At least certainly not the popularized ones that are popular in today's culture in America.
Technically speaking I'm agnostic, but probably closer to an atheist than anything.
That does not mean I have no faith. That I believe in Nothing. That I believe that there is no right or wrong.
I believe most deeply in humanity. I believe that our nature is predominantly good, even if we fail at times to achieve it.
That in difficult times, we will bond together to overcome obstacles, whatever they may be.
Yet when I encounter someone who makes it their business to tell me about their religion I tend to be silent. Inside I feel as though their religion is foolish and it would to be there advantage to deal with the realities of the world rather than believe in things that are in so many ways just unbelievable.
However problems arise when religious leaders attempt to sway their followers into despising other religions. It breeds hate and distrust, two things that are extremely destructive in societies.
Recently, Pope Francis announced that "Anyone that does not pray to the Lord, prays to the devil". Meaning that I supposedly am in opposition to Christians and their way of life.
The leader of essentially the wealthiest and most influential religion essentially just said "If you're not with us, you're against us."
This is not the case. I feel that as a whole most atheists could not care less what religion a person practices. That in most cases it's the actions of people outside of religious activities that matter more. If a person is a productive and law abiding citizen, it's of no importance what their religion is.
I understand that many people get their peace of mind through their faith in their religion and there are beneficial values that can be taught by scriptures or priests. In this way I can understand the value of church to some.
Yet today I believe we need less trust in Gods and more in each other. All over I see people make assumptions based on how they dress, their politics, their skin, and obviously their religion. The America I was raised on, the one that I dream that I'll live to see, is one where those things don't matter, that the only important trait one would posses would be that of their character.
I have no problems with the thrust of your argument, rather in the shape of it. To me there is far too much reliance on the actions of others, both positively and negatively.
ReplyDeleteIn point of reference, my being a Penn State football fan is not adversely affected by knowing that a significant portion of fans my age would be hard pressed to be stone cold sober before the team hits the field.