What's up with religion?
Cause and effect
Religion has screwed us up for a long time and we'd be better off without it. By "us" I mean Americans living in the 21st century. Without religions we would have fewer labels separating us from each other and we wouldn't hate Jews or Catholics or Muslims. If we didn't have religions, we wouldn't have to convert anyone or "save" anyone. If we didn't have religions, people could no longer get caught up in the fine lines of religious rightousness or be trapped in a double-standard morality. And most importantly, we would be truly free of religious engendered guilt that never quite goes away.
In America, people are less tolerant than before and words like Jew, Muslim, and Christian set us off and make us mad because we connect these labels with violence and war. We are planning to attack the "axis of evil" and in giving Iraq this label, we assume a moral duty on our part and the devil on theirs. There is no simple answer to the problems in the Middle East which are daily getting more and more out of control. But adding quasi-religious labels pushes us farther apart and increases the tension and opposition on all sides.
I grew up in a Catholic family and went to Catholic grade school and high school and I don't regret it. It was an interesting experience and surely formed a great part of my character. But looking back, I see that the system of organized religion is rigged and the deck is stacked more in favor of the church than it is in favor of the faithful. Consider for a moment the Christian need to convert and save people, two more activities that could be done away with if we didn't have religion. Converting more followers keeps the organized religion afloat and promising salvation is the hook that gets people's attention. No one knows what happens after death. But some religions offer a promise of heaven or hell and, like children, we willing believe in this fantastic fairy tale.
On another note, the church introduces us to the concept of guilt and
tells us we are guilty even before we are born. This is the most
ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Nontheless, if we find God, or
Jesus, or convert, or confess before we die, we're saved. No sweat.
It's all hogwash. In my opinion, Jesus came to show us how to live
and how to love and that's it.
He died for no ones' sins and just wanted people to start to think
and live differently. But look what happened.
We have a proliferation of Christian religions and their names are many: Anglican, Assembly of God, Baptist, Catholic, Charismatic, Christian Science, Church of Christ, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Episcopal, Evangelical, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Methodist, Mormon, Nazarene, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Quaker, Reformed, Seventh Day Adventist and on and on and on. Many variations on the same theme, the same laws and rules and commandments and prejudices and hate and the devil and hell and damnation and a host of horrible ways that God can get even with us. It's ridiculous. Religion treats us like small children who don't know any better and who need to be kept in line. And guess what? It's not working. We break a commandment on Friday, go to services and get scolded on Sunday and then break the same commandment again on Tuesday.
Religion comes from the Latin words "ReLigio". "Ligio" means to tie or unite and religio means retie or reunite. What is being reunited? Our Selves and our God? The ego of the Outer Man and the Truth of the Inner Man? Whatever we define it to be, this reunion is within ourselves. It is a personal resolution each of us must face at some point in life and deal with in our own way. We can listen to what others say to us, suggest to us, teach to us, but we have to do the thinking, the deciding and the acting. We can't let religions do it for us and we can't be free or live free until we do it within and for ourselves.
Guilt, on the other hand is a destroyer and religions use it as a motivator and it in turn, keeps them in business. Guilt destroys our self-esteem and religious guilt never really goes away because our forgiveness comes from a priest or minister and who are not even a part of the problem. When we screw up, we have to make things right with those we have offended and ask them directly for forgiveness and not seek the forgiveness of a third party, including God. It takes a lot of guts to say this, but for me it's just that straightforward and it works. And it's not about religion. Maybe a person needs a trained counselor or therapist, but not a quick fix from a priest.
Pre-Christian belief systems such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Taoism offer ways to gain wisdom and think and live in harmony. Islam, unfortunately, is completely misunderstood, even by some of its followers and has become the bastard child of extremists. Equally unfortunate is Christianity and all its diverse forms of intolerance and absolute authority which has really screwed us up mentally, psychologically and emotionally. That these two religions now dominate in countries that would start a nuclear and chemical third World War is not surprising. Religion is a major part of our way of life, but I think we would be better off without it.