Atheism - the road to destruction?

William Dembski over at uncommondescent.com blogged on Oct 29th, 2006

In evolutionary terms, is religion so bad?
by William Dembski on October 27th, 2006 · 29 Comments

In this piece, Dembski asks: "On strict evolutionary grounds, isn’t religion an adaptation that offers humans survival and reproductive advantages?" I think that might be true. I can see how, for example, the bonds created when people share the same religion could offer advantages (I can, like Dawkins, also see the opposite where religion might be a destructive force [although i wouldn't express myself as strongly as Dawkins does]). But then Dembski goes on with a lengthy quote from a Chuck Colson who claims that Russias on-going crisis (including an AIDS epidemic, alcohol and drug abuse, high abortion rates, suicide, environmental degradation and loss of hope in the future) is mainly due to ... atheism. "Seventy-four years of official atheism robbed the Russian people of this source of hope. This, more than a ruined economy and environmental degradation, is what has put Russia on the road to extinction.", Colson claims. Is this true?

The Great Depression of the 1930's saw a sharp rise in both homicide and suicide, environmental degradation (the so called dust bowl years) and a loss of hope (largely regained from Roosevelt's New Deal). All this happened without a concurrent drop in faith. The onus of proof for mainly blaming atheism as the biggest source of “bad things” in Russia would thus seem to fall on Colbert (or Dembski, as he seemingly supports Colbert's conclusions). Unfortunately (and predictably?), none is provided, which only leaves us to consider the some unfounded ramblings - and why should any serious consideration be given to that?