Unseen danger of not having reading habit

The well-known benefits of the reading habit are acquisition of knowledge, broadening the mind & keeping the brain active even in old age.

The great hidden danger of not reading is the dependence on the spoken word, necessarily by others. All information is absorbed through others' words (& thoughts). Here the speakers may have their own agenda in manipulating the information, not necessarily to benefit the listener.

This assumes alarming proportions when the subject is religion. Instead of going to the core texts & finding out for themselves the true teachings of the founders of various denominations, people tend to listen to discourses in temples, sermons in churches & minbars in mosques, where the speakers naturally twist the subject to firstly please their congregation (who may not have any spiritual aspirations but only worldly goals) & secondly to strengthen their own denomination.

The harm of this was understood by Martin Luther, who translated the Bible from Latin to German making it more accessible. Fortuitously, Gutenburg started printing, making copies more affordable. So the reform of the Church hastened.

But unfortunately even many centuries later, people throng to discourses to be fed doctrine which may be distorted at best & downright incendiary at worst. For example in Hinduism, where Moksha (union with the Divine) is the ultimate goal, what is preached in temples is piety, charity & observance of rituals. Though Rigveda may extol rituals, Mundaka Upanishad (Vedanta) says "Considering religion to be observance of rituals & acts of charity, the deluded remain ignorant of the highest good. Having enjoyed in heaven the reward of their good works, they enter again into the world of mortals."

Many religious leaders. instead of providing spiritual guidance to their followers, leading  them towards God, which is their true calling, have usurped the roles of politicians & social reformers by fighting for mundane matters like reservations etc.