6 posts tagged “atheism”

This is my response to a previous entry of mine about religion and peace I said I would give out my opinion so here it is for what it is worth.

Okay this is my opinion, it is not a researched article it is just my opinion on the way I see things at present in respect to religion and the role it plays in regards to peace here on Earth.

Firstly if we were able to some how miraculously fix all of the other issues which lead to war on this planet we call our home could we have peace with the existence of our current major religions?  In my opinion as it stands at the moment the answer is no.  I don’t feel I have to justify that opinion as access to the internet is enough to answer that question.  It is a sad reality, but it is true.

What makes this reality even sadder is the fact that each major religion generally claims to be a religion of peace.  At the moment for me actions speak louder than words.  So in my opinion the actions of some religions do not reflect the claim that they are about peace.

The problem with the claim that each religion is designed to promote peace and enhance humanity is that the religion will only do so if it is on their terms.  In general each religion believes that its religion is the right and only way and therefore everyone else’s religion is wrong and everyone should agree with their view.  If someone does not agree with their view then the other person’s view must be changed or even worse that person is seen as a threat to their religion and that person must die.  I believe if people of different faiths really do want peace and what’s best for humanity then they should look for each others similarities instead of their differences.  Religions should accept that the goal maybe virtually the same but the way that we get to the goal maybe different and that is okay.  I am not going to single out any particular religions as being better or worse than another, as I think that it defeats the purpose of my entry which is to be united for peace, freedom and a respect for each others rights.  However I will quote H.H. the 14^th Dalai Lama of Tibet and this is what he said when I saw him speak while he was in Australia. 

I will paraphrase H.H. as I cannot quote him word for word. While he was still in Tibet before he had to leave for permanent exile he believed that Buddhism was the best religion.  Once he began to have multi-faith talks with other religious leaders he began to see that essentially most religions that he had any dialogue with were heading towards the one goal, but were just on different paths.  He said that he generally advised people of certain cultures to stick with the religion that they were brought up with, as there would be less confusion for the follower and each religion was designed for different people and that was okay.  We shouldn’t waste our time over which is right and which is wrong; we should instead embrace the religion which suits us best and practice it as best we can.  He also said that our goal should be to be happy but never at the expense of another.

Now I have to say that those words are some of the wisest words ever spoken and if all religions and their followers could follow those words then we could possibly have peace between religions.  All it takes is acceptance of others.

Okay this is where I may loose some of you.  In my opinion you don’t need a book of 1000+ pages to learn right from wrong.  In my opinion if a religion wants to engage its members then it makes no sense to me why the holy book of a specific religion needs to be written in such a way that it is open to misinterpretation or can only be interpreted by a select few and the rest of the followers have to take another person’s word for the accuracy of the translations. This is where corruption of God’s word comes into play and wars, violence and other atrocities have been fought over such translations.  Another point is that if there are parts of the holy book which are way out of date or put your religion in a bad light in these more modern times, then why keep those passages?  As a religion you are only giving ammunition to non-believers to discount your religion due to some of the ridiculous antics of a more ancient civilisation, which you obviously must accept as gospel and therefore should be adhered to or otherwise you wouldn’t have them in your holy book.  Of course your answer will be that they were the written works of your god and they can’t be altered, fair enough but I can tell you now it is your religion and also some of mankind that is suffering because of it.  Terrible actions can be justified just by quoting a verse from a holy book.

I think it is time that people of religion became just a bit more rational, realistic and accepting.  I am not going to discount your belief in a god as that is not my agenda.  But I will say this; a religion cannot afford to stay stagnant.  In this day and age science cannot be discounted, if you discount some of the solid findings of science you are living in a deluded world and you cannot help anyone.   If you discounted science then you would still see the Earth as being flat or that the planets and sun revolve around the Earth.  You would have to refuse all modern medicines and diagnostic aids which are all from a field of science. You would still believe that epilepsy and schizophrenia are caused by evil spirits and I know some people still do and I can tell you a horror story of this belief in our modern times in a country such as Australia.  There are things about this world that are concrete and it doesn’t matter how much you try and say they aren’t they are.  Dinosaurs were real and their fossils are very real.  So unless a religion can come to grips with these realities then it is a deluded religion.  A religion that can’t accept that to be gay is not a lifestyle choice but part of their biological being is causing harm to those people in so many ways.  A religion that won’t allow condoms to be used to help reduce the spread of HIV in Africa is causing unnecessary harm to a whole continent of people.  These actions are inhumane and a religion should be about humanity, not about being right or wrong. 

So what has all of this got to do with peace, well living with religious delusions is a real danger to our planet and our civilisation.  If Sam Harris’ figures are true and 22% of US citizens believe that Armageddon will occur within 50 years and another 22% believe that it is most likely to occur within 50 years then these beliefs are a major concern for this planet.  The issue that I see is that people are creating a man made Armageddon, it isn’t necessary to create a man made Armageddon if it is going to happen it will happen when it is time.  But we can’t just sit back and have international policies made on the basis of the possibility of Armageddon in 50 years.  We can’t ignore the health of our planet because we think it won’t matter in 50 years time because some of us will be in heaven.  What if you are wrong?  People have been predicting its coming since just after Jesus died and they have all been wrong.  The only difference now is we have the nuclear capability to make a man made Armageddon for which there will be no repair available once it is set in motion.  If you believe that it is coming in 50 years then that is fine by me, but don’t plan yours and others lives around it, plan for a future for your children and grandchildren in case you are wrong.  If it comes well you can rejoice and say I told you so and if it doesn’t then the rest of the planet can rejoice because we still have a viable planet because we haven’t blown ourselves up or destroyed the environment.

I am not going to say whether God does or does not exist because I will be honest – I don’t know.  But I do know this, for me personally to worship a god then that god would have to be worthy of worship.  My God would be one of universal love, displaying acceptance of all, forgiving of us because we are human and prone to make mistakes, my god would not be a jealous god because there would be no need to be jealous because god would be so whole and so great that there would be no need for jealousy.  God would not be full of anger and fury and frighten me into obedience, by god’s very nature I couldn’t help but worship my god.  God would represent all that was good in this world and would be something to aspire to and god would lead by example.  God would also in some way let me know that my god does really exist and I could communicate with him without the interference of any other person.  I would be in awe of my god.  I would be the best person I could be because god showed me the way by example.  If religion is to stay relevant today then the representatives and followers of religion need to display similar characteristics of the god who I have just described, not be perfect but at least try and get it some where close to the ball park.

If a religion is a great religion then it shouldn’t feel threatened by another religion building a place of worship down the road.  If a religion is truly great, then like a moth to a flame or a pin to a magnet people would be automatically drawn.  So if your religion does feel threatened by another religion well you really do need to ask yourself why your religion is being threatened. Instead of taking action against the other religion it may pay to self examine your religion and see what you are doing wrong.  It wouldn’t hurt to actually have some constructive dialogue with the other religion, open communication should lead to a better understanding of each other’s religion and you will be leading by example and showing others that peace between different religious groups is possible.  If you are not sure about something then ask.  So many acts of violence have been committed due to a simple misunderstanding, especially when different cultures are concerned.

I am not going to discount that religion has some benefits.  Religions do benefit people in a variety of ways and many people need to feel part of a spiritual community and feel a connection with a higher being.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Religious organisations benefit many people with their charity work.  I am not going to list all of the benefits of religion as there are many.

I would also like to say that not everyone feels the need to be part of a religious group or believe in a god.  Experience has shown me that being part of a religion does not necessarily make you a better person over those who don’t believe. I have found good and bad amongst believers and non-believers.  But at least the non-believer couldn’t be called a hypocrite and I can assure you, nothing is a bigger turnoff to religion than a hypocritical religious follower.  People do not need to believe in a god or a religion to make them law abiding citizens; good social morals do not need to come from a church.  Experience has shown us over time that good cooperating societies are far more successful than societies that have no moral framework.  As Sam Harris said many of the most law abiding countries are those whose populations are mainly made up of non-believers.

In conclusion I would say that we could have peace between religions and therefore more peace on Earth if religions were a bit more accepting of each other, if followers didn’t actively and persistently try and convert others to their religion.  Also most religions are supposedly based on a sense of humanity, peace and good will and I think this seems to be frequently overlooked and instead it becomes a matter of who is right or wrong and humanity gets overlooked in the bun fight.

Peace, freedom and equal rights to all.

Remember this is only my opinion I don’t expect you to agree with me.  You may pick my arguments to pieces if that is what you wish.  But just so you know, I won’t be replying to comments with in depth arguments to justify my opinions, as I have acknowledged this is just a collection of my opinions and they may or may not be right.  Due to health constraints I now need to rest for an undetermined length of time.

To my friends keep well and safe.

I will finish with some wise words from Mahatma Ghandi regarding religion.

Sorry back again I knew I forgot something.  Can we please work together to prove this guy in the video wrong - I would so love to do that!

It is no secret at the moment that I have been amazed by a man called Carl Sagan, a scientist but also a man of great vision and humility.  His partner Ann Druyan is an equally amazing woman and has continued Carl's legacy after he died at what I would consider an early age.

The video I am posting here today is a story about her grandfather and her father.  Her grandfather was a devoted Jew and her father went to university and decided that he didn't believe in his father's God any more.  The story she tells is her grandfather's response to his son telling him that he no longer believed.

This entry started out as a reply to a comment but I have decided to post it as an entry to gain more attention to the issue of Peace.

Yes Peter I absolutely agree with you.  I have been saying that it is time that what I would believe are the true followers of Jesus Christ start to say the following in regards to the war and oppression in the Middle East,

My hope is that when people such as Christians and other religious people and atheists do a search for a group that matches their belief system that they come across our group United for Peace and consider joining. 

I believe that there are many peaceful Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Atheists and all of the other groups I have missed and it is these people that need to mobilise.

I was raised as a Christian but I do not consider myself to be a Christian, I admire the teachings of Jesus and so I respect all Christians who try and live by his teachings of love for all mankind.  I relate very strongly to the Buddha's philosophy as I believe it has a lot to offer the world when it comes to matters of peace.  I am not interested in getting bogged down with religious dogma but prefer to follow the various teachings as I feel they were meant to be followed. So I do not belong to a religion as such, I prefer to embrace the worthwhile teachings from the various sources**. I am not very well versed in the other mainstream religions and non-religions of the world, but I am prepared to learn about them and understand them and that is why I have joined their/your group(s) at VOX.

So please don't stone me or belittle me for posting this article to your group - I come in peace  :-)

For me it really doesn't matter what we believe as long as we all have the goal of accepting each other and we aim to live peacefully side by side.

We cannot dismiss the benefits of religion because of the extremists in the world.  We must remember that Gandhi based his campaigns of non-violence on the teachings of various religions and Martin Luther King Jr based his non-violence campaigns on the teachings of Jesus.  I cannot ignore the campaigns of non-violence by Buddhists such as H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama (China/Tibet and the world) and Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnam and the world).  It is a shame that our Australian leaders won't have a meeting with the Dalai Lama when he is in this country over the next few weeks - maybe they will change their minds as it will be a great opportunity missed if they don't meet with him.

I plan to write an entry on the teachings of Jesus and how wrong he would see this war in Iraq, based on his teachings - from the Bible.

I would love to hear from Muslims and get their perspective as an everyday Muslim what their teachings really say about love and killing.  I would love to hear it from them, as I am sick of hearing it from the extremists.  The same goes for all of the other religions, I don't want to hear it from the extremists in your religion I want to hear the views on love and war from the everyday rank and file members - the people who count.

At the moment we really do need to hear from the Christians, Muslims and Jewish people as the wars in the Middle East do concern these religions the most.  The Middle East issues affect us all but these are the religions that need to start voicing some common sense.  For the benefits of their religion they must make their voices heard if they are really for peace in this world.

Peace and love to all.

Peace Sign

While I have got your attention I would like to recommend a documentary to any one who may not have had the opportunity of watching it.  Firstly thank you to Snowy for recommending it to me in the 1st place.

The documentary is "The Power of Nightmares" it is an excellent documentary that shows how both the Western world and the Islamic people have been mislead for decades.  If you don't agree with what is shown that is okay, but please don't deny yourself the chance to see how you may have been mislead by our leaders.  Anyway for anyone interested it can be viewed and downloaded as a 3 part series at VideoGoogle or at archive.org if you have a slow internet speed.

I have decided to mention this documentary series here as it may help reduce the divide between the Western and Islamic worlds and therefore help lead towards world peace.

** Edited 28/05/07.

I would also like to add that when I say "Not in My Name" I do not intend it to mean that I/we take no responsibility and walk away from the situation, but I mean it to say that we will no longer allow others to continue the call of war in our names and we wish to let others know that it is not okay to continue with the constant calls of war and we wish to do something postive about it.  Please see my rather long comment below for a full explanation of my true intent.

Given the interest in a recent blog entry of mine about a television series titled "The Root of All Evil?" and the concerns raised about where this world is headed as far as world peace is concerned, I have just formed a new group called United for Peace

Anyone who wants a world of peace is welcome to contribute.

People of all races, cultures, religious and non religious backgrounds must learn to accept each other and live with one another for lasting peace to be achieved - This group is designed to encourage constructive interaction between all of the different groups throughout the world and be: United for Peace.

There are some guidelines to follow when contributing to this group. 

Contributions should be without anger and blame.  Peace cannot be achieved if we have anger in our hearts and continue to place blame on others.

However please by all means express your opinions and concerns.  Just follow the simple guidelines: Criticise the action, not the perpetrator; criticise the argument and not the person making the argument and criticise the policy and not the politician. As Gandhi said,

"Hate the sin and love the sinner."

United for Peace is based on the simple notion that lasting peace begins in the hearts and minds of us all. It is simple mathematics to realise that peace in our thoughts, prayers and meditations translates into peace in the world. While there is still anger and hate within and between us, then somewhere it will have to be vented, and so there is conflict and war.

By taking personal responsibility for war we stop laying blame and getting angry (contributing to more war!) and accept that we are all accountable to start changing the world consciousness beginning with ourselves. Each peaceful action makes a lasting change for peace in the world, and eventually government leaders and lasting political change will follow.  -  World  Peace

Some final words of wisdom:

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert F Kennedy

"If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world." - Ancient Chinese Proverb

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito." - Dalai Lama

"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." – Mother Teresa.

"We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools." – Martin Luther King Jr.

"Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love." – Martin Luther King Jr.

Peace Dove

2 comments

Well it appears that religion is a very contentious area.

Just to add some more information to this discussion I thought I would inform whoever maybe interested of a two part series that will be screening on the ABC Australian TV or maybe downloaded via the web.  I haven't had a chance to watch much of it yet, but from what I have seen and read so far I think it will certainly add some fuel to the fire in the debate on religion.

The documentary is: The Root of All Evil. Part 1 - The God Delusion.  Part 2 - The Virus of Faith.

The only problem I have from what I have seen so far is the presentator's very condescending manner to those who do believe in religion.  If he wasn't so condescending I think I would feel a little bit more comfortable watching his presentation.  I believe it is fine to constructively criticise religion, but it isn't fine to belittle people for their beliefs and that works both ways whether you are a believer or not.  All people should be respected.

Screening on Australian ABC TV Sunday 20th and 27th May, 9.30pm on Compass.

or maybe downloaded at: http://www.atheistnation.net/video/?video/00004

For more information see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Root_of_All_Evil%3F