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| Almost every religion associates itself with a god, a higher being that must
be imagined, never seen. Growing up as a Catholic, I was taught to be good out of fear from the
wrath of some god that apparently was omniscient and omnipresent and would send you to hell if
you were "Bad".
I was told in Honduras that I was going to hell because I didn't believe what the evangelicals believed. I realized that people believe in their god to save and protect them and they almost depend on this god to live their lives. Wars are fought in the name of these gods and to me and my brother, Ryan, with whom I talked about this, it's about whose imaginary friend is better. Since religions compare each other, religion has essentially bred disrespect for a person based solely on what they believe in. Where is the good in that? A good religion to me is one that may not go out of its way to believe in other religions, but is aware of them and treats them with respect. In my 27 years experience, I am beginning to believe that doing good always feels good and I know that doing to others as I would want them to do to me is the way I want to live. It is not always so clear cut, but for the most part, Religion or none, a good person is molded by good people teaching you right and wrong. Religion has caused wars, not peace. Religion can cause one to believe in a god and not oneself, which then causes one to depend on a god and not oneself. If we all lived in this world with a passion of our own and not that of jesus christ or allah or whomever, we would better off in some ways. | |
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My god is wildness. It is the bubble netting (1) by whales; it is the black bear in the distant field;
it is the ebb and flow of the forests and its fires, it is the wonderfully tasting salmon berry growing
wild from the vine; it is the amazing beauty of the dense, wet firs and spruce that I biked by in the
pouring rain the other day. These things can be seen and appreciated and leaves me in awe, but maybe not
for long. My god may become imaginary too, and all that will be left will depend on one's imagination
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(1) bubble netting is an amazing cooperation by whales for feeding. Three or four of them get together and school their prey together and then all at once, go in together. |
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Disclaimer: My views and opinions stated in my Deep Thoughts section are my own and you may not agree with them.
I hope you do not take offense as I am just throwing out what I've been thinking about. This is my disclaimer that we will remain
friends despite differing views we might have. Who knows, as time goes on and I grow wiser, my views may change, maybe even after talking with you!