The Religious Quandary

Today as the the priest washed the feet of members from the congregation (both male and female, making you hope that one day they would go further than these set genders), as Jesus did for his disciples, all those years ago, symbolic that if you want to be the greatest you would first have to be the servant of all, this made me wonder where the hell did we loose the entire plot? When did we start behaving like an entitled lot, like one of the Pharisees? When did religion become a pawn in spreading hatred, become a pawn in vote bank politics? I believe in God as a divine being, I believe in religion, but don’t consider myself religious. I am a Catholic, but I am a Human Being first. I don’t want my religion to define me, to label me, cause I am a human first, the rest will all follow. 

Though I am religious (a tiny insy-winsy bit) I fear the religious zealots. Every religion have them, the ones who feel like they are entitled ones and the rest are undeserving sinners, they consider themselves the chosen and the others lost souls, those who feel heaven is theirs and the rest is left to fend for themselves. Who look down on people from other religions, other social status, other communities, the LGBTQ, in short people who don’t meet their expectations. But then they fail to understand that Christ spent most of his time around tax collectors and the so called sinners, preaching to them, eating with them. Wonder if these would the same, well maybe if there’s something in it for them.

Somewhere down the line we seemed to have lost our humanity, the whole idea and it’s preaching, of loving one another, of forgiveness (ok this is difficult). If God is love, and where there’s love there’s god, so why is religion so intolerant, why is religion so unaccepting, so cruel. Well it’s not religion that’s intolerant, that’s unaccepting, it’s the religious who are that way, who put it squarely on religion for their behaviour. They make you feel unwelcomed because of your beliefs, who you are, especially when you fail to fit into their narrow definition. But then no religion propagates hate, exclusivity, that’s all mans doing. And if you blame religious tenets then remember it’s written by man, and his interpretation of what god said. If they really wanted to follow anything then they should stop coveting their neighbour’s wife, or even honour your father and mother.

Somehow I feel that an atheist has more humanity and humility than most priest and religious do (see I used most and not all cause there are those rays of hope). There’s love in a world where there are no labels, that’s more accepting irrespective who you are, your gender, your social status, your religious beliefs, your orientation, what you believe in. And in doing so, people have begun to move  away from religion, to something that’s accepting of them, where they don’t feel threatened. We all need a safe space where you are allowed to be who you are, to be true to yourself. Sadly this is the one thing that religious zealots will never give you.

It’s time we change the way we see the world, and through our actions bring about change in the heart of these religious heartless. Show them religion is more than just what they believe, they need to change the way they see the world, take off their self-righteous religious glasses and be humane. It’s time to change the way religion is interpreted, change the way religion is perceived, it’s time religion and humanity walk hand in hand.