Question No. 3101 31 August 2022 Official answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) verified Content level: Intermediate

A Critique of Steven Weinberg’s Statement on Religion and Wrongdoing

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Dear questioner, Master Ali Saei

Tracking code: #Q-3101

Greetings, respected teacher. Please share your view on the following passage. As you know, Steven Weinberg is an American physicist who is an atheist.
The head of the Dutch prison service announced: “Given the sharp decline in crime and the absence of criminals in this country, allocating funds to run the prisons is no longer cost-effective. He therefore proposed closing the country’s prisons altogether!”

What is even more interesting is that, in proportion to its population, the Netherlands is home to the highest number of non-religious people in the world.

+ As Steven Weinberg put it: “With or without religion, good people do good things and bad people do bad things ... But for a person who appears good to be able to do bad things, he certainly needs religion ...!”

Subject category: Critique of Doubts Critique and review

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

The claim that crime has declined in the Netherlands because of irreligion is false. The Netherlands has a high crime rate, while its prisons are empty because offenders are not punished adequately or are released back into society. A virtuous person without religion is like tasteless fruit, whereas a virtuous believer is nourishing and beneficial. Those who exploit religion through mere outward appearances do not diminish religion’s value, just as imitation gold does not diminish the value of genuine gold.

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

Teacher and researcher in the intellectual tradition of wisdom and the Ahl al-Bayt | Soroush Bamdadān Cultural Center

Despite the false claims circulated about the Netherlands, the country ranks thirteenth in the world for total crime and fourth for the number of crime victims.

The reason Dutch prisons are empty is that criminals roam freely in society instead of serving time behind bars. In effect, in the Netherlands, the punishment for crime has been reduced—or done away with altogether.

A person of good character who has no faith is like a beautiful fruit without taste, fragrance or nourishment. A person of good character who is also religious, by contrast, is like a beautiful fruit that is flavorful, fragrant and nourishing.

Someone who looks good but is corrupt within—a wrongdoer who affects religious piety—is like a poisonous mushroom, or a cockroach dressed in a butterfly’s clothes.

Every genuine thing has its imitation. Glass sold as diamond can never diminish the worth of a real diamond. No sensible person would deny the existence of genuine jewels because of imitation gold and jewelry. And no sensible person would deny the beauty of religion because of the hypocrisy of the deceitful.

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A Critique of Steven Weinberg’s Statement on Religion and Wrongdoing

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

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