Richard dawkins asked today "How did religion acquire its ... immunity against normal levels of critiscism?"

Question

So I ask of you yahoo answers community to answer Dr. Dawkins' question.

the ... is the word extraordinary, I removed it so there would be room for the question, just in case anyone was wondering.

Answer 1

Well, religion is fundamentally the foundation of human culture, like it or not. It gives us an easy tool to build morals and societies, so it's hard to dismantle, even when it's evidently false. Finally, religion is something that is "programmed" into a person's head shortly after birth, and for years following that event. It's extremely difficult to change that kind of programming, so people don't have any personal incentive to question their own beliefs.

Answer 2

The answer is simple -- religion has been tied directly to political power all throughout the history of the world. For much of that history, anyone criticizing whatever religion or gods were those of the current "state" would be tortured or put to death for daring to challenge dogma. That kind of punishment for "heresy" was at its worst during the middle ages, where literally millions of people were killed for the slightest heretical offense.

In the world today there is *some* freedom to challenge and critically examine religion -- but still not as much as there should be. Look at what happens here -- if someone challenges a religious statement with fact, or asks believers to account for their beliefs in the face of evidence to the contrary, many of the believers claim "persecution!" They claim people hate them and their religion. They sidestep the issue completely by saying ridiculous things such as, "Nobody can know the mind of god."

Such attitudes are pervasive in religious organizations, and in the political leaders that espouse those religions. Any critical discussion is taken as an attack, and the person initiating the discussion condemned for heresy, for being "unpatriotic," etc. Attack the questioner -- it's been a discredited but publicly useful way to deflect criticism for thousands of years.
Oh, well -- at least none of the religious nuts has the power to burn me at the stake today for calling their wacko beliefs superstitous myths and showing how illogical and wrong they are -- although I'm sure there are a lot of them that would *like* to...:)

Answer 3

Well, when you start with "I am the One God.." as many religions do, you're bound to end up with these symptoms. It's called a tautology. Some years ago, before "Political Correctness" (not bad in the genre either) came along, ESQUIRE magazine put this in among its annual 'Dubious Achievement Awards': Best Tautology -- The Klu Klux Klan; for printing and distributing a poster which read: 'If you are White today it is because your ancestors practiced separation of the races.'

Answer 4

The answer is very complicated and multi-leveled. Here is one of the aspects of "how religion acquired it's immunity..."

There is a part of mammal brains that says "listen to the parent - it is sacred." This works well for kittens, and colts and tiger cubs. It also works well for humans. When mom says "Do not swim in the river in flood season" then you listen and stay alive! That part of our brain that says "the traditions that are held down by the elders are sacred, and not to be quesioned!" are hard-wired in us, for very good reason. However, mom may also tell us, besides not swimming in the river at flood season "and we must offer chicken blood to the river gods to cause the flood season to pass" - then we also accept THAT unquestioningly.

As time goes on, both sage and silly advice is handed down to us in this way. We are taught to accept this unquesioningly. As a group we have a taboo against going against "the wisdom of the elders" (which includes religion) for this reason.

Answer 5

I am a fundmentalist Christian and have no problem with levels of criticism. I am not sure why the question is even asked. My faith is not a blind faith. My heart cannot rejoice in what my mind has rejected. I believe there are evidences of the validity and authenticity of the Christian faith. If you have questions about it or want to criticize it, that doesn't offend me. The Bible is not afraid of honest analysis.

Answer 6

Probably because a religion technically cannot be proven false. So even if someone criticized another for believing in a religion, the other would not listen because they are stiff in their beliefs.

Answer 7

Same way baseball gained its anti-trust exemptions. It became part of the fabric of society. It is assumed that every man, woman and child requires a religion and, as such a revered subject, we cannot judge it.

Answer 8

It became an accepted part of western culture that was too sacred to criticise but thankfully those days are gone and the process of rooting religion out of our society is well under way.

Answer 9

I think it's because religions have the followers with the biggest guns.

Answer 10

Religion and Christianity are two separate issues, and someone who HAS no faith cannot UNDERSTAND someone who does.