Truth and Facts: Religion

Golly. I just spent almost forty minutes watching some youtube vids about Islam and Christianity. I am at such extreme odds with organized religion but I find myself easily put off by those who would refute the revelation. It's easy to attack religion. Horrible things people have done quickly destroy the shreds of decency or credibility attained by a given belief system. A reminder of the importance of separating what people do in the name of a religion from the true tenets of a religion.

With their metaphorical imagery and and sometimes outlandish claims, it's easy to attack holy scripture and prophecy. As the majority of religious texts are made up of these two things (and their incredible antiquity), it follows that they too are not difficult to take "issue" with. To the contrary, I've found a fair amount of universal truth in the religious holy books of various monotheistic, religious traditions and what I struggle with is typically found in the doctrines extrapolated from the text. Doctrines typically enforced by corresponding zealous orthodoxy.

I quickly come to odds with the opinions of others that don't make sense to me. I struggle with the gospels of the bible's new testament as valid accounts of the life of a man called Jesus as they were written (here & here). However, the words attributed to the man and his teachings contain some solid advice for living a rightly guided life. Regular lessons on the importance of humility and keeping our thoughts and actions in line with each other are fairly universal themes usable and understandable by all (greek & aramaic). When the doctrine is focused on these aspects of the gospels I have no qualms with it. But unfortunately, as I and so many others have experienced (evidenced by the sheer quantity of people who leave their faith behind in a clamor, railing against their former religion), the doctrine seldom stops here.

There's defense of faith, apologetics, interpretation of scripture and prophecy; there's a whole bunch of misogynistic crap. One of my troubles with monotheistic religion is how I don't hate women. If I am given the choice between religion and God (الله, YHWH) I choose God every time, and regardless of revelation, I don't believe that God sets a different standard for women. I don't believe that a man's hair and a woman's hair are any different, or that lust is something that affects only one sex due to the nature of the other.

If it doesn't make sense to you, maybe it's not for you. Rules are made to be ... broken? I mean really, there's all sorts of rules in the Talmud, the bible and the Qur'an. If there aren't any rules then no one ever does anything wrong? I don't think so. Humans are humans were humans, we're humans and we've avast an incredible (or is it tiny?) amount of knowledge in our age. Our technology has changed (improved?), we've discovered medicines and mastered running water (also, I'm sure it smells better these days than it has in some prior ages and places) but how much have humans really changed? Hopefully we've gotten more civilized from the "Ten hairs away from baboons," that Lewis Black uses to explain (@ 8:11 ) the Jews of the old testament.

Taking ancient religious texts and ideas at face value is dangerous. Words can share or could have shared many meanings in the time and place they were written and mean very different things now (see above Jesus links). Look at any religious website trying to disprove another religion and the subsequent counter-arguments. Another repercussion of face value texts leads to end times, armageddon-end-of-the-world style prophecy.

Despite a vast and varied display of incredible circular logic religious debate is by and large a moot point. Because in the end a person can't believe in something they don't believe in. You've got to want to believe in it. If you don't want to believe in it you won't. Perhaps the Qur'an says it best in the 109th surah, al-Kafirun (سورة الكافرون); the disbelievers/atheists (literally translates in the xerox morphology as "the infidels"): "O disbelievers (1) I worship not what you worship (2) nor worship ye that which I worship (3) and I shall not worship that which ye worship (4) nor will ye worship that which I worship (5) unto you your religion, and unto me mine (6)" (Pickthal).

Maybe some people need religion. Maybe they need the exact religion they have, exactly the way they follow it. Whether it's factually true or doctrinally correct, so long as it's not preventing you from living the way that feels truly right to you, why fight against it? If faith is what's important, doesn't it have to be important to you. In a way, faith is making yourself important by putting what you truly believe above all else. Both the sinner and the saint can claim that only God can judge them. Changing a little here or a little there, removing passages or expanding on the ideas presented therein might make one's religion worthless to another or dangerous to many. It could also be exactly what someone needs to feel comfortable in their own skin.

This is thin ice though. Picking and choosing what to believe is the fast track to heresy and apostasy in religion. It is really not uncommon for me to feel that the "message" and the location of "power" in religious organizations are off-base and/or in the wrong hands. I struggle with taking all of anything at face value. When 90% of something is amazing and 10% is forgettable I want to focus on the 90% and forget about the 10%. I want to utilize what empowers me to strive and eliminate what hamstrings me from the same.

Whether debunking spiritual prophecy or using science to prove the existence of a creator God, isn't the important question: how does what you're doing make you a better person, today? How are you making the world a better place? In an interview on "Radio Without Borders," (Wisconsin Public Radio) author Michael Mohammad Knight reminisces about early 90's Hulk Hogan. Paraphrasing the Hulkster, he says, "Hulkamania is a standard you can never reach, but you just keep trying."

Chew on this:

Wouldn't God want us all to be the absolute best we can be? Both together and separately. Fulfill all your potential potential. Utilize all that God has blessed you with. Maximize opportunities through preparedness and right action (right place, right time and ready to go). Whether you call it lucky or unlucky; free will or fate; the hand of god or random chance. If rules guide you there, follow them. If they lead you away from there, find your own path. No one walks your road but you and only God can judge you. Sometimes, words just get in the way.