#Good Friday

Today is Good Friday. Shall we say ‘Happy Good Friday’ or ‘Sad Good Friday’? I have no idea why it is called Good Friday. After all, according to the Christian Faith, Jesus was crucified by the Romans on this day. So, my question is: What’s good about it?

I was raised in the Christian Faith. I remember on Good Friday we were not allowed to show happiness. No loud talking, no shouting, no singing, no working; in my case it meant no playing. As a kid, I found it boring. And we didn’t eat meat on Good Friday. If we had fish it was fish, if we didn’t it was something else, as long as it didn’t contain meat. I don’t know why eating fish instead of meat makes a difference.

Religion is a phenomenon. When did it start? Every primitive tribe since the beginning of the human race had some kind of mystical believe. The origins of those beliefs are lost in time. Obviously, it is all about power. People have always been superstitious and searched for the meaning of life. So, if somebody came along and said he/she has been in contact with some invisible spirit and has been enlightened by this powerful spirit, people listened. When they made up stories about a wonderful world, much better than the one everyone lived in now, people had hope that some day everything would be better. So they began worshiping these invisible deities and they believed in Heaven, a mystical world nobody has ever seen.

Religion is huge business. Religious leaders have respect; they have power over their flock. Followers will give away all their possession for a promise to get a special place in Heaven. It may be an empty promise, but it is something to look forward to. Over the centuries, religious groups have gained enormous power. To keep this power they made up rules, some of them backed by so-called ‘Holy Books’, stories and ‘God’s Laws’ written by men, who, according to their claim, received them from a divine Spiritual Being, a Holy  Spirit. This Holy Spirit has many names: God, Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah, The Great Spirit, Krishna, The Force, and who knows how many other names.

The different religious groups created their own laws and rules, rituals and traditions. Some rituals and practices became almost absurd and downright dangerous, like offering living sacrifices to appease the god or the gods. Some religions created more than one god. There were even times, when the religious leaders told their flock that regular people were allowed to pray, but they could not talk to God; only the clergy could. Women could never talk to God. Some religions punish the guilty if they criticize God or their faith. Death is the ultimate punishment for committing such sacrilege. What a wonderful way to keep the sheep in line and the power in the hands of the religious leaders. I cannot believe that a real, just god would ever demand such horrible practice.

Which religion is the right one? They all claim to be the true, the only religion. Their God is the only one and no other gods exists. Who told them that? The voices in their heads? Scary stuff. People are put into insane asylums these days if they admit to hearing invisible voices.

Even though I was raised in the Christian faith, I am not a churchgoer. I find all the commotion and the rituals silly. Like children playing games. Unfortunately, they are serious games. Not playing them in some religions can have serious, deadly consequences. Don’t ask questions, just obey the laws. After all, you were not chosen to be God’s voice and to receive his enlightenment.  You’re nothing but a sheep, a stupid sheep, and if you don’t behave you’ll be slaughtered.

Jesus Christ preached love, tolerance, and forgiveness. That was 2000 years ago and his teachings are still valid today. Even if people don’t believe he was the son of god, that’s okay. What he preached was and is the truth and we would all do well to follow that teaching. We don’t need to belong to a church or any religion; we don’t need to play the games, we don’t need to follow silly rituals to be a good person.  If we would only practice loving our neighbors and to be tolerant with people who are not of our faith, this world would be a better place.

Of course, even tolerance can be a two-edged sword. Should we tolerate a religion that teaches hatred and narrow-mindedness and urges, even commands, its followers to murder people who are not of their faith? Would we not be guilty of intolerance if we shunned those people?

I think any belief that promotes evil and creates havoc and turmoil cannot be tolerated. Obviously, we cannot let religious groups commit living sacrifices, we cannot accept cults that preach it is okay to have sex with children or animals, and we cannot allow people being murdered because they are not like us, for having a different faith. It is clear that there are limits to what can be tolerated in a society. We must promote anything that creates harmony and peace in our world. I consider that tolerance.

 No, I'm not a preacher. I'm just a person who is sad because of all the violence and hatred in our wonderful world. We don't have to wait until we die to get to Heaven; we could have it all right here, right now, if we would only practice more tolerance and love.

#Peace and Happiness to you.