Friday, June 11, 2010

Religion vs Human Rights and Freedom

Why, is there such a backlash against Islam in places around the world, specifically, in Dutchland? Holland, that is. Man, you draw one little cartoon, and half the world wants to kill you. Hmm why would that lead to a backlash?

There seem to be so many people that have just about had it with these groups, organizations, and especially, religions, that are so antiquated, backward, repressive, and do not allow its adherents the freedom to dump their beliefs and move on progressively of their own free will. Free will. Wasn't THAT what religion was supposed to be all about. Choice? Making the right choice? Letting God sort that after after they die? Who came up with the bright idea to do this choosing for God?

If a belief system is so great, then why is there so much control exerted and repression put to work to keep people in their place?

Two things have always seemed an apriori in belief systems; for me anyway. One is that you shouldn't have to hide from the world in order to maintain your belief system (christians are renowned for that one, they won't watch this or that, they won't talk about this or that, they can't be around this or that kind of person, on and on ad infinitum). And the second is that your faith, or the ideology of your chosen (or your forced upon) system, should be correct enough, seem right enough, be charming or desirable enough that you don't have to be forced to stay within its ranks by either family, friends, adherents or threats of eternal damnation, hellfire and/OR brimstone.

I'm not saying that your religion should be offering you seventy-two virgins as a reward to keep you in line or anything like that. Its just that if God is God, then he ought to have come up with a pretty damn good system by now. Don't you think? Hey, its just a thought. I like to think, Divinely Inspired, actually (stop that, do NOT look at my dangling participle). I'm only human (lower case H).

Also, a religion shouldn't dumb you down into a blathering idiot, or a beatific zombie. A real religion should turn you into a massively self actualized productive (this isn't to say a Type A personality, either), spiritually (now just a second, who is to say that religion really needs to make you spiritual at all; perhaps God wants people to be Earthy, maybe we're all looking at this all wrong) progressive; Humane (not such a good word after all if you consider what humans have done to this planet and its lifeforms through History, including its own species), individual. Perhaps oriented toward the group. Desirous of community, of bettering the group (good and defective, which isn't to say, into killing the handicapped, or female babies).

Well, its just a thought.

I've always wondered why it took so many religions to make up the world if there is a single God. One thing that could explain this hot mess we're in today, would be that there really is more than one God and they are mostly all pissed off because obviously, we have taken it upon ourselves to choose one of them only as some kind of Rock Star. Think how you'd feel if you were a God and only your brother Mike, was always being praised as Hosanna the Most High, when you know him to be a jerk, not listening to Mom, always picking his nose (except when non family are looking) and trying incessantly to look good in public (and in front of a mirror, no doubt).

Irritating, I'm sure.

So, I think, perhaps we should consider, well, maybe we're looking at this world in the wrong light, with the wrong filter. Or perhaps, God once told us the truth, then died. Or his phone went dead and its charging somewhere and some millennia from now, it will be recharged and he will call us again to explain the rest of what he was trying to say when the phone died and boy, will we be shocked.

My point here is that Religion seems to have subverted Human Rights at times. Too many times. Its allowed too many (EVEN if they ARE few) to subvert its original intent. It has held us back from our God Given Freedoms...to choose.

And if it hasn't, then those followers near to us have. If not physically, then mentally, or socially.

Why is it that someone who leaves a religion, is ostracized?
Not very religious. Is it.

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