DOES RELIGION DO MORE HARM THAN
GOOD?
By Rupert Shortt
SPCK. 88 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 0 281 078 714
This is a short book which explores some very big ideas. It looks at religion in the broadest sense and addresses the topical question posed in the title: does religion do more harm than good? The author is the religion editor of The Times Literary Supplement.
The book begins by summarising arguments for and against religion. Those hostile to religion accuse it of provoking division, violence, false thinking and unrealistic hopes. Those who support religion argue that it supplies a necessary transcendence to human life, as well as a basis for morality and cohesion in society.
