As a “student of Religion” and a “student of History” (in the sense that I take ‘religion’ and ‘history’ classes), I find myself thinking more-than-average on what religions are comprised of. But more importantly, I find myself comparing the religions out there, trying to discern what is a “good” religion. It’s of course a little subjective, this all. A little.
So far, we’ve been focusing on judaism, islam, and christianity, but we are also going to read about buddhism, hinduism, etc. In my case, I know more about the latter (especially buddhism) than the former, which puts me in a position to compare things fairly early on.
What strikes me as a thing that permeates more or less all religions is the fact that they were written a long, long time ago by people whose societal picture was widely different from ours, whose ethics and morale were based on fundamentally different, since-then altered concepts.
Take male/female relation for example. Buddhism got this one well. There’s very little in the buddhist scriptures elevating the man toward a god and lowering a woman to that of a servant. This has a lot to do with the foundation of the religion in question of course. Judaism, islam and christianity all share the same foundation (the old testament) with the one, male God to rule them all (and everyone else, or to hell with them). The buddhist religion has no God in this sense, and while some branches of buddhism copulate with older beliefs to include gods and spirits and whatever else, the kernel itself is gender-free (though Buddha was portrayed as a man nevertheless).
As a believer-in-nothing-in-particular, I find myself studying religions from the perspective of, “Which of these make the most sense, while being the least open to abuse.” And these I think are the most important two points about religion, so let me repeat those two points:
- Make sense.
- Be abuse resistant.
Unfortunately, not a lot of religions are both (or either, to be honest) of the above, but again, Buddhism seems to fall into this category nicely. It makes a lot of sense (but I do not agree with all of it, and I am not by far an expert), and it is fairly resistant to abuse. Judaism and christianity on the other hand are hole-riddled. And don’t get me started on Islam. Islam contains so much specific for the time period of 700 A.D., even including portions specifically about the Prophet (Mohammed), saying how his followers should behave toward him and his wives (the Koran, 33:53).
What makes a religion evil is the ability to interpret its contents in ways that suit the needs of the abuser. This is why some believers are “by-letter-believers,” because they want to prevent that abuse, but this, too, is wrong, because the contents are outdated and for them to be truly applicable to modern societies, they need to be altered. And thus, religion crumbles and falls into ashes, because what worth does it hold when the word that was true is true no more? What comfort can one find in words that were meant for a people and a society that has long since passed? But people believe, and although they believe and themselves accordingly hold true to the scriptures of their religion, they wage war — against each other and against everyone else (protestants versus catholics in Ireland, for example).
I admit, I am biased. I have read a lot about Buddhism because the godlessness and “scientific approach” to solving the unsolvable fascinates me. Dalai Lama once said that he does not think the entire world needs to convert to Buddhism. He believes each individual should find in their heart what they believe in the most. Of course, Buddhism with its concept of karma and reincarnation, is open to abuse as well, and interpretation.
For example, as a believer in karma and reincarnation, it is easy to place oneself above others, and to blame others’ misery on bad karma. This is a very incompassionate way of looking at it, one which I know Dalai Lama disagrees with, but it is nonetheless subconsciously used by a lot of people. Do you recognize the thought, “Others kill and rob and rape, but I would never do that, because [reason].”? I think this way, too. It would take a great deal of “evil” to make me want to hurt someone to the point of death, and robbing and raping is definitely nothing I would put on my todo list. If I were placed in a desperate situation (financially) I would put faith in the fact I’m in a socialistic country that would help me get on my feet again, and I doubt I would ever see the “quick income” lure that robbing a bank or other people might hold. I also put a great deal of faith in myself, that I can overcome hardships, but I cannot with absolute certainty say that this would be the case had I grown up in different circumstances.
One could also claim that one’s wrongdoings will repay themselves in the form of lost karma, sort of like withdrawing money from and depositing money into a bank account, thus rape, murder, pillaging, lying, or whatever else becomes acceptable, but this too is a rather naive opinion to hold, and its credibility is questionable at best.
As a child, I used to believe religions were a passing phase in the history of mankind, but history (and several visits to countries where religion still plays an important role, such as [some states in] the United States) has taught me that this may not be the case. My own country, in fact, has been gaining followers in the major religions the last decade, which opposes my theory quite a bit. Ultimately, I believe religion brings with it a few good, and a truckload of bad things. Some of these good things are an unparallelled unity felt by believers, and unique culture such as rites and songs and festivals in the name of the religions. I believe that religions will change, as they always have changed, and take a new, unique role in society, one that is less powerful and more about a sharing of culture (sort of like music, today). The concept of “In God We Trust” will be a memory, a paragraph in the history books taught in classes.
To reach this, however, people need to be educated. I am appalled at the lack of education in industry countries such as the U.S., Australia, and Japan, where the children learn little, if anything, about the alternate religions and beliefs out there. (Japan has no obligatory religion courses at all; Sweden has them, and they are for the most part objective and they cover the major religions, not just christianity.) By understanding the fundamental concepts of the existing religions, by comparing them to each other, it will be possible to reach a more elevated understanding of what those unsolved riddles may truly contain. Who knows, maybe we will one day understand what happens after death, and perhaps the gathered thoughts present in all religions, put together into a uniform whole, may give a real answer to this question.
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