If I had to
classify myself religiously in other peoples’ eyes, I would probably call
myself an agnostic. Over the years I’ve researched several different religions,
and it’s certainly an interesting social construct (just like money and ‘class’
systems). I tend to drift towards religions that speak of improving the ‘self,’
simply because they benefit you and the people around you in an immediate
fashion. See Hinduism, which even aims to benefit the next reincarnation of yourself!
There are many
difficulties when it comes to religion, but there is one in particular that
many agnostics and atheists have expressed which resonates. Sure, maybe there
is something out there, however; just because people say it’s there, doesn’t
mean I can trust in faith. Faith is an ephemeral thing. People sometimes point
to good events and holler “Look! God exists!” but you could just as easily
point to bad ones and say the opposite.
Basically, these
are the rules that govern my view of life.
Good things
happen.
Bad things happen.
In between
things happen.
Humans are
ridiculous in general, and have enough of a hard time wondering “Oh why did
this happen?” without bringing an undocumented, intangible source to the party.
I haven’t seen evidence
against a higher power but I certainly haven’t seen any for one.
Strings of
events unfold, people make decisions because they have to, and results come
around. God hasn’t struck me down, but he hasn’t favored me either. When you
ask, “How could a god so good do such cruel things?” the answer is “It’s okay,
he did a good thing yesterday,” or “He works in mysterious ways,” or “It’ll all
be okay if you just have a little more faith.”
Well, golly gee.
Those answers don’t quite cut it when it comes to an active existential crisis.
When religion
promotes good things, such as community or abroad trips (of the non-pushy
kind), or saves people who NEED to believe in something else because it makes
them feel safer and less confused about the universe, good job, religion! But
asking someone to “have faith” in something they’ve never seen, heard, or
beheld in any other way is a bit of a stretch. I can’t bring myself to
understand it, or accept its insubstantiality. Am I missing something here?
Here’s a true
fact:
Some humans
don’t enjoy having control over their own destinies. It stresses them out to no
end. Life is full of twists and turns and strange events.
It’s much easier
to ease grief by thinking it’s some sort of check and balances, reciprocal
system than to say “Things simply happen,
sometimes for no reason at all, and you have literally no choice but to roll
with the punches.” To leap out into an unknown without trusting to providence whatsoever, I would say this takes
much more faith.
In closing: I am
not against religion or faith, except when it’s used to justify immeasurable
grief, start wars, and persecute entire races.
