Answer:  Yes.  Any questions?

In a secular environment, human life has the highest value. Its preservation is the unquestioned bastion of our humanity.  But in a religious environment, the worth of souls is greater than the life itself.  Here are some related conclusions to that premise (see how many of these you have heard implied before):

  • Prolonging life is of less value than saving souls.
  • Suicide is condemned by various religions as giving in to despair (dying in a sin) rather than the loss of a human life.
  • History has illustrated repeatedly that religious aims trump human life (e.g. Crusades, Inquisition, Salem witch trials, Islamic Jihad, etc.).
  • A focus on the afterlife and eternal reward can equate to less focus on the here and now.
  • Social responsibility is less important than proselyting.
  • Why worry about the planet – the second coming will take care of that anyway?

So, which do you think has a higher value:  human life or the salvation of souls?  Is it important to balance both or should salvation of souls always trump human life?  And does this mean that religion is a worse neighbor than secular humanism?

Discuss.