One defense of religion that I constantly hear is, “What about all the good that religion does?” or “Religion provides people with a source of comfort.” While that may be true to a certain degree, it also completely ignores a glaring fact: That no amount of good can negate all of the evil that religion did and continues to do.

Now some people may object to this statement, so allow me to explain it with a metaphor.

What would you say if there was a man who was a murderer, a rapist, a thief, a racist, a sexist, and a homophobe? You’d more than likely say he should be in jail for his crimes. But what if that same man also constantly donated to charities and volunteered at a local soup kitchen? Would their charity and good deeds erase all of the crimes they have committed? Would we give them a free pass? No. So the same standard should apply here.

The bottom line is religion does more harm than good, and no amount of good that it does should abrogate all of the blood that has been shed, all the atrocities that have been committed, and all of the violence and bigotry that is promoted not only by religion but contained within it’s “holy” texts.

Humanity will fare far better when religion ceases to exist, or at least becomes the vast minority in this world.