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June 13, 2004
Why Religion Works
I recently participated in a Japanese culture and language class and one of the of the elements was the reading of old myths and legends. While these were interesting and colorful stories, one can really see how religion has survived and flourished.
Religious texts are really nothing more than a bunch of stories ambiguously bound together by someone's interpreted "moral fiber" and packaged as law. There are so many ways to read into such stories, and so many archetypical lessons to be told and such a wide range of possible interpretations that really, with some creative syntax, one could get nearly anything out of every story.
It's through this ambiguity that religious organization heads bring comfort to people who don't want to think for themselves. People are willing to believe, and pay for, someone to tell them what the "truth" is from these stories simiplified for the child mind. And they'll pay even more to hear that if they follow some laundry list of rules that their life will have meaning, purpose and worth.
This is just bullshit. Meaning, purpose and worth are subjective to each person. And it doesn't take someone else to tell you how you can make your life better. You know if you feel good when you do something. There's a modicum of "common sense" in everyone, so you know if what you do also makes someone else feel good. Figure it out for yourself and go from there. Don't pay someone (a.k.a. tithe) to confirm what you already know or to tell you that what you're doing is right or wrong. The power isn't in some "almighty", it's in every one of us.
Be yourself and believe in yourself. Be smart. Be a human. Realize your own potential by believing in reality and living there.
Posted at 06:05 PM | Rants and Opinions | Comments (0)