CanadianChris and religion

Submitted by Mulla Sadra (United States), Jan 15, 2009 at 14:00

Dear CanadianChris

I understand your concern that an abuse of religion can be dangerous thing for any society. But you have to understand many things.

1. Those you have not said it blatantly, you are of the opinion that religious people should not hold a sway over the affair of any society. You seem to be more tolerant for the "humanist" than for the same "humanist" who is humane because of his subjection to the "architect of the universe". It all goes in a circle: you blame the religionists of their intolerance toward the "free thinkers" and by the same measure that makes you intolerant towards the religionist whom you are so scared of corrupting your innocent kids of their moral fabric. Even if you remove religion from humanity, people will still find reason for hate, crime, murders. It is inherent nature of mankind. One think I should ask u, all the free thinkers of the world, philosophers, scientists, writers, critic, atheists are all the product of the Western world who lived under the "realm" of the Christian West. In what way would Christianity hinder someone from becoming a brilliant scientist? Or a brilliant philosopher? Or writer or critic for that matter?

2. Christianity might have some horrific past, but was what was done in its name what the religion itself teaches? Does Jesus command to spread his Gospel by raising the sword and murdering innocent civilians? You can go on and on and on and mention the Crusades or the Spanish inquisition, but none of those reflect the teaching of Christianity. Christianity if the message of love and kindness and goodwill to mankind. Christianity is not just a religion like any other religion. Christianity is far greater than a religion, it is a relationship with the "architect of this universe" (whom you believe in), and whom we call "Our Creator, Our Father". The true Christian the one who walks in the relationship is far more humane than the "humanist" whom you admire. What the "humanist" gets his intuition from; the Christian gets it from his God. At the end of the day that should not bother you, as what you are looking is a "sane and good fellow man" unlike someone (a Muslim) who is ordained by his god to murder you, right?

3. Your quote "The God of the Bible has some pretty horrific commands to his followers; the Canaanites faced Genocide due to the belief that the land they occupied was given to the Hebrews by God."

What you have to understand is this command was given more than 3000 years ago to the Israelites to create a Godly nation, where they can freely worship their God. This was not ordered to subjugate the entire world (unlike Islam). What relevance does that have today? Are you afraid of the today's Israelites that they might murder you and take your nation? Why do "free thinkers" of this world love to quote that incident like a jovial child who found a candy? Those incidents happened at a particular limited time and space that has nothing to do with what today's Judaism or Christianity stands for.

To be continued…

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