Let us pray

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDortyyp228

What is religion? Nothing more than blind belief. It instills guilt and shame into people from the time they are indoctrinated into us. It separates people one from another. It teaches that some people are inferior, or less worthy than others. It preaches prejudice. The most outrageous claims may be stated, on the basis that some invisible and omniscient being is reported as having said it.
All this logically tends to hypocrisy. Religion teaches that certain people should be castigated or punished because god said so. What sheer and utter crap. What it actually teaches is that because god doesn't like something, then 'good people' shouldn't like it either. The net result is that it allows people to absolve themselves from responsibility for their actions, because in effect they are doing what they have been told to do. This was the argument used by some concentration camp guards when called to account for their actions.
Christianity is based on nothing more than various seventeenth-century translations of Bronze Age superstitions. Contrary to what its apologists claim, it does no good. It lies, it deludes, it ignores facts. It is full of contradictions. According to some of its writings, a large proportion of the planet should already have been smitten for such sins as eating shellfish, companion planting, or the wearing of polyester cotton clothing. Of course, I have been told, one cannot pick and choose from the scriptures. One either accepts all of it or is a hypocrite. Yes. I agree entirely.
Religion is associated with persecution and cruelty. In the Middle East this is still very much evident, and is very similar to the situation in Europe not so many centuries ago. Yes, we too had religious police. Yes, there were various persecutions in this country of Jews, witches, heretics etc (by which women, the mentally ill, the disabled, homosexuals and free thinkers were indiscriminately put to death).
The church is reactionary and naturally associates itself with the comfortably-off classes. It felt no guilt over its role in oppressing the poor. It taught working folk that it was sinful to complain about one's 'station in life'. It was god's will.
Religion lies. It says it teaches love and peace when it patently does not.
If you are hateful, bigoted, delusional, unwilling to think freely and without a conscience, then religion is just the thing for you.
Here endeth the first lesson.