I think that “life” robs people from living to the fullest. Disease, poverty, natural disaster, incidentals, lack of access, loss of loved ones, aging and the toll it takes on the body... Life is rough for most of us. I think religion is an attempt to find relief (or at least a reason) for suffering. It’s devastating to humanity, but all it does is magnify problems that already exist in human nature.
From my own experience, when people lose the ability to have an open mind, it greatly hinders their life and the lives of those around them. If religion didn't exist, the same "rules" about being a good person would still exist. Otherwise, humanity would fail.
Of course it does, most religious folks or believers fell that if not in this life, it will be better in the next. It almost makes the here and now irrelevant which means it's not important. So hoiw could you live life to the fullest if you believe it to be simply a me and to an end. Or rather a beginning?...
It depemds largely on whether they see their religion provding "gloort" or "Ceiling: values. A p[erson who see his or her religion as providing floor values, see their religgion as provding a base from which to gor. Those who see their religion as providing ceiling values,see it as giving absolute limits -- the "thou shalt not" focus. Thsat view is stulifying.
Robs people of everything. I like the book 'The God virus' when it talks about religious effects.
Whoa! I’ll have to check that one out.