The world we live in is extremely belief-oriented. Unfortunately, while this does provide variation among people, we allow it to control too much of our relationships among people. I am of the opinion that what one believes in shouldn't depend on family and social norm, but rather what makes one a better person.
Being that I live in an extremely Christian area, the South, I have witnessed and suffered from the oppression that a lack of acceptance has caused. I grew up going to church irregularly, spending my nights praying out of fear that if I don't believe in a supreme being that God will smite me or send me to hell or something. I wasn't becoming a better person, but rather I was just living in a terror of developing past my image of Catholicism. My parents are nonbelievers, but have grown up in environments that support giving the opportunity to breach in opinion to what we want rather than what they tell us. I think this is an aspect that many of us would benefit from by accepting. I'm not trying to persuade anyone to become Atheist. I'm trying to persuade everyone to be able to see past what they believe.
Unless a big man comes down from the sky and announces himself to be God, or Vishnu greets us with a four-armed handshake, or Thor runs around the world terrorizing us in fearsome Viking ways, no one has proof of there being a greater presence watching over us. Just as non-believers have to admit that there's no proof for there NOT to be one. In fact, no one is positive. The first and most difficult step is to recognize this. People are proud and do not care for themselves to be wrong. Also, the reason for religion today should be recognized as different from what it was back when the Bible, Koran, or the Book of the Dead were written.
The world was a mystery to the less knowledgeable millenniums ago. In order to provide explanations to anything impossible to observe to the naked eye (be it as large as space or as small as bacteria), theories were formed, as can be seen from Greek mythology, which had a specific god for specific observable yet unexplained aspects of our world. The same applies to other religions. As ridiculous as we find that seasons are caused by an old lady losing her daughter to the lord of the dead every winter, try explaining to someone that the beginning of humanity was a man made out of clay and a woman from his rib bone, or that a human spirit's limbs became different castes of people, or that there was a huge explosion that suddenly made all of everything. It's all vague and illogical. And all holy texts and books have been used as backing for scientifically incorrect or immoral actions and claims. Religion has caused more pain, suffering, and war than anything else in the world. This isn't the way religion should work today.
If anything, one should chose to believe what makes one a better person. If the knowledge that an eternal punishment would await your for bad actions in your life makes you pure and kind, then those teachings are what you should believe in, since they work for you. However, as was the case with me, others don't have these reactions. This should be supported and complimentary to each other. Everyone has arguments for why they believe what they do, but at the end of the day, no one's opinion will be changed by having beliefs of someone else shoved in their face. Instead, why not share them to have other perspectives and to mentally grow open to other ideas? Once this barrier is overcome, so much else will be easy to adapt to, and the closest thing to peace EVER will be achieved.
As phrased well by one of the most scientifically noted and remembered people in history, "True religion is real living; living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness." This man was none other than Albert Einstein, a firm believer in a religious mystery and humility that all people must have when explaining the world, while still being atheist. We all agree on the span of our lack of knowledge, and while some have different arguments for non-grounded elements, we can all agree on the fact that it will never all be explained. So rather than trying to argue over something that will never have a solid answer, use variation to make each other and oneself better, not enemies or discriminated. Religion shouldn't so much be a dictator of one's life, as a push and support system for better decisions and a deeper understanding of the treatment of one's internal health and each other. And this doesn't just mean having a god as a priority, but can just as well mean the lack of one. If religion was used in the right way, everyone would win.
No comments:
Post a Comment