As a spiritualist, I often find my hackle rising whilst working out in the everyday world of atheists and cynics. While working in my second job as a barman, just a few days ago, I overheard a conversation between three of the regulars who had been deep in discussion about the ever looming issue of terrorism and religious fundamentalism. Naturally I was eager to hear what they had to say on the matter, having an interest in what motivates people to act as they do, and so I stopped what I was doing to participate in the discussion. I soon wished I hadn't...
"Religion is causing all of the problems in the world!" stated one man who I'll refer to as 'Bill'. I found this proclamation more than rousing for the argumentative facet of my being, and so took up the banner in defense of Faith in general.
"Well, Religion isn't really, is it? People are the cause of the problems, the conflict etc. Religion is merely the scapegoat for all of humanity's wrongdoing, the most convenient excuse that we as a species has adopted to justify the barbarism we perpetrate against one another". Of course, when conversing with middle-aged drunken workmen who know nothing beyond the confines of their work-a-day life, a rational response is not sufficient to sway their opinions in one's favour. and so patron no. 2, who I'll name 'Charlie', chimed in, "It's religion's fault that people do mad things like blow themselves up! If they hadn't been brainwashed by religion into thinking they'll go to heaven for killing people, then it wouldn't happen. Religion is evil, that's what I think!"
Wow... I am powerless to resist your truly flawless logic, sir; for Religion is suddenly a sentient 'thing' capable of brainwashing the masses into doing its bidding. "No," I replied, "People are evil. Religion is simply a means by which greedy, power hungry, murderous megalomaniacs appeal to the minds of those who share their wickedness. Such people who are susceptible to this kind of manipulation are only drawn to religion because they recognise their wickedness and hatred and wish to purge themselves of it but are unable to do so due to their own weak Will." Again, reason failed to breach the walls of human ignorance, and so I was met with this rebuttal...
"No, seriously, what kind of person believes that if they blow themselves up then they'll go to a magical place in the sky where they'll have ninety-six virgins waiting for them? It's stupid!" said Bill haughtily. My veins were starting to run hot with frustration at their lack of deep thought on the matter, but I kept my poker face and replied, "Firstly, heaven is not believed to be a physical place in the sky, but rather another dimension or energetic world which exists within every fabric of this world. Secondly its seventy-two virgins, seventy-two being a sacred number adopted from the Hebrew traditions for the seventy-two names of God and its relevance to the mathematics of natural formations; but you would know this if you would actually take the time and effort to educate yourself and research what you criticise so readily."
Now drunk no. 3, John, decided to have his say, "Well, I think we should do away with religion anyway. Science proves religion wrong every day so why do stupid people cling to it?" Can you guess what my response to this was? Suffice to say that 'calm' was a word fading from my vocabulary at this point. "Because religion isn't the same as dogma; people are brainwashed by manipulating the dogmatic teachings of a religion, but most ignore the dogma and focus on the faith aspect which is the important part. Furthermore, science, at its cutting-edge point at the frontier of quantum physics, and also in astral physics is actually serving to corroborate much of what is written about in the Abrahamic texts. Besides, if we simply do away with religion then humanity will find another excuse to destroy each other, be it land disputes, fighting for non-renewable resources, or the same dogmatic, narrow-minded, hate-fueled ignorance but centered around race or sexuality or political stance etc. Religion solves just as many problems as it 'creates', so disposing of it won't fix anything."
Now the true heart of the issue emerged, the propensity of people to blame all aspects of religion because they personally don't agree with it in general. Bill piped up, "Well I'm an atheist, so I don't have that problem." This gave me all the ammunition I needed to launch my counter attack in defense of faith. "Ah Atheism, the most dangerous religion on the planet, that one." The three looked at me, puzzled, so I elaborated. "Religion, though it has been twisted into a system of socio-political control, provides a moral framework for a majority of people. Studies have already demonstrated that those who ascribe to a set faith have higher IQs than self proclaimed atheists, and that materialistic atheism, i.e. a general lack of belief in a supreme primordial creating consciousness or anything beyond the confines of what can be empirically demonstrated through experimentation, is in fact a form of mental illness, exhibiting the same neuro-chemical markers as the likes of schizophrenia! Religion sets rules, which are based on the social climate of the time and the area in which they are formed, which is why they started out primitive and backwards, but have subsequently evolved and modernised. They teach people to respect themselves and others, to do no harm and to care for the world, to refrain from selfish thoughts and actions, to refrain from lifestyles and practices which are detrimental to mental or physical well being, and they give people something to strive for, something to care about and some hope for the future, even in the face of their own mortality; what does atheism preach? It preaches that there is no creator, there is no design in the universe, there is nothing before or after death, that everything in existence is accidental, everything is meaningless, life has no purpose, and ultimately that because there is nothing after death, we need not fear judgement for our wrongdoing. It strips mankind of its sovereignty, its purpose, its compassion and its accountability. It permits the individual to pursue a life of material gain at any cost, even to the environment or human life, to do as they please with absolute impunity, because 'why bother sticking to the rules? Might as well live life while you can regardless of the consequences!' That is more destructive than any religious dogma I can think of, lacking all reason or real contemplative value, and responsible for more wars than those perpetrated in the name of any God."
I hit a nerve, having inadvertently (or rather intentionally) calling the men not only stupid, but also psychotic. The response was expected and typically focused on only one of the many points conveyed. "Religious people aren't smarter! Even if you're not a Muslim, Christians have to stupid to believe that Jesus went to heaven on a winged white horse! Nothing in history has ever even existed like that, winged white horses never have! So it's all rubbish!" Not only did Charlie unknowingly imply that any winged horse that wasn't white could have existed, he also completely missed the key point in any theological discussion regarding scripture; the stories are not to be taken literally! I made this point transparent. "Has it ever crossed your mind that the winged white horse might actually be symbolic? That the story could be an allegory for something much more profound yet credible, happening in the individual's mind? Even if Jesus wasn't an real person in history, though archaeological evidence suggests that he was, he is still a character formed to represent the 'Universal Man', that is to say, a character whom any ordinary person can try to relate to. His journey and teachings are to guide people in a certain way of living to achieve a state of happiness and oneness with everything in the universe, and so the winged white horse is used to represent the ascent of the physical man to a state of transcendence through a change in thought process and lifestyle. Even the crucifixion is used to teach sacrifice for the betterment of others, to submit yourself to hardship in order to fully take responsibility for your actions and your own life. If you actually thought about what you are saying the you might understand this and not say such things." John seemed to agree with this way of thinking, Billy seemed contemplative on the subject, but Charlie was unwavering in his admonishment of religion and spirituality in general, stating that it obviously doesn't work or else people wouldn't be killing each other in the name of God. Having come full circle I felt unable to muster the Will to bash my head against the proverbial brick wall any longer, and resigned myself to going about my duties on the bar. A similar discussion played out just last night, albeit considerably shorter, with no frustration and a more constructive outcome, after a young american joked that he had been raised a Catholic until he was old enough to actually think for himself. We parted on good terms having reached an agreement that people just need to look deeper into anything and everything they are told rather than taking it at face value, and we laughed about the fossilised specimens of intellectual Darwinism with whom I had conversed previously.
It seems that no matter how hard we try to spread knowledge, how strongly we stand against the tide of ignorance in western society, or how aptly we convey reason to the unenlightened multitudes, we will always be met with disdain, ridicule, adversity, and people who simply don't know and refuse to learn. Do not follow my example; keep cool, collected and keep the flame of compassion burning in your hearts. Do not allow yourselves to be troubled by other people's lack of understanding, or lose your temper when others lose theirs. We are not put on this Earth to make everyone understand or accept us or our views, and we were not put here to care about what they think. I hope this give some people the stockpile of responses necessary to combat opposition from others, and perhaps it can help some people find a way to deal with talking about their faith openly to family or friends by whom they may feel judged. Whatever you gain from this discourse, I hope it helps. Have a good day or night, wherever you are in the world, and may your Gods be with you.
Enki Endymion. O(
No comments:
Post a Comment