants, simply surviving and reproducing themselves? Or does it signify progress, in that men are facing the facts of existence and are beginning to regulate themselves intelligently and be responsible for themselves?

Are we alive at a time when, regardless of past evidence, the god-idea is no longer viable or even useful to man?