The opium of the people

Description

Petros Tatsopoulos considers all religions as institutionalized conspiracy theories. "Imagine," he writes, "a society believing that aliens lizards control humanity - a very fashionable conspiracy theory in the United States these days - and send anyone who does not share this common belief straight into insanity. "Before you rush to gossip about this absurdity, consider that the vast majority of religions, both polytheistic and monotheistic, do not excel in realism or lag behind in teratology."
In a world where "credentials of irrationality" are now necessary in order to take part in any public debate of "common sense", a daring as well as unorthodox approach to the "last medieval remnant" is attempted: the complex penetration of religion into modern society. Are we facing the dying roar of darkness or its triumphant return after rational reflection? Sometimes with vitriolic humor and sometimes with a blasphemous mood, steadfast in the political correctness of the day, the author gives unpredictable answers to annoying questions. As he jokingly notes: "I rely on the good faith of the reader and, if you think about the irony of the matter, it is probably the only faith I rely on."
The truth is that both love and hate, as well as forgiveness and revenge, both the most vile instincts and the highest ideals are inherent in our genes and are not affected in the long run by the namas of any religion; on the contrary, religions often serve as pulleys to elevate both our best and worst selves.
Excerpt from the book