I'm an atheist and a scientist, but I hate the arrogance and the scientism of the so called "new atheists". I have religious friends and I don't think I'm smarter then them at all. I like to learn about the history of philosophy and many interesting ideas were born in religious contexts and seriously discussed by people just as intelligent as we are today. Many of these questions are still open.

Politically, I think the institutionalized forms of religion are pretty much all reactionary. But part of the ideology/theology can be reclaimed for good as well as some spaces and resources.

The RevLeftRadio podcast has several episodes were they invite religious people who are also communists. They have episodes on Islam, Christianity and Buddhism.

I think teaching children to believe in invisible people, magic, and living with the existential dread of eternal punishment is abhorrent and leads people to be more prone to blinding trusting authority and never bothering to think critically.

It also sets up structures where vunerable people are victimized by the people they have been conditioned to trust unconditionally.

I agree with Lenin on religion.

"Religion must be declared a private affair. In these words socialists usually express their attitude towards religion. But the meaning of these words should be accurately defined to prevent any misunderstanding. We demand that religion be held a private affair so far as the state is concerned. But by no means can we consider religion a private affair so far as our Party is concerned. Religion must be of no concern to the state, and religious societies must have no connection with governmental authority. Everyone must be absolutely free to profess any religion he pleases, or no religion whatever, i.e., to be an atheist, which every socialist is, as a rule"

1/10 not recommended

Religion is like oysters.

Some people like it and that's fine, but it's not for me.

It's a symptom of a bigger problem. The more religious a society, the more immiserated it is.

We'd be better off as humans without it.

The world would have been better off without it.