Image Credit - Paul Brennan - Public Domain Pictures
We see it everyday all around us. Religion with its icons
and archetypes are never far from any one of us. Even to a person who claims
Atheism, the barrage of religious traditions is perfectly recognizable. It’s
easy to claim that the vast majority of people today can identify the symbols
which represent the most common religions. The Christian Cross, the Star of
David, the Star and Crescent of Islam, even the Pentagram of the Nature Religions
has become known to most. Religion has become embedded in today’s society, and
on into every individual’s life, whether or not you personally adhere to one.
And yet, within the cry of “love your brother” we kill and maim in name of God.
Unless you've been living under a rock, no matter where in
the world you are, the actions of ISIS set an example of how horribly twisted
the “Word of God” can get. Any average Joe understands the danger and damage
possible when fanatics/extremists from any religion are turned loose on society
at large. But what about those who are practicing the love that is taught
through these religions, surely that can’t be a bad thing can it?
The reason I ask is because I wonder if the world would be
better off without religion of any kind. Are the religious using their faith as
a crutch? Are human beings being held back from what may be the real truth
because they are blinded by their faith? Perhaps there is no God. Maybe people
are too afraid, down deep, to deal with issues like death, and extreme poverty
and need, so they make up this Godhead to answer the questions they can’t.
I really don’t want to offend anyone, but these are honest
questions that I ask myself. I understand that the faith a person holds in
their deity can be an absolute. To a person who believes there are no lingering
questions as to what happens after death, or why perfectly good people are
plagued with the destruction and greed from, what can only be deemed, evil
people, God’s will can be a satisfactory answer. Many times when presented with
these questions a person of faith will simply reply that if everyone else would
finally come to their senses and except their God, the world’s problems would
go away. I guess to an extent that’s true. I mean if every human being on the
planet shared the exact same dogma and saw God in the exact same way, perhaps
the world would be a better place. I, however, am more pragmatic than that and
I understand that even if every person shared the same dogma there would still be
conflict because one person’s vision of God is never going to fully match
another’s. In other words, I think that as long as religion exists people are
going to fight about it, and it’s going to end bloody.
So now what? What are we to do in this world where,
religion, our own beliefs are killing us? I’m afraid that due to my pragmatism,
again, I have to be the bearer of bad news. The possibility of everyone
abandoning their faith for the betterment of the world is really just as
far fetched as hoping that one day people we will all believe in the same God.
So now, for what it’s worth, here are my thoughts on how to come to grips with
our religious differences.
I think that humans need an answer to life’s immortal
questions. We want to know and understand what will happen to us when we die.
Are we really going to be reunited with our loved ones or will we simply fade
into the nothingness of dreamless sleep? I can’t answer that. I know I can’t
answer that, so why bother my brain with it at all? My loved ones are either
out there somewhere waiting for me or they’re not. I’ll find out when I’m dead,
or, maybe I won’t.
Why is there so much evil in this world? Because sometimes
people suck. There are people in this world who want to squeeze every last
drop, of whatever they can get, out of it. If you want to make the world a
better place, decide now that you are not going to be one of those people. Does
the thought of that make you afraid that you’ll be left behind? Who cares!? Why
would you want to be with that crowd anyway? Find your own way, find good
people, and work with them to make the world good, and I don’t mean good as in
everyone needs to think my way good, but in the way of, truly good. Love
people, care about people, help them when you can and don’t take advantage of
those who have opened their hearts and souls to you.
I think that there are many good people in the world and
that most people really do want to do what’s right. Sometimes things get
confusing, people get scared and they may make a bad choice but that’s not the
same thing as being “evil”. To the people out there who are truly “evil”, you
know who you are, I say; I don’t know what happened in your life to screw you
up so bad and there’s nothing that I can do to change your circumstances,
so...if you don’t like what you see in the mirror then change. It’s that
simple, really. Take it from this recovering alcoholic; the only thing that is
going to release your pain is your ability and your desire to let it go. The
world is what it is and if we want it to be a better place then we need to make
ourselves better. Love and Respect are two very important words to know and
practice. It doesn't take religion to understand compassion, and it doesn't take religion to be a good person. If you find that having faith in a God helps
you to deal with your deepest fears, then so be it. Just remember that you are
unique. Even if you are surrounded by others who share the same dogma, when it
comes down to picturing the big picture everyone sees their own artistic interpretation
of it, so relax and don’t try shoving your vision down someone else’s throat.
If you honestly want the world to be a better place then accept others for who
they are and allow them the same respect you would want for yourself.
I know this has been a long post and that after all these
words are written and read it really comes down to a simple statement. Live and
let live. The world will be a better place because of it.
