Divindades indianas. Obra de Carlos Julião. Índia portuguesa, século XVIII.
Religion: Friend or Foe?
By Stephen Reedy
I was a child when my dad said, “No more church.” He was rightfully disgusted at the absolute hypocrisy of road-rage in the parking lot demonstrated by the same people who, minutes earlier, partook in the holy tradition of shaking hands with neighbors and sharing the peace. He had a point. The mad rush to exit the crammed parking lot was a savage display of angry, selfish people screaming cuss words and murderous wishes at each other. What monsters! Yet, these were seekers who went out of their way to attend a place that teaches them to be better people, which was admirable… Or was it?
I wondered if maybe their religious dedication taught them nothing, making them empty parrots of virtuous words they refused to understand. If so, then church was a waste of time. Or maybe they are self-aware work-in-progress seekers, hungry for guidance on how to stop being imperfect. If so, then they deserved high respect, because we are all silly monkeys trying to do better. This presents a great paradox: are the gigantic tribes of the world’s religions helping people grow or are they enabling folks to be mean? These systems have been the cause of oppression, war, and hellish genocide, yet they have also saved countless lives over the ages via guidance and community...
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I wondered if maybe their religious dedication taught them nothing, making them empty parrots of virtuous words they refused to understand. If so, then church was a waste of time. Or maybe they are self-aware work-in-progress seekers, hungry for guidance on how to stop being imperfect. If so, then they deserved high respect, because we are all silly monkeys trying to do better. This presents a great paradox: are the gigantic tribes of the world’s religions helping people grow or are they enabling folks to be mean? These systems have been the cause of oppression, war, and hellish genocide, yet they have also saved countless lives over the ages via guidance and community...
Subscribe to the New PRS Journal to read on...
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