Does religion tend to make people better or worse?

[TJ in Oregon]

Well what is 'religion' and what is a 'better person'?

I think that adherence to some principle (call it a religion if you will) beyond one's self, particularly the emotional response of the moment, generally tends to make people better even when that principle is wildly flawed. I think the submission of one's will pulls people back from the sort of individualistic abyss characteristic of modern society. I also think that in order to fully appreciate a principle, it is usually necessary to suffer for it. And principles are not simply entities that live in some abstract ideal world but directives about how we make every decision and treat every interaction with every other person we encounter throughout the world. And it's more than simply changing actions; it's an interior conversion of will. These sorts of things help to build virtue and help us to better exemplify the nature of our personhood (i.e. become better people).

Of course that's not all I believe. While the above describes some effects of the natural components of religion, there is also a supernatural component to religion. I believe God is real and He loves us. He created us in his image and likeness, but humanity is in a fallen state due to sin, a penalty beyond our ability to satisfy. So he sent his Son to save us from our sins by dying for us. The point was to restore us from the fall, to be as we were created to be, so in that sense it was to make us better people. But there is an irreducibly supernatural component to it all. According to Christianity--both Catholics and Protestants agree--this salvation cannot be attained through personal merit on our part but through Christ's sacrifice and grace. But simply to claim belief also isn't enough, we have to actually follow through and become better people rather than just claiming it. We haven't always done the best at that. I know I haven't. And there's the catch.