W. Bradford Wilcox's Article: The Latest Social Science Is Wrong

“The Latest Social Science is Wrong. Religion is good for families and kids. ” is an Article in the Washington Post written by W. Bradford Wilcox. The purpose of this article is to counter the belief that religion is inherently bad in our culture. The author presents a couple of key arguments made by many anti religious social scientists, such as Sam Harris. Many social scientists and people around the world make the claim that religion extremism is the “greatest problem confronting our civilization”, Harris goes a step further and questions whether religion is vital for moral development. Despite the observations that Harris makes, Wilcox counters the claims that Harris makes and states that, “On average, religion is a clear force for good

Every culture may have their own views on religion but as Emile Durkheim stated religion is vital because “is that it provides rituals, beliefs and a sense of group identity that deepens people’s connections to the moral order.” These rituals, associated with religion help us find meaning to the situations we are forced to encounter in life. Wilcox states that “The norms — from fidelity to forgiveness — taught in America’s houses of worship tend to reinforce the faithful’s commitments to their spouses, family members and children and give them a road map for dealing with the disappointments, anger and conflicts that crop up in all family relationships” In addition to this, organized religious networks provide billions of dollars in charitable work, whether that be food, shelter, clothing, etc. Therefore, religion can’t be defined as inherently evil simply due to the action of a few extreme individuals.This is not to say that religion is the answer to all of life’s struggles or that anyone who identifies as religious doesn’t encounter tension in their day to day activities, rather when looking at it as a whole, religion allows us be better men and women to those around