Freedom is as natural as birth and death – and, yet, while
there is much rhetoric about freedom, it’s so elusive and undefined. In the
name of religion, the vast population of the world is truly unfree.
I will not single out any specific religion. I’m simply
making a point that those who embrace religion and accept the tenets, doctrine,
dogma, ideology and policies almost blindly with no tangible evidence of the
benefits, rewards, claims or promises of accepting them voluntarily give up
parts of their natural right of freedom. Of course, everyone supposedly freely
makes the choice of embracing or not embracing some form of organized
religion.
No! I’m not down on or condemning any religion or the individuals
who choose to embrace a religion . . . except when it leads to denying
individuals of their “God” given rights or results in violence against anyone
else within or outside of a religion. I used the term “God” given precisely
because it’s easy. No matter how one defines the miracle of life, whether
through belief in some omnipresent deity, super universal intelligence or just
as a natural course of events that has occurred randomly, using the term or
label, “God,” makes it easier to describe.
Actually, being brought up in a Christian (Baptist, to be
more specific) belief system, it’s easy for me to use the word “God” in such
context. I admit to being a spiritual being and believe in some kind of
universal intelligence or order, though I don’t find it as easy in my current
place in life to personify my belief.
In The Name Of Religion
Citizens of the United States of America, of which I am one,
bandy around the words freedom and liberty as though they know what they
actually mean. Yet, while America may be one of the freest societies on the
planet, we are so far from the basic, natural, human freedom that is a
birthright. I truly believe that most Americans, even less today then when I
was a youngster 50 and 60 years ago, crossover the words freedom, liberty and
democracy (among others) so as to not truly be able to define what the words
actually mean and represent on a personal level.
So, here is the really big point. What one doesn’t truly
define, understand and appreciate can and will be used against you. It’s like
the Miranda Rights, “Anything you say can and will be used against you.” In the
name of God, or on a broader scale, in the name of religion, masses of people
on this planet accept the definition of freedom and liberty as that preached
primarily by the doctrines, tenets, dogma, ideology and policies of the 22
recognized world religions or religious thought groups plus scads of tiny
fringe religious groups, many termed cults.
I haven’t studied all the religious thought in the world. Religious
scholars spend their entire lives in such study and still never know all there
is to know. However, I don’t think I’d be far from wrong in suggesting that
every one of the 22 recognized religious philosophies, doctrines and ideologies
has somewhere in it numerous descriptions of freedom and liberty. For example,
the oft used “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:32 from the King James Version of the Christian New Testament. This
“truth” is defined by that same text, so in order to know the truth, you must
accept that text as truth. The only freedom implied in this is that you may
choose to accept truth and freedom as defined by the text . . . or not.
Most early societies’ laws were based on religious law. The
religious laws identified certain acts as sin that was attributed to Satan.
These sins related back to some point in time when some form of original sin
took place. In the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions this would be the
original sin of Adam and Eve with the fruit of the tree of knowledge coerced by
the serpent (Satan) in the Garden of Eden. From this came a series of laws,
commandments or moral codes – the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament Bible
or the Torah. These were then carried into the Christian New Testament Bible
and into the Qur’an, the main text of the Muslim religion. Many forms of
government still have, as part of their foundation, some semblance or a direct
relationship to the original religious laws. Saudi Arabia, has for example, as
its constitution, the direct text of the Qur’an.
What I’ve just related is, of course, a very simplified
discussion of how the vast majority of the world’s population is directly or
indirectly controlled by the tenets, doctrines, dogma, ideology and policies of
the major religions of the world. In many societies, much or most of the
social, educational and governmental aspects of daily life revolve around the
accepted religion of that society. Children become indoctrinated from birth and
are expected to continue following the life so ordained for them by the
religion until they die.
Parallel Universes
The study of all religions is extremely interesting and
there appear to be many parallels. Most major religions are still based on
doctrine and dogma that dates back more then 2,000 years, even the religion of
Islam since much of it dates back to early Christianity and Judaism. The
challenge, from my perspective, is that the world has changed exponentially
since the early beginnings of these religions. The most strict religions preach
that the religions, doctrines, dogmas, ideologies, tenets and commandments are
all the divine word of God as passed on to humanity through angels and
prophets. Therefore, followers are expected to accept and live by these, often,
antiquated codes and laws, which I, for one, do not find completely practical
in the 21st Century.
And this is where, in the name of religion, believers are
expected to accept, on faith, unquestioningly, the “Word of God” as revealed by
their recognized religious text and the religious leaders. Personal freedom is
not actually defined by an individual rather, it is defined by the religious
text and its tenets and is administered and adjudicated, at some level, by the
religious leadership.
Intolerant Ideologues
So, we have people in the world like the Reverend Terry
Jones, a man with little formal theological education, is not ordained and who,
for whatever reason, believes he knows the “Truth.” Apparently, his version of
truth is to condemn others, especially those of the Islamic faith. Thus, he
denies their right to believe in their religion in their own manner by burning
their holy book and making an international media spectacle out of it. Of
course, he has to know that he is going to fuel anger, resentment and violence
by his actions and accordingly endanger millions, perhaps, billions of other
people, most of who do not agree with his preaching or actions. However, in the
name of religion, he is exercising his freedom of speech. I honestly don’t see
his actions as being all that different then shouting “Fire” in a crowded
theater or similar venue.
With the same supposed exercising of his freedom of speech,
another convicted felon in California, an individual of, apparently, low moral
bearing in the society he has chosen to live, creates a film, in the name of
religion, Coptic Christianity, that does the same thing. It is not without
question that I believe he was and is fully aware that his actions were nothing
less then poking a stick at a rattlesnake poised to strike. So, now this coward
is in hiding because he knows if he shows his face in public, the rattlesnake
that has already caused much property damage, loss of some life, many injuries
and millions of dollars in property damage will strike at him and snuff out his
life. In this case, his freedom of speech has massively infringed upon the
rights of thousands and, potentially, millions of people around the world. It’s
hard for me to believe that he wasn’t aware of the ultimate results of his actions.
Thus, he knowingly, in the name of religion, trampled the rights of others and
endangered them.
And, in the same name of religion (a different religion) we
have a population of people, certainly not all people of that religion, but a
significant representation, who have given up their freedom. They are directed
by, in my opinion, misguided religious leaders and thugs, using religion as
their excuse for their thuggery (my own coined word). They feel it is their
right and their responsibility to deny the freedoms and rights of the billions
of people around the world who don’t believe as they do and have not summarily
given up their freedom to think for themselves. Tolerance, dealing with
stupidity, despicable intolerance and discrimination is not part of their
language. Thus, again, in the name of religion, they blame and take out their
own stupidity, intolerance and discriminatory actions on millions and billions
of innocent people.
Where Will It End?
Where will it end? Wars have been waged over and over
throughout the history of the world for precisely the thinking and actions I
just described. As each successive war has been fought and because technology
continues to advance, the wars have been bloodier and crueler and the big
losers are always the innocents caught in the crossfire. So, in today’s world
we have the destructive power to create the ultimate apocalypse. You can
describe it in the name of religion as prophets have predicted in religious
texts. Or, you can describe is as the ultimate destruction of Earth and most
life forms at the hands of humankind. No one wants to ultimately be the one to
start the actual end of the world scenario. Yet, I dare say, in the name of
religion that there will ultimately be one person who, at some time, will believe
“his” version of truth and being set free to live in heaven (a place of
unproven existence) is “just cause. He will “push the button” and start a chain
of events that will destroy the planet and its ability to sustain life or least
sustain life as we know it.
Certainly, that’s not a prediction I have the ability to
make and I don’t suggest it is something we will experience in the foreseeable
future. However, so many of the predictions of long gone, science fiction
writers have come to pass just during our lifetimes. All religions seem to have
a parallel tenet of peace, love and tolerance. But, it is mainly based on all
others accepting “truth” as defined by each religion and forsaking their own
religion and personal freedom and accepting whatever the “laws” are as defined
by that religion. I condemn no one nor do I judge anyone for his or her
choices. The choice to accept, by faith and for whatever other reasons, the
tenets and doctrine of any religion is your free choice. But, in the name of
religion, you do not have the right to condemn, discriminate or in any way
infringe on the rights and freedoms of anyone else, including me. My beliefs
and choices regarding my life, including my definition of spirituality is mine
and mine alone. I won’t impose it on you and I expect the same mutual human
respect from you.
Let’s just hope, in the name of religion and God, that we
don’t see the actions and reactions in the Middle East escalate any further,
resulting in massive loss of life, injury and property. You are free to choose
any religion you want to and accept any tenets and doctrine that religion
preaches including giving up your right to personal freedom. You are not free
to impose your choices on anyone else and especially . . . me.
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