Religion's the Bomb
Will there ever be peace in the
I think religious fanaticism has reached such a high point in today’s world that peace will only come when everyone is killed off except one religious group where all people think exactly alike.
What religion that might be….I don’t know.
Maybe the Scientologists could develop an interest in the
I hated religion as a child – I detested church; I thought it was the most absurd, ridiculous and bizarre event of my week.
Staring at the image of a tortured man nailed to a cross was not my idea of a good way to start the day. Then all the talk about body and blood of Christ made my stomach lurch.
The grown men in dresses with lacy pinafores gave me the creeps as did the smell of incense …yuck.
I thank god everyday I am free from religion in my own life… (I meant this line to sound funny.)
But only a few years ago, religion was only a part of life but not the focus of every single G D thing that goes on in the world today.
Religion wasn’t worn on sleeves or foreheads or any kind of heads including heads of state.
The hyper religious world we live in today makes people hate other people for no good reason at all. It makes people do bad things in the name of mythological people who once had the reputation of being kind and good.
It keeps people cloaked in the superstitions of the dark ages and promises an after-life filled with (whatever you’d like to put in here… harps and angels, virgins and rivers of booze, never ending Nascar races etc.)
I would love to see the religious extremists of any faith use their fervor, passion and holiness to improve the world, not blow it up.
Note: My post on using small plates to keep portion sizes reasonable caused a few nasty letters to find their way to my email box. So, what the hell, I might as well post something that I can expect some hate mail but...something I truly believe. No white bread post here today folks.
posted by mary bishop | 9:29 AM
15 Comments:
Good morning my sister... :) (sorry couldn't resist...)
Truth is - it is unfortunate that today, people are defined by their religion rather then defining their faith.
Religion and faith have unfortunately become 2 very separate things. And it is this lack of understanding that leads to so many conflicts.
The religion doesn't matter but the faith and mindset behind it.
My this sounds like a very religious post. :) And that's amusing since i'm NOT a religious person. The truth is my belief is that if it doesn't hurt anyone else, have fun. I have major issues with hypocrisy and prostelitizing (sp?).
My greatest laff last week was when the guys working at my brother's house scared off a couple of jehova's witnesses by yelling an Jihad style yipping yell and chasing them off. :) it was VERY entertaining... :)
how do you get hate mail from telling people your secret to staying thin? i think its a good idea.
honestly i dont eat that much as it is - portion control isnt an issue - mine is im lazy.
anyway as to religion i never understood the point of going to a place to worship God. I have ALWAYS been this way. I went to church with my mommom because it was fun... she made it fun and the pastor told good and funny stories. I miss him. He was a good storyteller. I guess the religious would call them fables or whats the word... um a story where you learn something from it... it has a double meaning....crap oh well. At any rate I determined as I got older religion or worship was a personal thing and I did not need to gather with other people to share.
Ilanna...I'll be your sister in a snap! Or your sistah!!
I would have loved to have seen the jehova witness incident. They make me crazy...I run to the door dripping wet in a towel to find 3 people who want to talk about religion with me.
I want to find out where they live and when they shower and do the same to them.
Anyhow, I used to think religion was fine, just not for me. And I still think that way providing the religion doesn't condone or require people to hate and destroy their neighbors on this globe.
I'm talking about the fanatics in *any* religion who are only using it as an excuse to play out their own agenda or who are delusional enough to believe that only *their* form of religion is right and true and no other religions count one iota.
Frankly I am sick of the bombs and destruction and crying women and frightened children I see on tv everyday. It's heartbreaking.
Jackie - maybe I'd be a different person today if I went to your church. My church never gave me a good feeling nor did I learn "how to be a good person" there...my mother taught me all that important stuff.
Yes, why do you have to drive to a building to get holy and in touch with your spiritual side? I feel most spiritual when I'm outdoors watching a spider spin a web or a blackbird fly high in the sky.
And this spirituality never makes me want to kill anyone. (Not even the spider and I hate those suckers.)
i just wonder when fanatics (or if) will ever wake up and realize that their organized religion is run by people looking to control them and religion is that control.
That's why for years all catholic dogma was written in latin, so the common masses couldn't read it and/or argue with it. And it is why you get so many corrupt religious figures, b/c they get into it to control.
Fanatacism in my mind is a lack of thought. People too lazy to think and decide for themselves, or people who are evil (and evil can't create afterall) and utilize the peices that are there to get their own ends.
No religion is right. no religion is wrong. There is no proof of ANY religion. That's the point. It isn't about proof it's about belief, and you are right - the intolerance of variety in this world is depressing. Some places it is expected, but to find it in a country (ours) that was FOUNDED by people seeking religious freedom is a sad and depressing thing...
But Sistah!!! :) Join me and we'll form our own non-religion. (the same way in college I helped form Nu Omicron Tau - the co-ed service fraternity. Abbreviated it was NOT) :)
p.s. I like spiders - but only behind glass and from a distance.. if there's any chance they are gonna crawl on me - they aren't alowed in my space :) but i agree about the outdoors thing.. :)
my mom and dad and mommom taught me right from wrong also.
the church was awesome until my pastor decided to leave and then it was replaced by the southern baptist type. the whole brimstone and fire and telling me what to do or im going to burn in hell kind of guy-
i like stories. i like analogies. i like teachers in general. i like learning. that is what my pastor was - when he left and was replaced by someone telling me that gays were going to burn in hell because they were abominations. i decided it was time to stop going to church.
i had learned enough at the point.
I'll join NOT...I'll join NOW but I won't join NOT NOW.;-0
Well of course I agree with all that you say except the spiders. I don't even like them when they're under glass. I don't like things that have more than 4 legs. 4 legs is it for me...I even like some 2 legged creatures!
Jackie...My dear friend who is gay and a bible scholar says that the only thing the bible says about homosexuality is that married men should not cheat on their wives with other men.
I know many gay people who still follow their religions even though their religion isn't too fond of them. This I don't understand. I also don't understand why any pastor, priest, rabbi etc. would ever decide to hate a whole group of people when religion is supposed to be about love. (Actually I agree with Ilanna it really is about control.)
S.O. -- "to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another" now those are the words of a church I'd go to.
UU?
We need to be idealistic -- otherwise we can just strap on our bombs and wait till we're ordered to blow somebody up. (figuratively and literally)
mb- universal unitarianism i believe is what UU stands for.
my church in and of itself was great until my pastor left. it was when this new guy came in that i decided to leave.
my pastor taught love and peace never even mentioned homosexuality he could care less. my pastor was not there to save me. he was there to guide me. there is a huge difference. he was a big help when my mommom passed away and is really the only "grown-up" i felt i could talk to about my issues. everyone else would tell me i was just a stupid kid and didnt care about my problems. but my pastor cared and wanted to help out anyway he could and i really miss that. He just preached the word of the bible but also told stories that related to real life. He was not fanatical at all. I lost a great friend when he moved away. He understood my feelings on God and understood I hated sitting still for an hour -
About 2 years before he left he started doing 800 services on Sunday (way early but so worth it) there were about 20 people who showed up and it was VERY informal. And it was held in the gym and a couple of times when the weather allowed it was outside. Much better for me. Like I said he was great. I have not found another pastor like him.
So therefore I dont go to church I choose to worship in my own way and I pull my beliefs from lots of different places.
Sorry i have been leaving long comments. :)
Well, I honestly do not believe it is about religion anymore. I bet if you asked most people in the conflict, they would really have no clue as to what they are fighting over.
Religion is used as an excuse to attempt to validate the hate / crimes / violence.
But it always comes down to a few people who want more money / territory / power that are really driving the masses forward.
Anyway... those are my thoughts.
(BTW: Hope you are having a good summer, MB. I am still in summer travelling / moving / etc... mode. Sorry for the lack of blog visiting!).
Take care.
♥
Steve
Hey Jackie..I welcome your throughtful comments and don't give a fig how long they are...I like the idea of pulling one's beliefs from many different places as that's exactly what I do.
It's blazing hot up here...the AC doesn't do well in upstairs of capes...ergo my quick response.
Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So nice to hear from you whenever you can stop by it's a treat.
You express the same thoughts as my husband who says the top guys telling people to blow themselves up or fight the fight are not doing either -- they are raking in the cash, acquiring the land, making themselves more powerful by each death or act of destruction.
Gotta get out of this room it's way too hot up here!!!!
The conflict in the Middle East isn't about religion. It's about territory - and power. Sure, religion plays a significant role as a method of mobilizing public support, but it's not the root cause of the conflict.
Irina...what is the root problem? Do you have any hope that the killing will ever stop?
The root problem is territory... And to be honest, I'm not optimistic about the killing stopping. They do have periods of relative quiet, though.
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