Ask why religion causes so many problems

I will both debunk most of Pro's arguments and assert the opposite. **Debunking Pro's arguments "Taken from http://godisimaginary.com...... " Source provided by Pro has logical errors in citation, and has clear bias. Information subsequently mentioned to be of questionable value. This alone should undermine this entire debate. "If God were to exist, wouldn't you expect there to be a huge benefit to those who follow and obey him? Why, instead, do we see the opposite?" Theoretically, any deity assumed to exist is just assumed to have created the world, or is interactive with humans. Neither of these imply there would be a huge benefit, although obviously most of mankind assumes there is. Second: you do not see the opposite currently happening, as religion has bettered morality, become an integral part of culture, improves self-esteem, prevents suicide through faith dynamics, etc. No sources provided since Pro hasn't provided any sources yet either for his incorrect assertion. "For example, there is growing evidence that the delusion of religion causes significant social dysfunction. Statistical research is revealing the problems that go with religion. For example, a recent article in the Journal of Religion and Society points out that religion is correlated to the significant social difficulties that we can see in America:" Specific source not cited but assuming we take that as true - it is overwhelmed by stronger claims from more reputable, peer-reviewed sites claiming the opposite. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... -> review study of ALL SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE published, indicates positive correlation between religious beliefs and mental health, social order https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... -> review study again, proving the same thing but also citing social organization as being improved from religious beliefs More sources can be provided, citing the same thing if asked for. Point being: the vast majority of scientific literature agrees that religion has a positive effect on mental health and social function. This directly contradicts Pro's assertion. My guess is that Pro scavenged the Internet for some source (scientific or not) to support his/her own backward assertions. "In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy, and abortion in the prosperous democracies The most theistic prosperous democracy, the U.S., is exceptional, but not in the manner Franklin predicted. The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developed democracies, sometimes spectacularly so, and almost always scores poorly. The view of the U.S. as a shining city on the hill to the rest of the world is falsified when it comes to basic measures of societal health." Disagree with all above statements. Half of Pro's arguments here are non-sequitur and strongly imply mindless copying from another source. Even the studies that Pro will try to scavenge will likely be of weak reasoning and incorrect statistics. However: 1. Robert A. Hummer, Christopher G. Ellison, Richard G. Rogers, Benjamin E. Moulton, and Ron R. Romero, "Religious Involvement and Adult Mortality in the United States: Review and Perspective," Southern Medical Journal 97, no. 12 (December 2004): 1224-1225. -> proves religion leads to less homicide, higher mental health 2. David Lester, "Religiosity and Personal Violence: A Regional Analysis of Suicide and Homicide Rates," The Journal of Social Psychology 127, no. 6 (December 1987): 685-686 -> decrease in suicide rates and homicides 3. Byron R. Johnson, David B. Larson, Spencer De Li, and Sung Joon Jang, "Escaping from the Crime of Inner Cities: Church Attendance and Religious Salience Among Disadvantaged Youth," Justice Quarterly 17, no. 2 (June 2000): 377-339. -> notes inner city, at risk youth less likely to use drugs and be violent once exposed to religious attendance The sources are endless, but I will stop here for brevity - and until Pro says something substantial to back up his/her poorly argued claims. "The prevailing view is that religion is harmless even if it is delusional. That turns out not to be the case. America is the most religious country of those studied in the developed world. America also has the biggest problems in terms of things like homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy, and abortion. This article by Sam Harris puts it this way:" Massive errors in logic all along the paragraph. Assertions like homicide/juvenile/early adult morality/etc. all flat out wrong. Again, Pro's mindless copying from his first site signal these errors. I could go on, debunking all of Pro's arguments. Nothing of his/her's has any scientific substantiation, seems to be all from one highly biased source, and he/her seems to have taken up the mantle of an arbiter of reason, a stereotypical atheist predisposed to his/her own beliefs without regard for the truth. Most of his/her claims have been debunked, I have stronger citations, and my reasoning is more accurate.