Faith - Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.   Religious faith is simply unjustified belief in matters such as life after death, or god, in the absence of tangible evidence. There are many detrimental results of religious faith:   Irrational thought instead of logic, and people giving no consideration to the possibility that they are wrong. Intolerance of people who hold other beliefs, or no religious beliefs. Using different moral guidelines, or not using moral guidelines, in the treatment of people outside their faith. Sanctioning people, or countries, of other faiths, thereby making society less productive.   Faith often sparks violence between groups; one just needs to look at history to find countless examples of wars and conflicts where faith has been a contributing factor. Sam Harris, in his book "The End of Faith," argues that in the presence of weapons of mass destruction we cannot expect to survive our religious differences indefinitely. He states, "We have simply lost the right to our myths." Rationality, instead of religion, needs to be applied to ethical issues on both the local and global levels.   A number of people have critically examined religion's effects on society and the causes of religion:   Societies worse off 'when they have God on their side' is a study that counters the view of believers that religion is necessary to provide the moral and ethical foundations of a healthy society. It compares the social performance of relatively secular countries, such as Britain, with the United States.   Although the biological and medical causes of religion are at this time still up for debate, some research includes:   In 1962, Walter Pahnke performs a test in which psilocybin, a hallucinogen derived from mushrooms, is given to divinity students. It was found to have long term increases on spirituality. Detailed results can be found online by searching for Walter Pahnke.   "Science and Religion: Are they Compatible?" edited by Paul Kurtz, looks at the medical causes of religion.   Research at the UC San Diego Brain and Perception Laboratory determined that parts of the brain's temporal lobe may affect how intensely a person responds to religious beliefs. They focused on temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients, who exhibit Interictal Behavior Syndrome (IBS). These patients are prone to excessive activity in their temporal lobes, causing seizures during which they report powerful religious experiences.  Importantly, clinicians have previously reported that such TLE patients are also often fanatically religious, even during the long periods between seizures.   Michael A. Persinger's "The Neuropsychological Basis of God Beliefs" and Dean Hamer's "The God Gene" are additional sources.   Wendell W. Watters presents the Robert Saloga Model of religious detoxification in "Deadly Doctrine: Health, Illness, and Christian God-Talk." It is similar to treating nicotine addiction. Respect is shown for the strength of addiction, and there is a responsibility that the patient learns about the deleterious consequences of the addiction.