The eyes of truth

Being Religious is good! No, I am still an Atheist. The reason why I am saying this is because of a couple of phenomenon that I have observed over the years.

In India, whenever there is a religious festival around the corner, suddenly the followers of that sect become saints. They become vegetarian, they don't drink, heck they don't even abuse. And not just on the day of the main festival, it goes for anywhere around a week before and after. Some people go to the extreme and do a fast, in effect giving their digestive systems and their bile juices a biologically much needed break from constant work.

In the western world, religion has more of a "mainstay" effect. It becomes the raison d'etre for acting good. Non-vegetarianism is not a sin there, so only the other forms of "bad" are abolished, like intoxication and indulgence of the adult kind.

There was a study done which proved that Religious people are healthier and live longer than the non believers.

Religions provide a huge employment base. It has propelled small time people into the handful owners of Ferrarris in India (the surviving family of the late Gulshan Kumar). I don't have the latest data but the last I heard, 11% of all the music sold in India was Devotional music. I am sure it still holds a huge share.
Why just the music industry? Imagine the total number of SMEs it supports. Have you ever visited a large Hindu temple? Flocks of stalls surround it; of flowers, sweets, other offerings; sometimes for kilometers. Imagine the number of publishing houses and workers it feeds. The most published book in the world is the bible. I just cannot begin to fathom the number of copies of the Quran, Geeta and Ramcharitmanas that must have been published and being continued.

Apart from the tangible benefits it offers to the society, there is another important function that Religion serves. It gives strength and support. The strength of mind and the will that drives many people to live, achieve and survive through tough times.

So all you religious people out there, keep up the good work. Just don't get too cocky over your individual beliefs. I believe that any Religion will serve its fundamental purpose only if it is not imposed on anyone. And if you are not in the category, don't fret, just do good for the sake of doing good.