Okay, so here is my first try at saying something of actual meaning in a note. I wrote this for my weekly journal in my English class and I thought it might also be interesting to post. It is a bit long so I understand if no one reads it. But it was on my mind last week and I needed a way to express myself. So like many who proceeded me, I decided to write (well type) what was on my mind. Here is the result.I would like to take this opportunity to express some thoughts that have been causing some cognitive discords for me. I have wanted to speak out in class to add to some of our discussions; however, I am terribly ill-suited for arguing politics and religion without time to reflect upon what is said and where I stand in my beliefs. Additionally, I feel as though I am unqualified to express my political beliefs because they are not, as of yet, concrete, and because I am thoroughly inexperienced and ill-read in such topics. Therefore, my feelings towards politics are somewhat aloof and apathetic. Not that I am belittling the importance of politics in my life or in the life of society as a whole, for indeed politics and the decisions made as a result of them are extremely important.
However, I am a bit more passionate and well-equipped to discuss religion. My religion and corresponding belief system is a very important part of who I am as an individual. When people group all religion into one large unit of radical, antiquated fanaticism, I must admit that I am a more than a bit perturbed. I am by no means radical, irrational, or close-minded. Furthermore, the argument that religion is a destructive societal force that should be replaced by personal spiritualism alone also bothers me.
There is truth that religious differences have created catastrophic loss of life and intellectual freedom. I am not here to defend the crusades, the Inquisitions, or the jihads; however, I believe that some “intellectuals” like to remember only these occurrences. They forget that, even though religion is supposed to be above earthly quarrels, humans will always be humans. Humans generally fear the unknown and those who are different. True, suspicion is a learned trait; it is a trait that has been learned since the time of the caveman as a survival technique. Additionally, humans are competitive by nature. They want the right to hold the absolute truth in this world, whether it be religious truth, political truth, or societal truth. Therefore, wars and arguments have been fought over more things than just religion.
Nevertheless, opponents to religion seem to forget that the philosophies that they learn and the histories that they study are a direct result of religion. When the Roman Empire fell, who saved copies of histories and classical plays? When the barbarian clans came to rape, plunder, and pillage towns, to what did the people turn? When the oldest and most prodigious universities were erected, what funded and encouraged their growth. The answer: the Church, monasteries, temples, and mosques. Yes, during the Dark Ages of our histories, religion kept society in its delicate balance and out of total chaos. Therefore, religion was necessary in developing our society today.
However, in today’s society as in past societies, there exist extremist factions. Religious extremism is dangerous. Teaching children to hate others because of their beliefs is equally as wrong and contradictory to the true teaching of the religion they are trying to instill. However, just because there is a small, yet vocal, minority that teaches religious extremism, the world should not stop teaching all religion to its children.
Religion is what gives a person his or her morals. A person can attempt to claim that his or her moral code has not been affected by religion. If that is the case, then that person must be truly ignorant. Every moral code on this earth has in some way or another been shaped by a religious belief, whether it be Judeo-Christian, Islam, Hindi, Buddhist, monotheistic, or polytheistic. That person might claim that he or she follows a philosopher’s moral code rather than a religious code. But guess what? That philosopher had to create his moral code from some other belief. Unless that philosopher was born and raised in a vacuum without any human contact, he or she was affected by some sort of religious belief.
Additionally, children are unable to choose what to believe until they are older. I, personally, have a problem with children having a spiritually unguided childhood. Others may disagree with me. They might say that this is what needs to happen in order for a child to develop a completely unbiased decision about what religion to follow. To me, this approach seems rather cold. Once again it brings up the argument about learning morals and respect. A person’s beliefs form a very large part of who he or she is as a person. Beliefs affect how a person acts, thinks, walks, and talks. I feel that if we do not provide at least a basis of a belief system for our children, we are doing them a huge disservice in the future. I am perfectly fine, if a child would like to learn about different religions and eventually converts to a religion that is different than his or her original. That is a personal choice.
Additionally, sometimes I think we see ourselves too much as an island unto ourselves. We, personally, always know what is best for us as individuals. No one can tell us what is right and wrong, or how to act and how not to act. How dare someone else tell us what we are doing is immoral? How dare someone disagree with us? How dare someone try to judge us? That last question is a paradox. We as people are told not to judge or stereotype, but we do anyway. Even when we try not to judge, we still judge our neighbors. Why? Because we are human, we have opinions, and we just can’t help ourselves. Therefore, we need help from others. Religion can help guide people to form decisions.
Furthermore, many people believe that if a person follows a religion, he or she is not allowed to question authority. That statement is false. Having a religion does not mean you cannot question your beliefs. I cannot speak for all creeds, but I can speak from the understanding of mine. Questioning leads to knowledge and stronger faith. It necessitates a person to look beyond the obvious and find fuller truth and understanding. Sometimes questioning also humbles us if we cannot find the answers to our questions.
At that point when logic fails, faith comes into effect. Some people might criticize me for bringing up faith. They say that it is not logical, not scientific enough for today’s “advanced” society. For this argument, I must agree with them. Religion and faith is not scientific. Science is based on observation and experimentation. One can experience faith, but it is impossible to create a repeatable scientific test to prove faith’s legitimacy. But then again, that is was faith essentially is: belief without knowledge.
I know and understand that these are very difficult concepts to grasp, especially for this generation that is used to instant results. I grapple with these things every day. I question and doubt every day. Yet still, I hold on to my religion, despite its less celebrated accomplishments. I am human and I err. Religion, while divinely inspired, is a human institution, and therefore, is apt to make some mistakes. Government is also a human institution that makes mistakes and causes wars. In spite of that fact, most people do not promote anarchism. Therefore, I pose the question of why does society tend to pick on religion. I am still waiting for such “intellectual” minds to give me a “logical” answer.
