Religious criticism

Religious criticism is the judgment or analysis of factors within a religion such as the concept of religion, validity of religion and the consequences of religion.

History

The earliest known form of criticism is by the Roman poet, Titus Lucretius Carus, in his magnum opus De Rerum Natura, wrote: "But 'tis that same religion oftener far \ Hath bred the foul impieties of men:"

Lucretius believed the world was composed solely of matter and that all phenomenon could be understood as resulting from purely natural causes. Lucretius, like Epicurus, felt that religion was born of fear and ignorance, and that understanding the natural world would free people of the limitations it brought.