Contrary to the popular saying, the root of all evil is not money, greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, wrath, envy, or pride. It is religion — or more precisely, how religion has been used and abused throughout history.
In ancient times, religion was born from a lack of understanding. People explained natural phenomena — thunder, disease, droughts — by attributing them to gods and spirits. But today, science has replaced superstition with evidence-based understanding. We now know why things happen in the natural world. In this context, many of the answers religion once claimed to provide have been rendered obsolete.
Yet religion persists, often not as a force for peace or compassion, but as a vehicle for control, division, and — ironically — the very sins it condemns. Religion is frequently used to justify greed, pride, wrath, and even violence. In the U.S., it has increasingly merged with nationalism, becoming a form of theocratic fascism wrapped in the Bible and the flag. Those who wield the most power — the ultra-wealthy and politically connected — often use religious rhetoric to manipulate the masses and maintain control.
History offers grim proof of religion’s dark legacy: the Crusades, the Inquisition, Jihads, 9/11, systemic cruelty toward LGBTQ+ people, the defense of slavery — all were fueled or justified by religious belief. Even today, many of these harms are still excused under the banner of “faith.”
It’s important to recognize that morality does not come from religion — it predates it. Humans are social beings who developed codes of right and wrong long before religious texts were written. Ironically, many of those texts contain passages that endorse slavery, genocide, rape, and other atrocities — particularly in the Old Testament. Yet modern believers often cherry-pick the parts of scripture that align with their views, while ignoring or rationalizing the rest.
It becomes difficult to take religion seriously when it claims moral authority but promotes selective interpretation and often justifies cruelty in the name of righteousness. True morality demands more than blind faith — it requires critical thinking, empathy, and the courage to evolve.
