Rain’s thoughtful and honest post made me think of writing about my journey.
I am one of those who believe in God but don’t accept/trust the religion(s)
I’ve read many books and articles, observed my surroundings and read the holy books, and came to the conclusion that the holy books are almost the same in principle:
1- Be good and do good.
2- Pray and worship God the Almighty.
3- This religion is better than the others, and only through this religion can you reach heaven for sure.
With all due respect to all religions, both holy and human, I found that religions change according to popular opinions of the times we are living in. However, I don’t blame the religions; I blame those who interpret them… And those are human, and humans make mistakes.
To date, women are not allowed to have a religious position; to be an imam or priest is a NO-NO! Why? Religion is a male-dominated industry? Institution? and that is sexist! Should I dwell inside the realm of Gays/Lesbians and religion? I can go on and on about the problems… But I mention this as it’s shared between them all.
Why should I believe and follow the teaching of this imam/priest/rabbi? He may now be famous for his good judgement, teachings and interpretations, but five years down the line, he would be found in an unlawful act or a sex scandal.
The degradation of the religions as of late is unimaginable… Sex scandals in Jewish and Christian faiths, shameless fatwas like breastfeeding foreign adults, Prophet Mohammed’s urine and minor girls’ marriage… What’s next?
In my opinion, we are as far away from religions as could be; the religion we practice is a product of our surroundings and cultures, not spirituality like it was intended, oh, and politics! 1000 burqa women in France are a threat to the rest of its population. Some Christian sects don’t allow priests to marry! There is nothing in the bible that says they shouldn’t. They were banned from marriage due to economic constraints back in the 1100s! Onwards, it was considered canon law. Some Islamic sects allow marriage for a certain amount of time, like a few days or hours.
I see people going in and coming out of mosques and churches, some with serenity and peace all over their faces, and some with discomfort and anger as if they were here to do a job or a mandatory item on their agenda. The latter is so contradicting and hypocritical to me and my thinking.
From what’s already known, religion, by far, is the number 1 cause of death… More humans have died in the name/cause of religion than anything else! Really? Why? Your God is better than his God?
I have several close, educated, intellectual and religious friends, and we trust each other unquestioningly; I respect and accept their religious views and conduct as they respect mine.
You might think, “he says God, though he doesn’t trust/accept religions that coined the term God.”
Well, I concluded that there is a God; the Big Bang theory and evolution are lacking; it can’t explain everything we can see and feel; there must be a bigger entity that made all this.
I truly believe in God; I see his marvellous creations every day; I consider myself a spiritual human being; I try my best to be good to myself and others in the hopes they are good to me. I refuse to be governed by faith, And when my time comes, I hope I reincarnate into a vegetarian eagle or hawk, or if that’s not an option, I’d like to get a ticket inside the pearly gates.
No disrespect to any religion intended, nor any other person that might be reading this.
Don’t judge, lest ye be judged yourself.
