Diversity Q & A

Does being religious make you a better person?

Ben

My immediate, heartfelt response is a firm 'no'.  If religion is a series of steps, observed rituals, and tasks completed in order to achieve a righteous state, or a state of salvation, or whatever, then no it doesn't make me a better person- just a more self-righteous one.  This may cause me to look down on other people, having achieved something they haven't.  That doesn't sound like a 'better person', just an unpleasant person!  Becoming a better person requires a genuine change of the heart, something more than simple religious observances can provide.