Religion ≠ Ignorance

For the longest time, I really wasn't into religion. I felt it had a lot of things wrong with it. I was under the impression that it bred ignorance, hindered education and much more. My feelings were also well reinforced, through the general public. But, young and ignorant... what does my opinion mean? Nothing.

This plunged me into an ebullient study of religions, and their effect on people.


Disclaimer:
I'm not putting down religions with my statements; I’m just pointing out the ignorant, intolerant people that hide behind their religion to justify their actions. I am also not speaking for everyone, nor do I intend to offend anyone.


Thoughts:
In my studies I have come to my own conclusions regarding people and the misunderstanding/misuse of their religion. For example, the inflated egos' of the fundamentalists really paint a bad picture for those undecided on religion. Me and a friend were discussing how a serial killer in prison can "find god" and be "born again", and all is forgiven. Yet some "Christians" look down upon atheists, agnostics, or people of another faith, who are potentially incredibly good-hearted people. The same applies to other religions looking down on Christianity as well. Even some atheists look down on people of faith.


My Personal Opinion:
I think that learning the bible from a devotional standpoint in church, is just as important as learning it from a historical standpoint in a classroom. If you blindly follow the bible, you will naturally feel the urge to defend it, close your mind, and take any information that you don't agree with, as a threat to the bible and your beliefs. But, if you take the information and analyze it, logically dissect it, and derive its meaning after referencing it with other materials, then you will see it from a different point of view. As Bart D. Ehrman says in his book "Jesus, Interrupted", the bible is a very human book. "In thinking about which parts of the bible have something to say in modern context, it is important to recall the historical view that the biblical authors were all living in a different world from ours and reflected the assumptions and beliefs of people in their world." ("Jesus, Interrupted", 280). This is extremely relevant, because I believe the bible is to be taken with a grain of salt. From what you have read so far, it may seem like I’m really laying into the bible, and dismissing it as an inaccurate account of events, but there are many things that I do like about the bible. For one, the Ten Commandments are an excellent account of the basic morals to follow in life. Also, many of the stories of the Old Testament are an excellent resource to teach children basic morals that will greatly help them to develop into a well rounded, respectable adult. The problem lies with the people that will not open their mind, and come to new conclusions once they are old enough to start formulating their own ideas and have the capacity to intelligently contribute to pressing matters.


Islam:
I can’t say I am heavily educated on the subject of Islam, but there is something I have learned in my studies that I believe a lot of people should know. Since the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers by the Islamist group Al-Qaeda, there has been a massive uprising of intolerance and acts of hate towards American Muslims. All the hate is misguided to the general Muslim population, but in truth, what people should be oppressing is “Islamism”. Islamism is the political system based on the Quran. This system is frequently taken to the extreme and turns hostile, causing (in Al-Qaeda’s case) a global Jihad (holy war) in an attempt to restore the “Caliphate” (the first form of Islamic Government). Personally, I think that the average Muslim is against an Islamic government, considering the seemingly inevitable militarization of the nation, which seems to go hand in hand with the political system (or the direction is has leaned towards in the past).


Conclusion:
I think we have a lot to learn from religion, and we should attack it from many different positions. If you are passionate about your belief, challenge it. Study it, attack its weaknesses, and accentuate its strengths. Get a thorough understanding of it, and understand that it’s not 100% accurate or correct. Cases in point, (Christianity) the original scriptures have been translated from Greek, to every other language over the years and there are an abundance of mistakes in translation and personal bias written into the bible. I fully and wholeheartedly recommend everyone to study their religion and open their mind to all views from people from all walks of life. Learning more about religion has really opened my mind, and it’s been an extremely enjoyable experience!

PLEASE COMMENT! TELL ME YOUR FEELINGS, AND BELIEFS!


I will continue studying, and have follow up posts to this one so keep checking back!