Thoughts on Religion
Disclaimer: The following is a frank and open discourse about my religious beliefs. Some of what I say may offend those who value religious or spiritual ideals. Logical commentary and debate is welcome, but flaming is strictly prohibited. Quite simply, if you can’t tolerate religious criticism, don’t read this article.
Religion is supposedly one of the most defining attributes a person may possess. In fact, if you ask any random person what is the most important aspect of his or her life, or what is most ingrained in his or her personality, most will undoubtedly say it is religion. It is a simple truth that the vast majority of the world believes in divinity and all its associated precepts (i.e. an afterlife, a universal morality, etc.).
There is any number of reasons for this. As a student of psychology and a secular humanist, I believe it lies in stress reduction. That is to say, to believe in an omnipotent agency watching over you helps ease the worries of everyday life. One must simply have faith in their particular divinity, hold to its predefined ethical code, and it will protect and aid you. There can be no doubt that this is an enticing proposition.
Naturally, however, the appeal doesn’t stop there. What if, by holding to religion, you never had to die? Therein we discover the other great lure of religion, namely a belief in the afterlife. After all, everything is within the power of a being that is omnipotent. When one dies, one’s spirit merely ascends to the higher plane on which God dwells, to live there for all eternity in complete bliss.
Therefore, a religious person has the patronage of his or her divine agency, which affords both daily protection and spiritual immortality. As the infomercials say, “But wait! There’s more!” What if, by joining a religion, all of the people you have ever hated get tortured for all eternity? That cheating girlfriend, the guy who vandalized your house, even the man who tried to tell you that your religion was bologna… everyone who’s ever wronged or hurt you gets to burn for all of time once they die. Now, who can beat that? Protection, immortality, and revenge to boot. He who laughs last, huh?
And all it will cost you is your reason. Embrace divinity, hold to the tenets of its religion, never question its teachings and you too can join the ignorant masses. Never mind that nobody can prove that God or an afterlife exist. Never mind that nature, despite God’s best efforts, fails to adhere to any moral standard. Just throw out your questioning ways and “have faith.”
Okay, I think I’ve made my point. I once heard someone summarize the debate quite eloquently. Religion, he said, is based on faith. Science is based on doubt. To be religious, you must trust quite blindly that the truths of your religion are just that. To be anything else is to be scientific, because it must entail doubt. I believe it’s quite obvious where I fall, which is why religion in any form has never suited me.
To a certain degree, I recognize the benefits religion can have, both for the individual and for society. If a religious man is alone with his troubles, he always has God to turn to. A scientific man cannot say the same. It is true that science offers few answers and even fewer consolations. Instead of being creatures made in God’s image, science says that man descended from primates. Instead of living in a just world where the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished, science says that the reverse is more often the case. To a man of science, the world is a dark place devoid of the high ideals that make religion so appealing.
So what does a scientific man say to this? The truth is sometimes difficult to bear, but it’s still better than a lie. The scientific man will die without a word about living on after his body has given out. He will march into that oblivion without blinking or deluding himself. He will stoically bear the harsh realities of the world knowing that nature is ultimately indiscriminant in its brutality. He will pity those who offer him criticism on the basis of religion, knowing that they must censor reasonable doubt from their every waking thought. And he will do this all because he values truth above all else.
I am proud to say that I am a man of science. I will pursue truth despite a world that has gone mad with religious dogma. I will adopt a religion if and only if I receive irrefutable proof that it is the truth, and not until then. Above all else, I will never abandon my reason, for reason is the only faculty that can discern truth, and only the truth will set you free.