#Religion...blessing or curse?

 I’ve wondered many times how this world of ours would be without the introduction of religion. Would it be a better or worse place? I can’t imagine it could be any worse than it already is. Just look at what is going on in the #Middle East. Right now we have a sectarian war going on in #Iraq. The Sunni are fighting against the Shiite. Both religions are of the Islamic faith. The invading Sunni fighters hand out copies of the Qur'an and they murder Shiite men en masse in cold blood. They are nothing but a bunch of bloodthirsty, cold-blooded murderers. They want an Islamic state where #Sharia Law rules. (Do yourself a favor and check out the link. You'll be shocked and horrified!). No other religions allowed. If the Sunni gain power God help the Shiite. In the rest of the world we want to stop this bloodshed, but what side should we take? Are the Shiite any better? They are still Muslims and they also won't accept any other religions.

There is no doubt that Islam is a narrow-minded, intolerant, and violent religion. Women are suppressed and considered second-class humans. The barbaric Sharia Law dictates that anyone committing even just a minor crime gets his hand chopped off. They stone women who are accused of having committed infidelity to death; they hang women for marrying somebody not of their faith. People of other religions are considered infidels and need to be killed, according to the #Qur'an, their holy book. And yet, the Muslims claim that Islam is a religion of Love and Peace. Somehow I fail to see that.

Young men strap bombs around their bodies and willingly commit suicide, murdering dozens and more people in the name of their religion. Apparently, they believe that as a reward for doing that they will have sex with 72 virgins in the afterlife. Are they really that naive or just stupid? Anyone so obsessed with sex that they would commit murder for it is sick. They should have it while they are alive not dead

Of course, the Christian religion is so much better, isn’t it? I mean we are forgiving, tolerant, peaceful and loving. We love everyone. Don’t we? Anyone believing that is naive, knows nothing about history or has a short memory. Let’s have a closer look at history:

At first it was only the #Roman Catholic Church in Europe. Then in the 16th century the #Protestants came along because they didn’t agree with the way the Catholic Church operated. That’s when the religious wars began. Catholics and Protestants fought each other in the 16th and 17th centuries. Unbelievable atrocities were committed during that time in the name of religion. Catholics and Protestants are still at odds with each other in Ireland. We don’t hear that much anymore about that, because there are other more interesting stories to be broadcast by the media.

The Church sent missionaries all over the world to ‘save’ the natives in Africa, the Philippines, and other places peopled with non-believers, because their primitive religions were evil and bad. They needed to be converted to the Christian religion, which was so much better and their only salvation. As far as I’m concerned, the only good thing they taught the original Hawaiians was the missionary position.

Even now we still have religious priests molesting young boys. In the early 20th century the Church removed hundreds of native children in Canada from their families and put them into Schools to make civilized people out of them. Many of the children were beaten and sexually assaulted and they suffered lifelong scars, mentally and physically.

In Europe, nearly 100,000 people, mostly women, were accused of being witches and tortured, hanged, and burned. (Somebody claimed it to be in the millions, but that number is disputed. History has a habit of exaggerating things like that). In the USA women and men were tried and hanged in the infamous witch trials in Salem from February 1692 to May 1693. The same thing happened all over the US.

The witch hunts are not over yet. Practicing witchcraft in Saudi Arabia carries the death penalty. (Unbelievable!). Ten thousands of women and children have been killed since 1960 in Africa, India, and Papua New Guinea because they, apparently, practiced witchcraft. That is the wonderful world of religion.

The object of a cult, and I consider any religion a cult, is to control its members. It’s all about power. People are gullible. People are afraid of what happens after they die. They will believe anything a charismatic preacher tells them. They will hand over their possession for the promise of a spot in Heaven. Once this preacher has enough followers and therefore the power, he can then begin to suppress and control even the ones who don’t believe the lies he tells his flock.

As long as Church and State are separate entities, there is still a chance to live in peace and enjoy freedom for people who refuse to be pressed into somebody’s mold and forced to follow an ideology they can’t accept. However, when the Church marries the State and governs a country we have trouble.  If this Church is dictatorial (which religion isn’t?) and its members fanatical and ruthless, denying and suppressing all other beliefs and ideologies, it becomes dangerous. We have that situation now in the Middle East and wherever Islam rules. I’m not saying that all Muslims are evil people. There are those who want to live in peace with others and they abhor violence, but they cannot speak out if their lives are threatened by the fanatics.

No, religion does not have a good track record. Just check out history when the Catholic Church was powerful in Europe; when even Kings bowed to the Pope. The Church ruled with fear and false promises. Enough money bought the forgiveness of sins, even a seat in Heaven. The Cardinals, the Bishops, and the Priests were all corrupt; so was the Pope. Just check out #Pope Alexander VI, whose real name was #Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope in 1492. Perhaps things were not as violent the way the Islamic militants are now, but they were far from being peaceful and ideal.

To me religion is the curse of humanity. It is not the different religions on our planet that are evil but the people who practice them. The fanatics, the born murderers, the do-gooders, and the power-hungry. This does not mean we should not believe in a higher power or in God. We should. I don’t know about the Qur'an, but the Christian #Bible does not teach violence. Jesus preached love and tolerance, but it is the clergy and the ones who are in charge that abuse the power they have over their followers. They make up rules as they suit them and help them to stay in power and control; they use threats and promise of eternal damnation. Even criticizing them and the Church is considered an offense and punishable. Talk about a wonderful method of control.

There are other religions besides Christianity and Islam. Perhaps some of them are not as ruthless and bloodthirsty. Some may even be beneficial to practice. I’m fine with any religion, as long as I don’t get bothered by its followers and as long as they don’t try to force me to abide by their rules and to accept what they believe. I have my own thoughts about the universe, my place in it and what life is all about. I don’t believe in violence. I don’t expect anyone else to accept my views, but I believe we all should be tolerant with each other and try to live together in harmony and peace, no matter what faith we follow. Violence and force in all its forms is evil and if the so-called ‘Holy Books’ command us to commit evil acts then those books are wrong. They were written by men who claimed to be inspired by God. Perhaps they were inspired by Satan and not God. Just something to think about.

I'm quite certain, some people reading this may be offended and upset, be they Muslim or Christian, but the truth always hurts. If we don't talk about these things and try to change them it will never get better in this beautiful world of ours. What will the human legacy be some day? Will we leave behind a world in shambles where violence rules and people live in fear or will it be a world of peace, tolerance and good will. Will it be Heaven or Hell? It is up to us.

I invite you to leave a comment.