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Sunday, 27 February 2011

RELIGION: ¿WHAT MAKES YOU COMMIT?


In many of my entries about religion, I GO HARD! When I ‘bash’ religion, I start with the assumption that religion is responsible for the negative perception many persons hold about the world. But today I’ve been wondering how/why people choose to follow one religion over another. What element(s) go into how some people commit to a religious following? Do they think about the benefits and the risks? What makes them commit regardless of the consequences? And then I wonder, why do others never commit to a following, no matter what?


If I put myself in the shoes of those that commit to a religious following, I can get why they would do such a thing. But if I am to accept the notion that it is evil NOT to subscribe to a religious following, I HAVE TO wonder how can one base his/her life on a premise that doesn’t really serve the greater good of all? Are we REALLY a society full of things ONLY black or white? Now I know that we are individuals and we are not responsible for each other, but I have to say that when an individual cast another aside because he/she does NOT believe in the ‘rain god’ they serve; didn’t they commit to the drought they are trying to prevent? How do they commit to something that supposedly makes them ‘good’ and/or ‘holy’ and that same thing makes them leave non-believers like me behind? Doesn’t their commitment make them EXTRA vulnerable to faith healers, charlatans and frauds of all stripes?

Obviously there are exceptions to the rule where religious commitments are concerned. There are individual people and individual faiths that are tolerant towards people of different faiths and towards people with no faith at all. But whether we accept it or not, the rule in religion is intolerance toward those who don't commit and I can’t wrap my mind around this defense mechanism, but then again, don’t you have not to think and or question things in order to fully commit? 

6 comments:

  1. Oooh if that is Jesus I may have to convert to Christianity again!
    YUMMY!
    I'll bow to him!

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I was in middle school I was an acolyte in the local Presbyterian church. I lit the candles at the altar at the beginning of the service and put them out at the end.

    I did it because a friend of mine was doing it and because I got to eat free donuts during the service. I sat at the back of the church and it was easy to sneak out and go to the community room.

    Don't laugh! I was 14 and growing like a weed. I ate everything in sight and still lost weight. It was never about the religion. It was all about the donuts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. CAL - I WON'T LAUGH @ YOU, I WAS JUST TELLING A FRIEND THE OTHER DAY HOW I WENT TO CHURCH BECAUSE I KNEW AFTERWARDS MY UNCLE WOULD TAKE MY SISTER & I TO McDONALDS FOR BREAKFAST!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've been reading many posts about religion lately, and it's really hard for me to explain my stance. I claim to be a Christian; however, I pull the basics from it, as in accordance to the basics of many other religions . . . Just be kind and loving to others.

    I'm a spiritual guy, believing in forces beyond my hearing and seeing, and this is because of my family roots when it comes to believing in a higher being, and based on my own experiences with faith. Now, some may claim happenstance and luck . . . maybe even karma. I'm not sure, but I do believe in something, and I think that's really the answer to questions about religions . . . it’s something to believe in and look forward to.

    When we die, do we go somewhere in the sky . . . do we come back as an animal or another human . . . do we fertilize the lawn? We don't know, and that's what scares the majority of us, so in place of fear (or at least to soothe fear), we choose faith. Faith soothes fear.

    Now, some people take religion to other levels of extremity, and a lot of things can factor into their logic. For me, God is real. I think of God as an Acronym: Great Order of Divinity.

    It's like the Justice League of faiths, bundled up. I don't know, but it works for me, just like a lot of other religions work for others, as well as those who don't have a religion at all because it’s whatever works for you to get through the day and life. I don't quote scriptures and I don't go to church because it's monotonous ritual that lost its true meaning along the way. I fellowship with those who love me, I tolerate those who don't, I embrace things new and old, and I try to act from a place of love, but fumble along the way. Human life is religion enough when you think about it...I just have a few extra beliefs to keep a happy balance.

    Another long ass reply . . . I’m sorry ya'll LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. BAMA BOI - DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE LONG ASS REPLY. I THINK YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK LOVE THE ACRONYM FOR GOD BTW.

    ReplyDelete

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