In the Name of GOD!
"Religion” is defined by Merriam Webster, inter alia, as
“(1): the service and worship of God or the supernatural
(2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.”
In the 21st Century it is this second definition that continues to plague our species. Over the past few thousand years humans have fabricated all manner of organizations that promulgate “rules” and “laws” to further define the meaning of “religious faith or observance” and those rules and laws require either action or inaction by the observant. In the case of the religion I grew up observing, some of those rules involve things such as believing that a human woman was impregnated by “God,” that she was intrinsically different from EVERY other human being ever born (Immaculate Conception) AND that she was physically transported to “Heaven” (the “Assumption”). Indeed, one cannot be a member “in good standing” of that religion if one does not believe these things. I have not been a member in good standing for decades at this point, largely because of that particular religion’s insistence that its Ecumenical leader can speak “infallibly” on matters of faith and morals - I am convinced he most certainly cannot.
While my personal journey may be of interest to some, in this column I want to discuss the true evils of religion. I’ll start with “Christians.” In the religion of my youth, the wondrous human events known as the “Crusades” were done in the name of God. The same is true of the Spanish Inquisition. While “Christianity” was an outgrowth of Judaism, particularly in its earliest incarnations (see what I did there), over time it diverged significantly. Some, but certainly not a majority, of “Christian” denominations have resisted this divergence. Most notably, denominations that constitute the Eastern Orthodox Church. By and large those denominations have remained true to the beliefs of Christianity as they existed in the 10th century. Every other Christian denomination has instead turned to that most Western of intellectual processes, logic, as a way to tame and twist “faith” to satisfy earthly desires and views. Indeed, the first major schism in Christianity involved a dispute involving the use of logic to develop articles of faith. The Bishop of Rome took a position that the “Holy Spirit” had been sent into the world by the “Father” AND the “Son” while Bishops in the Eastern Church weren’t willing to simply accept that view as Gospel (I couldn’t help myself). It was during this debate over the “Filioque” that the Bishop of Rome asserted himself not merely as a first among equals, but as the Top Dog, Vicar of Christ, heir to the “throne” of Peter, BAMF and, of course, infallible. The Eastern Bishops didn’t see things that way and, today, it is the Metropolitan of Constantinople who serves as the Ecumenical head of Eastern Orthodoxy.
The Roman Church nonetheless maintained a strong grip and control over much of the Western World’s civil institutions until someone pissed off Martin Luther and things have only gone downhill from that time. One thing the ideological Christian breakup did was cement in place certain foundational beliefs largely held throughout Western Christianity. Despite the ostensible warning of Jesus of Nazareth to “judge not, lest you be judged” Western Christians LOVE to judge. Beyond that, they LOVE to punish. From burning Jews and Witches at the stake to all manner of tools used for the original “conversion therapy” (some of my maternal ancestors were “conversos”) Western Christians will try to save you, even if it kills you. Despite the limited facts we know about Jesus of Nazareth, “convert or die” seems to be a concept we can rule out as one he held.
Another “Abrahamic” religion is Islam. Like the other Abrahamic religions, Islam has a holy scripture. As the youngest of the Abrahamic religions Islam’s scripture is also the youngest, at least in written form. Very much like the other two, Islam proscribes a number of things including homosexual acts. Judaism, the oldest of the Abrahamic religions, proscribes a specific homosexual act which many Christians have somehow extrapolated to ALL homosexual acts. The role of women according to each of these religions is also highly defined. In at least two of these religions it is scripturally acceptable to kill women for a variety of reasons. Two of these religions also seek converts to this day. Indeed, the prevalence of Spanish and Portuguese surnames in the Americas is directly the result of efforts to convert the indigenous populations of the Americas to Christianity by any means necessary. When various adherents of Islam sought to expand their faith into the Indian subcontinent they did so by militarily invading. Their efforts eventually lead to the formation of the nations of Pakistan and modern India.
While this column is not intended to be a survey of World religions it is meant to point out the connection between major religions and the problems of societies in the 21st century. Whether it is the never-ending conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, the activities of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the wholesale reality of “missionaries” sent out in the ostensible name of Jesus to convert the unwashed masses or Western laws based on “Christian” ethics and moralities the influence of religions on humans today is no less than it was 500 or more years ago.
Religions, in just the past 200 years, have been used to justify the debasing and enslavement of human beings, the physical abuse and murder of women and children, the murder of homosexuals and an almost never-ending willingness of the Western world to kill brown people for the sake of capitalism. Indeed, there is almost nothing religions cannot be used to justify since the ostensible “source” is the author of the Universe “Himself” (though one must wonder exactly why the author of all would ever need male genitalia). Today, we live in a world that is experiencing its greatest trials in “human” history. Shrinking ice caps, a true pandemic, fragmented societies and an increasing willingness to resort to violence are all leading us inexorably down a path to destruction and, in almost every case, the bitter end will be justified by “faith.” God help us ALL!