Praying for Salvation: Forgeries and Fallacies of Religion

Religions might give meaning to life, but they are based upon superstition, dishonest tenets, and a reliance upon outdated assumptions that do not pass scientific scrutiny. People have been, and are being, fooled by those peddling religious doctrines. The chapter examines ideas of ‘belief’ among peoples of the world, before turning to particular examples of tomfoolery—miracles, immaculate conceptions, heaven, the Devil, and the like. The Catholic church of the Middle Ages is shown to be obsessed with sex—creating a desperate need for penance by its unfortunate believers. Saint Augustine’s particular brand of Catholicism is held up to scrutiny. Augustine developed the notion of original sin—all humanity has been, and forever will be, irrevocably damaged because of Adam’s fruit-related mistake in the Garden of Eden. This hokum permeates the entire body of Christianity.