An attack on the religion, and not the religious…
There’s a little rant that I’d like to get off my chest, but I certainly don’t want it to misunderstood, or misinterpreted.
I hate religion.
Now, this is a very bold statement of course, and any initial presumptions you might have for my meaning need to be set aside for a moment. I don’t hate religious people; I don’t hate people who believe in god, or worship him, or put their faith in Jesus, or believe in a higher power or a creation theory. I don’t hate any of these people much in the same way as I don’t hate an owl for eating a mouse, a cloud for blocking the sunshine, or my girlfriend for using a Mac instead of a Windows. Every life form on Earth operates in the way they believe to be in optimum equilibrium with what they want, what they need, and what they perceive of the world around them. If a person wants to find their strength and faith in something supernatural or religious, then I’ll gladly march for their right to do so. No, I don’t hate any religious person, even to the level of zealots and extremists taking lives and terrorising people. They too are simply trying to live in accordance with what they have been taught to, or chosen to, believe.
Religion itself however, as a singular entity, is something I can hate.
It is a single idea that exists on a plane free of logic or observable fact, amidst a sea of denied philosophies and repressed ideas. From the extreme, to the conservative, no religious denomination has been able to fit itself into the modern world without some degree of a needless logical leap or an unessasary suspension of disbelief. The apparent answers provided by religion pose no benefit to humanity that a person can’t find for themselves via a more appropriate passage; and as such, the anger and the hate and the racism, the misogyny and the homophobia, are in no way an acceptable counter-balance for the negative reapercussions of many of today’s modern religious organisations. I accept the good that many of these groups do for the world, but as I said, these are not deeds that need to be applied to religion, but actions that man is perfectly capable of rationally deciding to undertake, for the benefit of those around them
If your god tells you that it’s wrong to be gay, or that women should be subservient, or that people who believe in something that contradicts your own views should burn in hell, then that’s fine. I accept that you’re only following the beliefs and ideals that you have been raised around or have stumbled upon, and while I hope you decide to some day walk a different path, I understand that you have the right not to. I don’t hate you, nor do I harbour any ill-will towards you.
Religion itself however, I do hate. I hate that this is a world in which it needs to exist. I hate the notion that people need it, and willingly perpetuate its existence in the face of all the bad that it has done and will do to the collective people of this world. I hate the concept that there exists something that after over one hundred thousand years, still controls people’s thoughts and actions despite no credible proof of its validity.
One day, I like to think that it will be gone, and then at least people will have a little bit less to fight about.
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--- Grumpy Comments --- 
Organised religion was quite clearly invented as a tool to control the masses. I have no problem with people inventing a God – I kind of think of him as a recycle bin, or a remote hard drive. You know, somewhere to put all the stuff that just won’t fit in your head. In the olden days, people needed religion, so they could be told what to think and do. But now, the masses have outgrown the need for that. Because they have Simon Cowell.
I agree with your hate for religion. I too have no stomach for it. I do follow Jesus Christ. He however was in no way religious. In fact He had some very strong words against religion as well. And you are right to say that people should not be hated nor should we battle them. We can however, fight against these ridiculous streams of thought that lift themselves up to the lofty position of trying to be somehow equal with Deity. Religion always bring death, bondage, and corruption. In fact it was religion that put Jesus to death for His teaching against it. But He beat it by coming back from said death and living!
What sucks, to me, is that say this one guy actually did meet God and talk to him and God was like, “do whatever,” and that dude went and told his friend. But his friend was like, “screw that, I’m using this shit,” and then just started making shit up for his own gain and so on and so on. People always accept the negative before the positive.
Your views on religion mirror my own almost exactly. Thank you for posting.
Fantastic post. I enjoyed it, agreed with it and it was funny too. After reading your post I feel slightly more pessimistic than the world and its state, though…
Great post
For me, blogs are all about the writing. If you tell a good story and tell it well, I’ll enjoy your blog. In that context, I like this post. You expressed yourself well and made your message understood. As to your premise though, I must disagree. It is not religion I hate, it is the legalism that people who follow their religion have created. It is the repressive rules that are used to control others. This is especially the case with men controling women by making that control a part of a woman being religious. But in some insane ways, men are controled, too. However, the belief in something greater, something better, something that gives hope, well, that I support. It may be a drug, but it’s a good one when used correctly. HF
It is so seldom used correctly, far too often to the detriment of others and, as Felix stated, very seldom to the benefit of the user that couldn’t be achieved using non-judgemental, non-arcane methods.
Yeah, you have certainly hit at the heart of the problem–so seldom used correctly. So much hatred from people who say they are all about love.
Reminds me of some guy I was talking to once. I asked him “If God asked you to kill ten thousand people, would you do it.” His answer, without a moment’s hesitation, and a look of incredulity on his face. “Yes.”
Really liked this post man. I’m an atheist and so I have similar feelings on the matter. To each their own ultimately, but I think the world could certainly benefit from a bit more criticism of organized religion. Peace…
[…] am reproducing below an article posted by Felix O’Shea (@GrumpyComments) titled “An attack on the religion, and not the religious…” that conveys my thought in […]