"Now I don't want to get off on a rant here, but...." -Dennis Miller
Like everybody, there are quite a few things in this world which just annoy the hell out of me. I try not to voice these opinions for various reasons. I never want to hurt anyone's feelings, I appear bitter when I do, etc. Unfortunately, unless I voice my frustrations, they don't go away. The solution I've come up with, is this Rant & Roar section of my website. Every so often, I plan to vent my frustration, go on a rant and just plain roar about a certain topic that annoys me. I mean absolutely no offense to anyone in particular. This section is not an excuse for me to attack anyone. It's just me letting off some steam.
You can also check out my previous rants.
If you find the following rant offensive, then you can read the Jesusified version of it.
I've never been a fan of religious fundamentalism. That probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who's read my AFA review section or some of my rants. I've always thought that religious fundamentalism was one of the major causes of pain, suffering and hatred in this world. I still do. Lately however, I've been wondering if maybe religion itself is the problem.
Now, before you send me any angry e-mails or start defending religion, please just hear me out. I'm not writing this simply because I want to attack religion, nor am I writing this to say that there is no God or that no religion can ever be right. All I'm saying is that religion may very well be something which will always stand in the way of world peace and tolerance. Now, it's rather unfair of me to make statements about all religions when there are religions out there I've never heard of and possibly never will. I'm really just basing this on the three religions I know most about: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I think that what I'm saying will be relevant to more than these three religions however.
One reason I think religion opposes world peace and tolerance is because of its resistance to change. Religion fights change at any and all cost. I suppose it's because those who are religious figure they KNOW everything there is to know about the world and the universe. Any kind of change would be to move away from absolute truth. This belief is dangerous.... VERY dangerous. It allows people to keep others in a state of inferiority. If I believe I'm better than someone else, and my religion tells me I'm right, then I'm not gonna want to change that belief. Change is not easy, and the existence of religion makes it even harder for people to accept it.
Another reason I think religion opposes world peace and tolerance is because of its exclusive nature. There are many reasons for it, none of which I believe are done out of hate or malice but which seem to bring these about nonetheless. One reason I think religion is so exclusive is because it is necessary for religion to survive. This notion seems to be rooted in the fear that accepting or being with people who are different will lead to you converting to their religion or being seduced away by their beliefs. Another reason religion is so exclusive is, ironically, due to inclusive communities that it seems to create. As a Jew, I've seen and experienced this a lot. The Birthright Israel trip is a free ten day trip to Israel for all those between the ages of 18 and 24 (or something in that range) who are Jewish and who have never been there before. The very fact that Israel is a place that welcomes and accepts all Jews who wish to live there says something about how open and caring the community is to those within it. The flip side of this however, is that those outside the community are not given these benefits because they don't share in this kind of 'closeness'. Palestinians are not allowed the right of return to Israel like Jews are. There are many Christian fundraisers which only help Christian children. Some Muslim countries won't even allow the practice of other religions. No matter how inclusive you try to be to your 'own people', you are automatically being exclusive to those who are different. Lastly and most importantly, I think religion is exclusive because each religion claims to be the only one with the 'correct' information about how the universe works. Each religion claims their God is the correct one and that their beliefs are the correct ones. Since they are right, everyone else has to be wrong. This sort of religious arrogance allows people to feel somehow vindicated by their beliefs. If they feel that they know what is right and good, then they can do any act they truly want to and use the religion as a way of justifying it. Now, it's true that religions have strict laws which must be followed, so that people aren't going around murdering and raping in the name of their Gods. Well, obviously, people DO do this, but it's not fair to judge the religion solely on the extremists. Even if we ignore the extremists however, this 'knowledge' allows people to feel vindicated in their hatred, even if they do not act upon it. Someone who hates gays, or doesn't want their "White" child marrying someone who is "Black", can look in the Bible, or any other religious text, and find a quote which denounces gays or denounces interracial marriages of any kind. It allows people to be ruled by their prejudice and to avoid learning about other people because other people 'have it wrong'
In all honesty, if I want to look at religion objectively, I can't simply look at its downsides and not at the benefits it can bring. There IS an upside to religion. I cannot deny that. Despite the benefits religion brings however, I can't help feeling it is still one of the greatest obstacles we must overcome before peace in the world is possible. Let's look at these benefits and I will explain...
Religion makes people happy and fulfilled - That it does. I do not deny that for a second. Many people find happiness in religion. Others even find meaning in it that gives their life purpose. Even if this is the case however, I don't believe it justifies the isolation it causes. If we can find purpose and happiness in something that unites people instead of divides them, then maybe we can be happy and accepting of others. People today are willing to die or kill for their religion. What if we can direct this dedication to helping others instead of hurting them. Maybe we can be happy and at peace with each other.
Even if we get rid of religion, people will just hate other people for different reasons, whether it be eye colour, skin colour, or place of birth - This is also true. Religion is not the cause of hate or separation. I don't think that getting rid of religion will suddenly make things perfect. Getting rid of religion will not suddenly bring the world to peace, but I do think that world peace will never be attainable as long as religion exists. Hatred and fear of things that are different is a problem which must be addressed in and of itself. Religion does not create these problems, but it does perpetuate them.
If some religion IS correct, and you don't believe it, then you could be going to hell - This, once again, is also true. I could very well be going to hell just for writing this. Judaism, Christianity or Islam might very well be correct about existence and the universe. This really doesn't change anything I'm saying however. The way I look at it, there are two possibilities concerning God (assuming he exists): either he is all good, kind and caring, or he is not (there is also the possibility that there are more than one God, but it doesn’t change my argument in any way and I want to stick with Judaeo-Christian beliefs for the purpose of this discussion because I am more familiar with them). If he IS a caring God, as many religions claim, then why would he choose for us all to suffer and kill each other just so He can have followers? Any God that insists we believe in him as opposed to live in peace, seems to me to be a jealous God who isn’t concerned with our well-being. And if he's not all caring, then he would have no reason to want us to live in peace. Most importantly however, no matter what kind of God he is, if he would rather we don't live in peace and harmony if it means we ignore his existence, I'm not sure if that's a God I would want to worship.
By eliminating all religion, you are being a communist – Assuming you are referring to Communism in practice (which involves the suppression of individualism and personal freedom)…. well, not really. I'm not claiming that we all do exactly the same things and act exactly the same way. In fact, I think religion stifles individuality far more than atheism ever could. All Jewish males for example are suppose to study the Torah from morning until night. All Christians are supposed to devote their lives to Jesus. These sorts of things discourage personal expression and growth. In fact, I know many people who are so wrapped up in their religion that it becomes their identity. Their religion becomes who they are. I was once told that because I have no objections to marrying a girl who isn't Jewish, that I'm spitting in the face of my family, my history and my traditions. By not perpetuating a belief that my grandparents or great-grandparents had, I am, supposedly, insulting them. It is this sort of belief that destroys individualism. This belief that we need to continue the beliefs that came before us just because they came before us is to limit ourselves and our individuality. I'm not saying we all have to be the same, I'm saying the opposite. I'm saying we should be known and identified by our individuality. It is who we are as individuals that is important and that should define us, not what group we belong to.
Please understand, I'm not trying to show that all religions are evil. Nor am I asking anyone to stop believing what they believe. This is just something I've been thinking about and thought I'd share with all you nice people in Internet Land. All I really ask is that you read this and think about it. Most importantly however, just try to be open and understanding of others who are different. Let's not allow our beliefs to set us apart.
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