Religion and mankind dont work for many reasons in my opinion.
Probably the most blatent reasons comes from the story "Defender of the Faith," where Sheldon Grosbart uses religion as an excuse to get out of certain duties, and work. Sheldon is in a Company in the Army during WWII. Sheldon first uses his religion to get out of "G.I. Parties" in which the company cleans the barracks. Then he uses it to get out of certain drills, and then tries to use it to gain more acceptible food for him, and those of his faith. He also expects to be sent where he wants to go by way of his Company Commander because they share the same faith. This of course does not happen, but the fact of the matter is that he tried to use religion to further his goals. This happens frequently, from personal experience in seeing it in action.
I have read through the Bible three times, and have been baptized seven different
religions just so I could see the differences in those religions. To be quite honest, they ae all based on the same basic principles as set in the Bible, however, having read the Bible 3 times, I have found that there are a great many contradictions in the Bible. For instance, there are at least twice as many "Don'ts" as there are "Do's." I do admit that for religion, faith is the key to being able to work with it. I hold my own covenant with God, and I feel that I am not going to the Hell described by Catholics for not going to church, or holding their style of faith.
I also have many questions regarding the Bible.
How can you know for certain that the events transpired exactly the way the person who wrote the Bible says they did? There are similar stories that come from Sumerian tablets which were written at least 1000 years before Jesus was born. I am aware that the Bible is one or even several people's interpretations of what really happened, but again "interpretation" is the key word. How one person interprets the actions of another, may very well differ from other people's interpretations. In my opinion, there is no way to ascertain the fact that what all has happened in the Bible did in fact happen.
The many religions put down psychics, astrologer's, and the like as charlatans, and "Practicers of the Black Arts."
Jesus could not have done half of the things he did without certain of those powers. Certain people I have talked to have said that "God gave those powers to his Son." I don't question that fact, but could God have given those same powers to other people if He chose to do so? If He did, would that not be putting God down as well? In my opinion we are ALL sons and daughters of God, and He could give anything He wants to any one of us.
The Catholic faith believes in "The Original Sin."
If it is true that we carry that particular instance down through so many generations, do we carry the sins of all of our ancestors as well? Someone's ancestor could have been a murderer. Should that follow the family generation after generation until that family no longer exists? I don't think so. In our society, we treat any sin as a person's own. So why should we believe that we carry a sin from birth that two people did so many thousands of years ago?
Then there is the fact of Cain and Able.
Cain and Able were Adam and Eve's first born sons. The Bible clearly states that they went out into the land of others (Moab), and found wives. If Adam and Eve were the first people to populate the planet,where did these others come from? I have been in many discussions, and everyone says the same thing, "The others were also offspring of Adam and Eve." So there we have another contradiction. Western religion denounces incest, and yet there it is in the Bible in black and white. It says that is how the planet was populated. This of course is by one person's interpretation, but if it happened another way, where did these others come from?
Then there is the God of Abraham, and Isaac.
The God of Abraham and Isaac was an extremely vengeful God who would not put up with people not doing exactly what he said. That is not the God that I know. My God is a peaceful, and loving God, that is here to nurture and help his children, not a God that would destroy a person that was led astray of His path. People lead their own lives and make their own decisions. Whether they do what they think is right, or what they think God would want, it still boils down to them making that decision.
I do not believe in the Devil, or in Hell.
In Greek history, they call "Hell" Hades. Hades in original Greek means "The Grave." Where do people get the phrase "Fire and Brimstone?" From what I understand, Lucifer was God's "Right Hand Man," who had a difference of opinion from what God was doing, and fell from His grace. Does this mean we should ALL have the same opinion, or at least the same opinion regarding God? If so, why were there different opinions of what God was like in the Bible? I mean the God of Abraham was not the same God that Moses spoke to, or the same God that Noah spoke to. Would God have not shown himself as the same to each and every one of those that he spoke to?
Then there is the tale of Sodom and Gamorrah.
If God destroyed those cities for what was going on within them, why hasn't He destroyed places like Las Vegas, or Reno, or for that matter every city on this planet? People in this day and age, including religious people and the church, put money above God. Our society cannot live without money. We can on the other hand live without God. This is proven by the Atheistic community. They do not believe in God, or in anything the Bible has to say. They also do not believe in the Devil or in Hell. Why doesn't God destroy them? The God of Abraham would.
The Church requires Tithing.
Why does it require people to give 10% of their earnings to the Church? They hide behind the doctrine that the money goes to God. How does it help God? God doesn't need money. What use would he have for money when He could have anything He wants? This goes hand in hand with what religions decide that their followers must eat, wear, practice, etc. if all this were true course with God, would he not demand that every religion and person do the same thing? Why would he have put all of the animals on the Earth for man to eat and/or dominate? To me, Religion has hidden greed and power within the safe confines of symbolism.
God gave man the right to make his own decisions and opinions.
If this were not the case, would there be different world governments? If he wanted us to follow his rule only, would he not appoint one person to lead all of human kind in His ways, and by His rules and regulations? There would be no need for armies because we would all be following His ways, or if there were armies, the armies would be made to serve either good or evil only.
Probably one of the most difficult questions I have is;
if God created us, Who or what created God? There has to be someone or something that created Him. If not, then does God really exist? And if He doesn't exist, who thought Him up? There is the contention that God created all, but who created God's world and Universe?
The promise of everlasting life in God's realm tells me that there is life after death. Yet the Church states that "Ghosts and Poltergeists" are spirits in purgatory who are not accepted by God, but are also not bad enough to send to Hell. Am I to believe that my God would turn his back on those lost souls? No, not my God.
I do not agree with the idea of baptism.
We are born in water. Probably the holiest water of all. Why then should we be "Baptized" to cleanse our sins away, or for that matter the "Original Sin?" Baptism is nothing more than another symbol. It doesn't cleanse our past. The sins are still committed and cannot
be erased as though we were taking a bath, and cleaning our bodies. God forgives us, if we do not make the same mistake again. even if we do, what is He going to do, or has He done to make us learn from or to pay for that sin? Mankind on the other hand has done plenty.
Throughout history, time and time again, there are stories of people NOT God taking it into their own hands to punish a person for his/her sins against man, i.e., the Salem Witch Trials. Did God punish those who practiced the "Black Arts?" No, Man did. In the Holy Wars, was it God who put them up to killing one another because they didn't agree with another religion? I do not think so. During the Middle Ages, people with certain medical afflictions, were put to death, because others couldn't understand why they acted this way or that. They maintained that it was the work of the Devil, and took it upon themselves to rid the world of the Abomination. Then you get people like Hitler, or now Milosevic who are or were in the process of "Ethnic Cleansing." Why would God tolerate genocide? Other men claim to be on a mission from God. People like Charles Manson and David Koresch. Would God order the wholesale killing of His own children, even if it is in His name? Again I do not think so.
The Golden Rule says it all in my opinion. "Do unto others as you would have done to you." If everyone lived by that rule, the world would would be not only a safer place to live, but a much happier place to live as well.
