Are
you amazed as I am about the varieties of religions and churches? Why so many? You’d think an omnipotent God would have given us at least one
thing, a faith, that we could all agree with.
Think of the lives saved if there had been no holy wars, no jihads, or
no pogroms. Even within one religion -
let alone religion against religion - one has factions murdering each other –
Protestants against Catholics, Sunnis versus Shiites, etc.
Why
are people attracted to a particular religion or faction? There must be a variety of reasons. Some must truly believe in the tenets
offered. But, I suspect that most
attend a particular church because they find kindred souls. They like the people they find. If you are a fundamentalist and a literalist
you’re not likely to feel comfortable in a group of freethinkers and vice
versa. So most often, it’s not the
religious beliefs that attract you but rather the type of people those beliefs
attract. Can personality differences be
discerned between – say – Baptists and Presbyterians? Are the popular stereotypes real?
Mind
you, most of our religious being is shaped by the happenstance of where we are
born. You’re much more likely to be a
Christian if you’re born in Kansas than in Iraq. We like to delude ourselves by thinking we have a free will about
such matters, but in reality, most of it is preordained. Given the randomness in our religious beliefs
would a fair God or Allah condemn someone for being born in the wrong place?
The
greatest danger from religion are those who believe that have found the one
true religion for all humankind and try to convince you of the righteousness of
that finding. There is no kind way to
dispute them.
There
has been some science talk about the existence of a “religion” gene – something
in our DNA that predisposes us to have religious feelings. I don’t know if it is fact or not, but I can
understand why evolution would favor such a gene. If one believes that a higher power exists and much of life is a
trial, one might try harder to find food or run faster to escape the
saber-toothed tiger and thus have a greater chance of survival than the
non-believer.
Most
religious folks that I know aren’t fair.
They give their God all the credit for the good things that happen but
never any blame for the bad things.
“God works in mysterious ways.”
- as if every evil has an ulterior beneficial purpose that we mere humans can’t understand.
For
me, I have but one religious belief. If
there is a higher power or there is a purpose to our universe, I believe that
it is so sophisticated that we are incapable of understanding it much like a
dog can’t understand algebra. Our
brains aren’t equipped to fathom matters at that level.
Do
I believe in God? For me, God is the
answer to the question, “Where did the universe come from?” God is the original cause, but has no
characteristics beyond that, that I'm capable of understanding.
I’m sure that this is the one true religion for all humankind and is a righteousness finding. Don’t you agree?
I’m sure that this is the one true religion for all humankind and is a righteousness finding. Don’t you agree?
©2014 Lester C. Welch
Oh, I so agree. You've written a very powerful post. Humans have always had a need to understand where they came from, and how the world came into existence. Prior to scientific knowledge and understanding, I imagine that different religious beliefs have provided many of these answers.
ReplyDeleteFor many, religious faith provides a comfort during difficult times. Some look to their religion as a moral compass to guide their behavior. I believe that society benefits when these belief systems help people to control their behaviors, fight addictions, soothe the grieving, and give hope to those who feel hopeless. The danger, as you point out, comes when people attempt to force their beliefs on others.
My "religion" consists of listening to my conscience, trying to do the right, fair thing, helping others in need. I find that mother nature has provided the ultimate "church" in the great outdoors. I find the greatest peace within when communing with nature.
Interesting theory about finding kindred souls within a particular religious belief system. This seems true in politics and friendships too!
Carole,...thanks for your comment. I believe that a moral compass can be derived from logic - not religion. The existence of "something" rather than "nothing" is a scientific puzzle. I wonder about what the goal of an individual life should be given the ambiguity of the purpose of the universe and life in general is. Perhaps, as you elude to, it is - given the absence of any other guidance - to maximize the general well being. Life is a mystery.
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ReplyDeleteLester, I deleted my earlier comment. My intent was to say that to disagree with your conclusion would be "unkind."
DeleteI would've enjoyed your comment, no doubt. Ah, irony.
ReplyDeleteI'm a non-believer. It doesn't bother me that I don't know the origin of the universe. I'm curious about many things but not this. I can accept the idea that there is no origin or beginning because I know my intellect cannot grasp this concept - but because I can't understand doesn't mean that it is not a possibility. And just I can't understand also doesn't mean that there is some "superior being" originated the universe.
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