I know none of you want another vent on religion and its intricacies, BUT….TOO BAD :D

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.