As stated in a prior post, I am not an atheist but I have a problem with organized religion. I want to believe that religion is a force for good in this world, but my mind wanders between faith and reason ... I am a very spiritual person. For me, there is a fundamental distinction between spirituality and religion. Devote or agnostic are merely terms to describe the individual's approach to rationalizing and the universe. The nature of spirituality is the act of questioning. In contrast, religions are corporate bodies driven by their need to possess answers. I wonder what the indigenous people of Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and the Middle East, who were tortured and killed to save their souls or the millions who were repressed, tortured and/or killed because of their beliefs or station in life, would say? Today we live in a world where the leaders of one major religion are evangelizing their members to act as human bombs and the leaders of another have been aiding and abetting pedophiles.
Religion has instigated crimes and atrocities. The seed of violence is not religion but fear, dogmaticism and intolerance. Yet religious leaders are many times found indulging in such vices. It has always perplexed me how they affirm so boldly such minute detail about the divine and the afterlife. I suppose that it has more to do with the 'audience' demanding clear answers. A general sense of spirituality, coupled with reverence for some rituals, scriptures and figures, but not taking everything so literally would serve them better.
Many people follow the safety and certainty of a religion, a choice which is as valid as my own. However, I draw the line at any individual or institution which uses faith as a tool to wage war, and repress or prey on those they should protect.
A few months ago, I sent the following message to a few friends: I've begun worshipping the sun (the ancient Greeks had it right). First of all, unlike some other Gods I could mention, I can see the sun. It's there for me every day. And the things it brings me are quite apparent all the time: heat, light, food, and a lovely day. There's no mystery, no one asks for money, I don't have to dress up, and there's no boring pageantry, and no phonies ... And if its raining, all I have to do is look at my sun tattoo ...
Religious faith moves people to act with extraordinary compassion. In that sense, is religion then a force for good? I don't believe so. If religion is a force for good, and if each of the world's religions spread good words, not all religions can be true because their doctrines are mutually incompatible. Here is just one example that I have a problem with: if Christianity is true, Jesus was devine; if Islam is true, he was not. Can you relate? In other words, both faiths agree that anyone who opens the wrong door here will spend an eternity in hell.
What a person believes about the nature of reality matters. Wherever one finds unjustified beliefs appearing to bring benefit to humanity, it is generally easy to think of a set of justified beliefs that would bring greater benefit still. Staying in touch with reality is useful. Which of the world's faiths can honestly claim to be doing that?
Let's take a look at Christianity. A very strong moral argument against Creation comes from the standard Christian saying "God has created you, so you are his property." (Note the word 'his' ... but more on that later.) If the above implication was logically correct that would only mean that the very Creation is an idea in contradiction with our basic moral intuition that "Might does not make Right" ... because we would owe everything to the Omnipotent on the very basis that he has created us. It could have been stated that he has right over our lives even without taking in slightest consideration any of his other qualities (i.e., the moral ones) except of his infinite Might. The idea of Creation allows thus to deduce infinite Rights from infinite Might (which is morally not allowed). And to call Might goodness, if it is only great enough (infinite)? That'a why I have a hard time with the notion of Creation of persons. It's an unacceptable idea in my world.
The evidence for God the Father's inabilities with humankind is in the first chapter of the Book of Job. Lucifer, God's son, was severely punished in Heaven for an infraction which God caused in the first place. Lucifer was thrown down to earth without his body. God was very angry at him. Yet here, God in the first chapter, pulls a stunt. He actually gives Lucifer permission to go after a saved man and put him through such testing and trial the normal human could not overcome. It is only after Job 'sucks up' to God does God leave him alone. Did Job serve him after that? No. Why? Read the last chapter. It's an eye opener ... Only because of the sacrifices of Jesus Christ do we have a world at all. It's the New Testament which rules. With Christ now on the throne things are better ... Dear reader, have you caught on yet? God always leaves a trail no matter where it leads.
Am I an authority on Religion? No. I am not a Professor of Theology, but I have studied many religions. My only teachers are confessing demons. My classroom is a planet called Earth.
Why do people ignore that which they do not understand? I, on the other hand, fully understand. For example, why does God allow suffering? The fallen angels (the angels who have sinned and fallen back down to earth - I have befriended quite a few) are my teachers and possess an incredible amount of intelligence. Religions view us as ignorant idiots and nothing more.
For nearly two centuries the divide between what is natural, and all the needless misery that entails, and what is good has been growing. I would like to believe that all that is 'good' will prevail.
"When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion, it is called religion." Richard Dawkins
No comments:
Post a Comment