I’ve heard a statement repeated again and again lately. I’m not even sure why I’ve heard it so often lately, but I’m tired of keeping my mouth shut. I’m going to try to keep this from turning into too long of a rant – I don’t want to rant about it, I just want to offer a different view point. I’ve been tempted to say something, but it never really felt right. Now, unable to sleep, I need to get this off my chest. Please keep in mind, I really don’t want to offend anybody. So here goes, a blog about… religion.

“You know, religion has a lot to answer for lately.” That’s one way it’s often put. Another way I’ve heard it said, primarily by teenagers or twenty-somethings, is this: “If it weren’t for religion, there wouldn’t be so much hate in this world.”

Let’s handle the first one, “religion has a lot to answer for.” Yes, religion does, doesn’t it? So much to answer for, it’s really quite difficult to take it all in. The explosion of artistic accomplishment in the renaissance; the foundations of classical music and some of the world’s most remarkable and ingenious compositions; from the East, religion gave us – among other beautiful things – martial arts, meditation, and ancient healing practices that are still used today; complex and detailed histories documenting thousands upon thousands of years of human existence, documented in church records, family bibles/scriptures, etc – from the ancient Egyptians to modern Christianity, religions keep amazing and long-lasting records of their people; billions of dollars in aid and countless hours of service throughout the world as carried out by missionaries, church volunteers, church-funded relief programs, and so on; educational programs established in developing countries, organized by various religious organizations for the benefit of less fortunate individuals, regardless of race, religion, or background, simply for the purpose of improving lives; The Salvation Army, as well as countless other similar programs, which exist solely for the purpose of reaching out to those in need; physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual refuge offered by churches and religious leaders everywhere to anyone in need.

The list goes on and on, I could be here all night, continuing to mention everything that religion has done for me, my family, my community, or the world around me. But that’s not the sort of answer that the question really elicits, is it? Typically, what follows after that question is a rant, embodied by the second question, “If it weren’t for religion, there wouldn’t be so much hate in this world.”

As far as I know, not many churches or religious people claim that their faith makes them perfect individuals. I know I’m not. People are people – some are prone to liking the color green, some are prone to being more personable than others, and sometimes, some people are more prone to hatred, anger, violence, and extremism. That’s a fact of living in the human race – people aren’t perfect.

I do not believe it is fair to blame all of the world’s problems on religion. It’s short-sighted, and it undermines the complexities of hatred as manifested in society. At its core, hatred is a symbol of someone’s inner demons, so to speak. A person who is prone to hatred is not that way because of religion, but because of harder, more deeply rooted issues. Were they abused? Were they manipulated? Were they persuaded? Are they ignorant? Are they unhappy? Do they feel as if the world has treated them unfairly? Are they prideful? Are they seeking power? Are they greedy?

None of these root emotions have anything to do with religion itself, except that most religions I know of – at least the religions currently on the hotseat – actually preach against these issues. They’ve counselled their people to avoid these feelings. I’ve never heard of a Muslim proclaiming that Mohammed told His people to be prideful, or greedy, or ignorant. I’ve never heard a Christian tell me that Christ was a teacher of manipulation, abuse, or unhappiness. I’ve never heard a Rabbi tell me that a true Jewish believer would seek power, even if it meant hurting your followers, and taking advantage of those around you.

But the fact remains, yes, there are extremists. In any religion – actually, in any society – you will find individuals who seek after these things. They want power, they want to control, they want to hate. If these people didn’t have religion to latch onto, it’s completely possible that they would latch onto something else – just as so many people have who do not subscribe to any particular religion. There are still murderers who do not have religion behind their motives; there are still terrorists who hate for the sake of hatred, outside of any religious boundaries; there are still abusers who take no spirituality into account when they take advantage of their victims.

People are imperfect, and I believe that on this Earth, they always will be. It’s human nature. I believe that religion teaches us that we can be better than human nature, that we can progress, and that we can work to improve ourselves and the world around us. I think that’s a great thing, no matter which religion it comes from. Does that mean that this will turn anyone religious into an extremist? Of course not. There are billions of people on this planet who are simply trying to improve themselves and the world they live in. The majority of spiritual people do not stock-pile weapons so that one day they may rise up and crush the infidels, unbelievers, and/or opposers.

In the grand scheme of things, these sorts of extremists are a miniscule fraction of the world’s religious population. For the most part, I believe, religious people are trying earnestly to get along with their neighbors. I believe religious people, as a whole, are doing the best they possibly can to improve their lives and live up to their personal religious creeds.

And I believe that even if we were to erase religion from existence, there would always be extremists. Because there will always be human nature – we will always have problems, we will always inevitably have disagreements, and we will always be different in one way or another. Some people will handle this with grace and civility, while others will not take to differences so kindly.

Do religious people make mistakes? Yes, of course they do, because they’re people. And sometimes, people aren’t all that smart, sometimes people aren’t all that stable, and sometimes people falter. But the important thing is – for the most part – they’re trying, just as hard as those people who are not religious.

So, does religion have a lot to answer for? Yes, but I believe the vast majority of it is beautiful, remarkable, inspiring, and of infinite worth to everyone who inhabits this planet, religious or otherwise. You don’t have to agree with any particular religion in order to appreciate its contribution to society. Would we have so much beautiful art without the Vatican’s long-time influence and investment? I’m not a Catholic, but I certainly appreciate it and love them for it. Would we have such inspiring and joyous gospel music if it weren’t for the Southern Baptists? I’m not a Southern Baptist, but I’ll sing along and clap my hands with the rest of them, because I love its beauty and its message of happiness and gratitude. If it weren’t for Muslims, would we have such awe-inspiring houses of worship spread throughout the world, a testament to architectural and spiritual inspiration, beauty, devotion, and accomplishment? I’m not a Muslim, but I can feel the reverence, humility, and faith whenever I enter a mosque.

Is religion at fault for all the hatred in the world? No, human frailty is. And human frailty becomes dangerous when pride is introduced. I believe that without the direction and stability that religion can offer so many people, many people would be lost today. I know I would be. Sure, religion doesn’t work for everybody, but I for one need it in my life. As I’m sure many millions of others on this planet need it. Without it, I know I would be lost. That feeling would certainly not bring peace and tranquility into my life, and it’s in that void of loss that hatred is bred. If religion doesn’t work for you, that’s understandable. If not being religious makes you happy, then I will be happy for you. If religion works for your neighbor, understand that they’ve found something that meets their needs, and be happy for them. Be grateful that they aren’t lost.

I feel better now that I’ve gotten it out of my head and written down. Again, I hope I haven’t offended anyone. It’s just really been bothering me, this perpetuation of anti-religious sentiment. I believe it is ignoring the great contributions the religions of the world have given to all of us. It’s being hateful and showing a deep sense of ingratitude and misunderstanding, all because of a miniscule fraction of very loud religious extremists. I’m proud of my faith, I’m staunch in my religious beliefs, but I do not begrudge anyone else theirs. All I would like to see is that same respect, mirrored for me and for anyone else who is a part of any religion.

Please feel free to post comments. I would love to get reactions from this. Please forgive any spelling or grammatical mistakes you may have found – it’s about 4:30 in the morning and I haven’t been able to sleep. 🙂 So please, post your thoughts and reactions. And good night!