Religion has been around ever since humans could form thought. Every ancient civilization has had some form of religion that they followed to the extreme. It is hard to imagine what life would be like without one of the oldest practices in human history.

The question of whether or not religion is good or bad really does not have an answer, and I am not here to provide one. What I will do is analyze the impact religion has had on the world over time.

On the surface, religion looks pure and innocent. This is because of the central ideas that the world’s leading religions follow. Many religions have taken what seems to be common decency and written their commandments and rules around it.

For example, in Christianity, there are many commandments that say obvious things like “Thou shalt not murder” and “Thou shalt not steal.” With a little initiative one can come to the same conclusions, but religions have made it seem like to do these things is to be part of their religion even though they are universal morals.

We also must examine that many popular religions are extremely corrupt, and have been for thousands of years. The most modern example is with the disgusting perversion of many priests all over the world.

The worst part is that the church is completely aware of these corrupt priests and will not turn them in but will elect to relocate them and that’s only when the priests are caught.

When talking about the pros and cons of religion, one must examine all of the radicals that come with any mass belief, no matter how pure and good-willed it might be.

People like the Ku Klux Klan, a group of Protestant Christians, believe that the white man is the only one who should have any sort of power. This is an extremely hateful and racist group that claims to follow God’s word.

There’s also the numerous terror groups among the Islamic faith, such as ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban, and the Al-Qaeda to name a few. Each of these groups believe they are doing everything in the name of their god Allah and have committed many atrocities such as the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11 in which 2,996 people were killed.

Also, the number of wars that have been caused due to conflict in religious beliefs is astounding. Many know of the Crusades and their devastation inflicted across the land. The christian church wanted to reclaim the holy land, so it sent armies to take it back from the Muslims. This resulted in a 200 year long conflict that claimed many lives.

The Cons of religion are numerous, but let us examine the pros.

Many effective charities have been established by religions, and these charities have greatly benefited those in need all around the globe. For example, Compassion International offers help to impoverished kids by granting them basic needs through the church.

Religion brings a sense of purpose to those who need one, and provides an answer to the question of mortality by instituting a belief in an afterlife. Many religions teach that good deeds will lead to an eternal life after death in some form of utopia, and that bad deeds will lead to a horrible life after death.

In terms of art, religion has brought many great works to the world. The Last Supper  by Leonardo Da Vinci is a beautiful painting of the last meal Jesus had with his disciples before his crucifixion. Not to mention all of the brilliant stonework in the Vatican.

The general idea of religion is an excellent one, and many people follow their religions without being radicals; in that sense, religion is great. However, it is hard to overlook the extremely dark things done in the name of many of the worlds most prominent religions.