Rant #10: Religion and Faith
“Religion is the death of faith.” - James York
I know I’m stepping into a minefield with this rant, but I’ve decided to get a few things out among the populace (or at least those who read this…past that it’s anyone’s game). It’s my belief that religion really is the death of faith. Don’t get me wrong; religion has its good side…but then again…the road to hell is paved with good intentions. What people need to strive for, within their own particular beliefs, is faith.
Faith, whether it’s in God, Allah, or the painting on the wall, is what counts in the end. Faith is what people need to turn to in times of need…and when times are good. Faith is the lifeblood of any morality, humanity, and any other good quality of human nature. But what people end up turning to is religion. The biggest blinder that is pulled over the eyes of those in need. Religion has become ritualistic; dogma has replaced the purity of discovery. The enlightenment of faith has been replaced with a set of rules to follow; 16 simple steps to Heaven (or whatever the name of your particular afterlife is called).
However, religion has a few saving graces. The most obvious is a group of people who have the general idea of how you find faith. I say “general idea” because you have to find your own faith; everyone’s is different. Another good thing are missions. People going out and helping others who need help. But, like the Crusades, religion could lead to bad things.
Faith cannot be, or be turned into, bad things. It’s what people do when they have faith in religion, not in a higher purpose, that leads to bad things. The entire discovery, the purity, the creativity, the sheer power of faith has been taken away by the religions of the world. Everyone should find his or her own faith; no one can have the same faith. The differences in faith don’t come from who and what and how someone believes, but in why they believe. The way we were brought up, or how we live our lives creates differences in our own faith.
But these differences aren’t bad; they shouldn’t be mocked or shunned. They should be embraced. They bring life to faith. And hopefully they could change religion into something more…lifelike. Something that lives and breathes. Not something that is so set in its ways that it makes stone envious of its immutability. When someone has faith, real, true faith, they turn into something pure, peaceful, and powerful. Religion is an assembly line churning out carbon copy after carbon copy.
I could go on, but I need to end this. So I shall leave you with this: Find your faith anyway you can. It will take you to a place that you will never want to leave.
- James York
I know I’m stepping into a minefield with this rant, but I’ve decided to get a few things out among the populace (or at least those who read this…past that it’s anyone’s game). It’s my belief that religion really is the death of faith. Don’t get me wrong; religion has its good side…but then again…the road to hell is paved with good intentions. What people need to strive for, within their own particular beliefs, is faith.
Faith, whether it’s in God, Allah, or the painting on the wall, is what counts in the end. Faith is what people need to turn to in times of need…and when times are good. Faith is the lifeblood of any morality, humanity, and any other good quality of human nature. But what people end up turning to is religion. The biggest blinder that is pulled over the eyes of those in need. Religion has become ritualistic; dogma has replaced the purity of discovery. The enlightenment of faith has been replaced with a set of rules to follow; 16 simple steps to Heaven (or whatever the name of your particular afterlife is called).
However, religion has a few saving graces. The most obvious is a group of people who have the general idea of how you find faith. I say “general idea” because you have to find your own faith; everyone’s is different. Another good thing are missions. People going out and helping others who need help. But, like the Crusades, religion could lead to bad things.
Faith cannot be, or be turned into, bad things. It’s what people do when they have faith in religion, not in a higher purpose, that leads to bad things. The entire discovery, the purity, the creativity, the sheer power of faith has been taken away by the religions of the world. Everyone should find his or her own faith; no one can have the same faith. The differences in faith don’t come from who and what and how someone believes, but in why they believe. The way we were brought up, or how we live our lives creates differences in our own faith.
But these differences aren’t bad; they shouldn’t be mocked or shunned. They should be embraced. They bring life to faith. And hopefully they could change religion into something more…lifelike. Something that lives and breathes. Not something that is so set in its ways that it makes stone envious of its immutability. When someone has faith, real, true faith, they turn into something pure, peaceful, and powerful. Religion is an assembly line churning out carbon copy after carbon copy.
I could go on, but I need to end this. So I shall leave you with this: Find your faith anyway you can. It will take you to a place that you will never want to leave.
- James York