People come and go to talk about the religion they belong to, to express their beliefs, values and comment about some rites. As much as I find Religious Studies fascinating and I have studied religions at University, I see them through the same lens I use when studying the ancient Egypt Gods and the ancient Greek mythology. They teach me a lot about humanity, about culture, but I am not too sure that they teach me anything about God.
However, despite my total scepticism and ambivalence towards established religions, I still feel a kind of faith, I still believe that there is more to life that the pure materiality of this table or of Bill Gates’ bank account. I am part of these people who claim they are ‘spiritual but not religious’.
…Is Religion all about morality?…
Tenants of organised religions would argue to such free thinkers as myself, that there is no morality without religion. Religion provides society with a code of conduct, a set of behaviours. Hence it helps society to function in an orderly fashion. However, they are wrong, for it is perfectly possible to live a perfectly moral life without any religion. This is what philosophy and particularly ethics is all about.
Furthermore in modern societies, morality has evolved. Religious moral has become fairly disassociated from social evolutions. Some may argue that this is a sign of how decadent we have all become. Personally, I would argue that it is immoral to force a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy, immoral to forbid women from priesthood, immoral to discriminate against gays.
…Should religion have an impact on the law of the land?
I appreciate that all religious teaching have a very constructive part. That they can embody some of our most beautiful values as a species: love, compassion, respect, humility, charity, etc. However, people who present themselves as religious often go well beyond the call of personal development. Missionary activities are paramount to all religions. In modern societies, the main goal still seems to be impacting on the law of the land.13,000 letters opposig gay marriage have been read in British Catholic churches. It also takes the form of political militantism as, for instance, very violent anti-abortion actions in the US show.
The most extreme form of religion having too much of an impact on the whole of societies conduct and laws, is found through theocraties. At that stage, it is clear that religion is no longer a tool for personal growth but has become an oppressive prison. This is why a true spiritualist will also be a secularist.
…Too many gods, too many religions?
For the sceptic, there is another problem. If there really is one or some transcendental forces, how could all religions be true at the same time and how could the rational mind know which religion is the one? Or is it that none of them is? The truth would be forever unreachable.
However, it would also be pretty reasonable to assume that each religion would have stemmed from a particular cultural heritage and would give some insights into the spiritual Truth. Therefore, trying to build bridges between beliefs, finding what may be of interest in the others, but also being ready to challenge ones beliefs, may be a path towards unity and truth. In that respect, syncretism which is the way people pick and mix religious beliefs is usually negatively seen whereas oecumenism has been positively received.
Nowadays, our earth has been dubbed the global village because economy and politics have gone international. Some people fear globalisation and seek new ways of belonging to smaller communities. To those, strict religious boundaries may feel like a protection. Others embrace this new era and try to develop a globalised spiritual understanding and a globalised faith. This can be done through the resurgence of pagan beliefs. (to be followed)
Morality is an interesting starting point. Humans have, I believe, an inherent shared morality. Whatever you may come to glean from a religion later, I believe we innately know murder is wrong, stealing is wrong, harming others generally is wrong. Every religious "tradition" teaches a variant of the Golden Rule. Religious morality builds on those tenets and adds a semi mystical way of organizing the chaos. Whether one believes in spirits, gods or gremlins in the end there needs to be a leap of faith. Reason cannot conquer this world, because the building blocks that make up belief proceed from one to another by faith--the belief in things we cannot know, and belief in forces we cannot see. When this collides with politics in policy arguments, there is no common ground nor area of overlap. And because different people have differing religious paths, it's imperative to keep that OUTSIDE the realm of politics. Where religious views have the sanction of law, politics degenerates, and the society as a whole suffers.
ReplyDeleteVery well put BioMax Dan
ReplyDelete