Is Religion a Force for Good in the World? The Answer is No, in My View'

In Canada, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens debated the question of whether or not religion is a force for good in the world. Blair argued that it is while Hitchens - who won the debate based on the audience - argued that it was not. I'd go further and say that all too often, religion is a completely toxic force for downright evil with its most devote followers best identified by their complete intolerance and hatred toward those who do not subscribe to their particular belief system. Indeed, throughout history countless millions have died because of religion. A large 23 nation poll ironically showed Saudi Arabia - where religion is a particularly noxious force - as the nation where the population most said religion was a force for good. Laid back and tolerant Sweden had the lowest percentage of respondents that viewed religion favorably. Yes, there are good people in every religion, but overall, I see the world as a better place without religion or at least where religion is barred from intersecting with the civil laws. Here are highlights from the BBC on the debate and survey:
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Mr Blair, a Catholic convert, said faith was a force for good and it was "futile" to attempt to drive it out. But Mr Hitchens, who is terminally ill with cancer, argued religion forced people into doing terrible things. In a vote after the debate, the audience voted two-to-one in Mr Hitchens' favour.
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Mr Hitchens, who has previously described Christianity, Judaism and Islam as the "real axis of evil", said religion was "a cruel experiment whereby we are created sick and ordered to be well". Humans gained little, and compromised their freedom, by acting like sheep, said Mr Hitchens.
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He said religions created a "celestial dictatorship" which was "greedy for praise from dawn to dusk". He won a laugh from the audience and Mr Blair when he compared such an authority to the North Korean leadership. In the end, the audience seemed more impressed, and perhaps more entertained, by Mr Hitchens, says our correspondent, and he won the debate by a margin of two to one.
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The Ipsos poll, conducted in September, found that Europe was the region most doubtful about the benefits of religion, with just 19% in Sweden agreeing that it was a force for good. At the other end of the scale, in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, it was seen as a positive force by more than 90% of those questioned.
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Within North America, there was a pronounced divide. In Canada, only 36% agreed with the positive view of religion whereas 64% saw it as a negative force - figures almost exactly the reverse of those in the US.
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I find it noteworthy that far less religious Canada has a better social safety net for its citizens than does the far more religious USA. One would think that if Christians truly practiced what they claim to profess, it should be the exact opposite. This fact alone shows the falsity of the claim that religion is a force for good - especially since in the USA it's the conservative Christians who seem to most oppose government social programs for the poor and less fortunate.