They Are Dying

Don’t leave out all that great church architecture built during the Inquisition, and that moving demonstration of Hindu civic pride at Ayodhya. To a lot of people, religiosity looks awfully close to inseperable from intolerance and sectarianism. It could still be the lesser of two evils, of course. We’ve never tried a world wholely without religion.

As an attempt forestall somewhat against creating too much offence: I wasn’t making a point so much about any one person’s religiosity. Mainly I meant to suggest that a “belief system” catchy enough to get people congregating around it inevitably breeds a number of zealots and aggresive and intolerant evangels, around whom crusades, social calmities etc are bound to coalesce once in a while. Also while Republicans and Democrats can intermarry, as can two people of different religions, I think they have more to overcome to achieve closeness than do people who avow clashing beliefs they hold dear.

How much more to overcome, of course I expect would depend on their individual styles of religiosity. Um, I’m going to go away and await the fatwah now.

While I’m not very religous, I think religion allows for certain good things to happen. Prayer is one. What better way to voice hope amid the despair of death is there? When someone I love is struggling, I say to them I’ll cross my fingers for you, or I’ll pray for you. The bottom line is I will be directing some positive mental energy towards them. Maybe it will culminate into an obvious solution. Maybe it will lead me to act, or speak in a way that leads others to help my friend. Maybe God himself hears me and intervenes. In any case, I meditate on it, pray on it, stay actively aware of it. And I at least feel better that I’m actively wanting a solution - chance, divinity, positive thinking - whatever.

Without religion I think a lot less of this mindfulness would occur.

When I lay dying, I will be comforted knowing someone prays for me. Even though I think that religion is bunk, and we are all a lot less significant than we wish we were. God bless you Mango.

I explored this blog and love what it has to say (at least, what it says to me) - that there is a difference between belief in God and belief in Religion. My eldest daughter is an avowed atheist (with that utterly adorable conviction found so commonly in 22 year olds). I’ve recommended this site to her. Thanks for highlighting it for us all.

There seems to be growing recognition in even some of the most insular faiths that religion can be seen as evolving and reflecting specific cultural and historical contexts (Tom Harpur is probably the most publicized example of this in Christianity, but Irshad Manji’s writings on Islam fall into here as well). This is important because so much depends on building interoperable systems of belief for the future. Some religions accommodate other religions better than others, but any world view that sees humans as springing fully formed from a divine being will unfortunately infuse some believers with the notion that even human life itself can be violated in the name of faith. While this seems to be remarkably handy for building armies that can conquer others, as Oliver points out, it can and has led to tragic consequences. Despite this, the power of belief, especially shared belief, really does seem to be a positive force of its own. Many of the ceremonies from the First Nations are compelling and fully participatory acts of spirituality, and even Murray Gell-Man, Nobel Laureate and the inventor of Quark Theory, has been known to dance in the circles of the Tewa that keep the world in balance.

I have found Tom Harpur very helpful in reconciling my immersion in the Christian experience but my aversion to religion and religiosity in particular

I had the same experience as Rob. I remember spending long days in the peace and quiet of the UPEI Chapel reading Tom Harpur. He was the only Christian writer I could stomach, sharing Rob’s aversion to organized religion and dogma.