Organized Religion
Alex Zakson
March 15, 2006
Religion on an individual basis is very important to both the individual and society. It encourages one to lead a good life, promises rewards for doing good, and punishment for being bad. It gives comfort and hope in difficult times, and promotes humility and sharing in good times. Most importantly, it pledges forgiveness for wrongs, and chance for redemption.
Adoption of a religion may begin with parents, teachers, friends, religious personalities, a personal crises or even individual curiosity. Religion does not require a specific field of education. There is no need to understand its underpinnings, comprehend its reasoning, or critically evaluate its premises. To join, all that is needed is to follow its teachings and believe in its doctrines. In other words, all that is needed is faith.
Religion, as in an established religious organization has a much different character. It is no longer the individual and very personal set of beliefs and mores, but a fixed set of beliefs that must be followed. In most cases the individual is not free to interpret its premises, while the leaders freely interpret the doctrines and impose their understanding and judgments on followers. Adding the leaders? righteous pronouncements that theirs is the only true religion, and their interpretation is the only valid one, the personal character of religion vanishes and the seeds of conflict are sown.
In this context, religion transforms from a personal set of beliefs and practices to groupthink and sectarianism. The individual is denied the option to stray from the dictates of the sect, lest he be pronounced an outcast. In other words, it demands blind faith.
While there are many gradations of organized religion, the groups identified as fundamentalist, regardless of religion, are the most disruptive and even dangerous. They contend that they know what is best for everybody, and too often insist on imposing their views on others. Not persuade, but impose.
I suggest that if a sect opposes sexual activity except to procreate, birth control, abortion, homosexual sex, or stem cell research, it is free to not engage in such activities. If a religious group chooses to deny evolution, believe that the world is flat and that the stars revolve around the earth, let it wallow in its ignorance. If a faction holds that women should not be educated, that they should be covered from view, let it suffer with the consequences of its narrow-minded bigotry. And if a religion contends that its adherents will be the only occupants of paradise (with or without the virgins), it is welcome to look forward to spending eternity with like-minded misguided souls.
But when these groups insist that everyone adhere to their beliefs, and asserts its numeric, economic, or political clout to pass laws that force others to follow their dictates, that is when religion transforms into oppression and its leaders become tyrants. In other words, a good idea morphs into tyranny.
Fundamentalist Christians want to remake America into a Christian Nation; Shiites want to establish a Shiite theocracy in Iraq; and Pakistani Moslems want to transform the country into an Islamic theocracy. Evangelical Christians want the world to turn to Jesus, and Islamists want the world to accept Mohammad as the ultimate prophet of Allah. With all these conflicting goals, it is not surprising that the world is in turmoil.
What I find most fascinating is that Jesus preached tolerance and love, and the name ?Islam? is rooted in the Arabic word for peace. Today?s Fundamentalist Christians are anything but tolerant, and the followers of Islam are hardly peace loving. As I said, the religious leaders of today freely interpret and change religious doctrines to suit their purposes.
God save us from ignorant fanatics.
Adoption of a religion may begin with parents, teachers, friends, religious personalities, a personal crises or even individual curiosity. Religion does not require a specific field of education. There is no need to understand its underpinnings, comprehend its reasoning, or critically evaluate its premises. To join, all that is needed is to follow its teachings and believe in its doctrines. In other words, all that is needed is faith.
Religion, as in an established religious organization has a much different character. It is no longer the individual and very personal set of beliefs and mores, but a fixed set of beliefs that must be followed. In most cases the individual is not free to interpret its premises, while the leaders freely interpret the doctrines and impose their understanding and judgments on followers. Adding the leaders? righteous pronouncements that theirs is the only true religion, and their interpretation is the only valid one, the personal character of religion vanishes and the seeds of conflict are sown.
In this context, religion transforms from a personal set of beliefs and practices to groupthink and sectarianism. The individual is denied the option to stray from the dictates of the sect, lest he be pronounced an outcast. In other words, it demands blind faith.
While there are many gradations of organized religion, the groups identified as fundamentalist, regardless of religion, are the most disruptive and even dangerous. They contend that they know what is best for everybody, and too often insist on imposing their views on others. Not persuade, but impose.
I suggest that if a sect opposes sexual activity except to procreate, birth control, abortion, homosexual sex, or stem cell research, it is free to not engage in such activities. If a religious group chooses to deny evolution, believe that the world is flat and that the stars revolve around the earth, let it wallow in its ignorance. If a faction holds that women should not be educated, that they should be covered from view, let it suffer with the consequences of its narrow-minded bigotry. And if a religion contends that its adherents will be the only occupants of paradise (with or without the virgins), it is welcome to look forward to spending eternity with like-minded misguided souls.
But when these groups insist that everyone adhere to their beliefs, and asserts its numeric, economic, or political clout to pass laws that force others to follow their dictates, that is when religion transforms into oppression and its leaders become tyrants. In other words, a good idea morphs into tyranny.
Fundamentalist Christians want to remake America into a Christian Nation; Shiites want to establish a Shiite theocracy in Iraq; and Pakistani Moslems want to transform the country into an Islamic theocracy. Evangelical Christians want the world to turn to Jesus, and Islamists want the world to accept Mohammad as the ultimate prophet of Allah. With all these conflicting goals, it is not surprising that the world is in turmoil.
What I find most fascinating is that Jesus preached tolerance and love, and the name ?Islam? is rooted in the Arabic word for peace. Today?s Fundamentalist Christians are anything but tolerant, and the followers of Islam are hardly peace loving. As I said, the religious leaders of today freely interpret and change religious doctrines to suit their purposes.
God save us from ignorant fanatics.
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