I'm Not Against Religion

I'm not particularly religious myself. The truth is I just don't know. I don't feel that a brain the size of ours has the capacity to truly comprehend a universe measured in light years. And when someone tells me that they know... well, I've met a lot of people who've told me they know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – and they don't all agree.

But I don't have anything against religion – at least not directly. I think it's beautiful that people share stories of the human condition. I believe there is wisdom in those stories. The stories we hear shape our lives. Our religious beliefs help shape functioning societies. Our diverse beliefs form our unique cultures. And our cultures are what make us human.

However, no human organization is perfect. And those who act like they know should quit pretending that their religion is above the flaws of humanity. Nothing in our world is perfect. We all have plenty of room to grow wiser.

I'm not against religion. I'm against the abuse of religion.

I'm against organized ignorance.

I'm against anyone trying to create a worldwide mono-culture.

I'm against focusing so much on the afterlife that we ignore the critical needs of this one.

I'm against a forced adherence to traditions to the point that it limits our capacity to grow as a culture.

I'm against an organizational hierarchy that cares more about the organization than the people in it.

And I'm against the abuse of a religion by the powers that be – to keep the masses in line.

People have the capacity to take something beautiful and turn it into something ugly. But we also have the capacity to create something even more beautiful. Let's do that.