The truth is, I spend a lot of time bitching and moaning about religion and religious belief. Like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and so many other authors, I do it in my book Caveman Logic, as well as (somewhat more discretely) in my University teaching. And believe me, when it comes to religion, there's plenty to complain about. It's not just the violent lunacy of everything from the Crusades to 9/11. Even at the level of individual beliefs, religion has provided critics of irrationality a pretty juicy target.
I'm going to spare you another dose of religion bashing right here. In fact, I'm going to take this blog in an unexpectedly positive direction. I think there is one very real benefit of religious belief, and it's hard for even someone of my critical nature to dispute this conclusion. What religion has given us over the ages is some absolutely spectacular art and music. Remember, you don't have to be correct in your religious convictions to write a hell of a song or paint a beautiful mural or canvas or chapel ceiling. Even delusions can lead to wonderful art. The key is depth of conviction, not accuracy of belief.
So if you're haunted by terrifying visions of an afterlife, and you have a modicum of musical or artistic talent, you might just turn out something memorable. Who cares whether those demons you're running from are 100% delusional crap? If you see ‘em, and if they terrify you, you can craft them into art. And it's not just the scary images. You can be just as inspired by visions of joy, peace, glory and an afterlife you've convinced yourself exists. Once again, it may be delusional pap. The thing is if you believe all those tales of saints and departed loved ones, you're likely to be in a state of joyous anticipation. If someone puts a paintbrush or a guitar pick in your hand, you're good to go.
All this may sound demeaning or patronizing, but it is undeniably a blueprint for some of the finest music and visual art ever created. It doesn't cease to be great art or great music because its underlying belief system is grounded in the most lamentable kind of cognitive or perceptual distortions known to our species.
Admittedly, this is not the kind of PR job that advocates of organized religion typically use when they're trying to sell you their product. "Step right up and buy into this hokum, and in your overwrought state you're likely to turn out art that will stand the test of time." As psychologists, we might add that it's OK to forget right and wrong. True or false. The important thing is that you believe as deeply and uncritically as you can. If love, joy, hope or fear drive your limbic system to the max, then you are equipped to create at a level almost guaranteed to awe fellow humans for centuries to come. It's true, you're going to need a little artistic or musical training to make it happen, but that's somebody else's department. Religion will give you the stories and images to get you going. It's up to someone else to provide the skill to put brush to paper or fingers to keyboard. And, as we all know, if those fingers cannot find a brush or a keyboard, they can always find their way to a trigger. All in the name of religion.
But we promised not to go there today. Next time around, we'll look at some examples of how good that music might be when everything falls into place.
