Is religion a force for good or evil?

This position holds that religion has done humanity more good than harm. Proponents point to the charity, community and moral instruction religions sustain, to the art and learning they preserved, and to the consolation and meaning they offer in suffering.

This position holds that religion has done humanity more harm than good. Critics point to wars and persecutions conducted in its name, to the suppression of inquiry and dissent, and to doctrines that they argue entrench obedience and intolerance.

This position holds that religion is inherently neither good nor evil. Proponents argue that it is a human institution whose effects depend on the people and power structures using it, and that the same traditions have produced both charity and cruelty.