On Religion
Recently, I had a great idea to sort out the world’s problems. When a Government or National leader starts a war or commits serious crimes, every one on the planet should use the power of the internet to tell them exactly what they think of them and their appalling actions. Under such global pressure, they would be forced to change their ways, thus making the world a better place for all.
This idea could be a bit naïve, but it’s never been tried before and didn’t Apartheid South Africa eventually change after sustained global pressure? Well, for the prize of world peace, I think it’s worth a go. But who will listen to a nobody from Sheffield? So in order to get some high profile backing, I wrote to UK heads of the Church of England, Roman Catholic Church, Islam and Judaism.
No response was forthcoming from last two, but I did get an email back from the Good Cardinal. He thought the matter was best left to Governments. He does have a point, but it all smacked of buck passing to me, and what have Governments achieved in the last 20 years anyway?
However, the most thoughtful response came from a very kind lady working for the Archbishop of Canterbury, who, not knowing the state of my mental health, let me down gently, explaining that the Archbishop was a very busy man and she would not be passing on my idea to save the world for his attention.
Oh dear. The Archbishop is too busy for world peace!. You couldn’t make it up, could you?
And that’s the problem with Religion. When you start asking questions of it, it all gets disappointing.
Take the current panic over Covid. Why did God create the virus and other diseases that kill people? Murder is against Gods will isn’t it? And if it’s all part of his plan, why does he allow humans to create vaccines and treatments that thwart his will? Are humans as clever as God? How is that possible?
And if the all powerful, intelligent, creator Gods exists, is he sitting up in heaven wondering how he was created? Does he worship his creator god and if he does, why don’t we worship Gods God? And what about Gods, Gods God………?
As for heaven and life after death, it’s the ultimate con trick. “Do this, don’t do that, give us some money and we promise entry to paradise when you can’t come back and complain“. And how does anyone know that something happens after your biochemistry has packed up anyway?. There is no proof, only blind faith.
If you think I’m a lost soul damned for eternity, please don’t bother praying for me. Prayer may make you feel better as you think you have done something constructive, but that will be all that you will have achieved. Thousands of years of prayer by billions of people and the world has not been improved one jot as far as I can see.
However, Religions and Gods are present in all cultures and have been worshiped as long as our records allow us to know, so what is it about religion that makes it universal? Why do humans appear to need it? I have several possible explanations..
Firstly, we all like to know what’s going on and why. We don’t like a lack of knowledge and also love a good story.. Why are we here? Well if you make up a good story to answer this question, and you tell it round the fire side you can earn your evening meal entertaining the tribe. Better still, scare the bear skin off them, but then convince them everything will be all right if they look after you in the right way and you have it made. You can then, providing they give you the bulk of the takings, begin training underlings to do the same and you can have a life of luxury and status. So religion starts. And believing in a life after death, is a great story, and very comforting.
The other reason is that Religion gives humans an evolutionary advantage in times of stress, because humans function better when they are less scared or worried about death. Take times of famine. Rather than worry all day about were your next meal is coming from, why not put your faith in your god, relax and get on with your daily routine without expending energy on wasteful fretting. Chances are, that you will come across some food which is of course all down to God looking after you, not that you fully focused on the task in hand. Or when in danger, pray for Gods safe keeping, so its his responsibility not yours. This will take the pressure off, reduce your fear levels and allow you to fight more effectively rather than stand there jibbering. Because you will be less stressed you will probably perform better and indeed survive to sing Gods praises . If you don‘t, you will more likely die and not be around to moan about what a rotten concept God is. So the after danger sample is highly bias in favour of God and so religion persists.
Finally, religion does contain masses of wisdom which if embraced will give everyone a much happier and enjoyable life. Promoting the benefits of co operation, peace, harmony , altruism, community and mutual support are essential, we all know this, it’s obvious and some of the kindest, selfless people I have met and read about have been deeply religious. There’s also all the good work done by religious charities that do much to help others and make the world a better place for everyone.
So after 2000 years or so, isn’t it time for a review of the worlds religions, so we can keep the wisdom and ditch the fabricated superstitious nonsense? Because the joyous reality is, we are all stuck on this planet alone and no one is here to help us. There is no after life. It’s up to us while we are alive. We have to learn how to make it work, together, right now.
And we need all the wisdom we can get.
