Faith

Alright, so religion is one of those topics that a lot of people don't like to discuss. Sometimes I get nervous when discussing religion because I'm sure my views on the subject offend some people. So you have been warned, some of my views may offend you. I like to discuss religion with people who think like I do because then there are no awkward discussions.

Alright, so what do I believe? I personally hate organized religion of all kinds. Why? Personally, I think it is foolish to devote your life to someone or something that you have never seen before and you have no idea whether it is right or wrong other than people interpreting a book saying that it is the truth. I don't want to wait until I am dead before I find out whether I am right or wrong, but so far I like to think that I am on the right path.

I actually think that religion is quite dangerous because it is made up of a bunch of followers. What is more dangerous than a bunch of sheep following what one person says or does. I will give you examples within society. Throughout the years people used to believe the World was flat, the sun orbited around the Earth, etc. It took people to question these beliefs and do some research to disprove these claims. The same can be said about Nazi Germany, we basically had an ideal that was brainwashed into people saying that blacks and jews were inferior to the white race. We also have Tiananmen square, revolutions against oppresive governments. If people didn't stand up to these ideas and people throughout time where would we be now? My biggest objection to religion is people who allow themselves to act a certain way without thinking for themselves even if it goes against their natural instincts. To me it is a form of stupidity, people aren't smart enough to figure things out on their own so they latch onto some one else's thoughts.

I also think that a lot of devout religious people are hyprocrits. Just look at all the priests that have molested young boys. Is this what we want in the World? I would like to think that the answer to that is no.

I have lots of friends and know lots of people who are very religious. In fact my aunt is a reverand. I have no problem with people being religious (although that may contradict what I have written above) as long as they are not fanatics and they use it for good. I have my own set of believes as to what makes a good person and I truly believe that I am a good person regardless of whether not I believe in a god or certain set of commandments. I also have no problem with people using religion to be a good person. In fact, if everyone used religion to have faith in one another and to see the good in others then this World would be a better place. Everyone needs to believe in something to make them a better person. I have seen people hit rock bottom where everything in their life seemed meaningless. The way they got through this was that they "found God" and you know what? I'm really glad that these people can do this and turn their lives around for the better. Something Theo Fleury probably hit me the hardest with that point when he said that he always believed in god but until he went to rehab he didn't know what god meant. When he went to rehab he was told that god could be anything you wanted it to be and this really opened up his eyes to make him a "better person". To me, this is how it should be approached because everyone is going to have low points in their life and if you follow a certain religion word for word, commandment for commandment then you just might lose faith because after everything you believed in failed you, what do you have left? This for me is really hard to take, seeing people who are good people have tragedy strike them and then they are left with no one helping them? Where is god in these cases? Where was he in Haiti? Where was he during the holocaust? These are the questions that I struggle with when people ask me how I can't believe in god or in an afterlife. These are the questions that I send back to them, how can I not believe in god when such tragedies occur? It also bothers me that when these things happen people will turn to prayer before doing something more constructive like finding housing for people who lost their homes.

People can be religious, I have no problem with that. The only things I have problems with are people who force their beliefs on others, because I believe that is just a way to obtain power and manipulate people. People who use religion as a scapegoat to do horrible things such as the holocaust or wage war. How many times have we seen a President/Prime Minister/Supreme Leader say "God Bless..." "Praise Allah", etc.? Are you serious? Isn't that the worst thing to do is to kill other people?

Think for yourselves. Don't live your life based on someone else's principles or ideals. You are just going to end up being disappointed. Don't be scared to question things if they are wrong, stand up for others if they are not being treated fairly. Create your own set of morals and values, if you follow those then you will be treated right by others and you will have friends in times of need, even if that means that you are alone and need to talk to god, then that's fine too.