Forgive me Tolkein for ripping off your beautiful poem from Lord of the Rings. It is perhaps aptly fitting, considering he was quite famously a devout Christian man.
I should preface this rant on monotheistic religion by saying I don’t intend to belittle your beliefs; I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and opinions. It is your God-given and basic human right to be allowed the freedom of thought. What I plan to do here is simply state just how out-dated and perhaps antiquated a lot of our religious doctrine and axioms are. I want you to see that just because you’ve been told something, it doesn’t necessarily make it true. Because someone (or some people) wrote something 2000 years ago, it does not make it accurate or true today.
Let’s begin with the creation of the Hebrew Bible, or the Torah, sometime around 1300 BC, and the major contributing factor to monotheism in the world today.
Curiously, depending on the interpretation, some people claim that the God that exposed himself in the Torah wasn’t the ONLY God — he was just the only God that showed himself to Abraham. He may have just been the God of Israel, an idea which would fit in with the polytheistic pantheon of Greek and Egyptian Gods, and the slew of other tribal Gods that existed all around the world. Over the following years, and as more scripture was divinely inspired and added to the Hebrew Bible, it seems that the Israeli God slowly pushed out all other Gods until he was the only one:
“Know this day, and take it to heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is none else.” Deuteronomy 4:39
And thus, monotheism was born. Polytheism quickly fell by the wayside, shunted aside by the vast strength of the monotheistic belief system. Christianity quickly followed in the first century AD, with Islam following a little later.
Fast forward to today and the belief in a single almighty, all-knowing and dreadful God rules more than half the world.
Humans have long believed in some kind of spirituality. We want to believe that we’re not just lumps of meat that walk around for 80 years and then die, to be consumed by the earth; there’s something in our DNA or our physiological makeup that makes us inclined to believe in some kind of higher power. Somewhere along our genetic time track, between being primordial ooze and the humans we are today, something went click, and we started explaining away certain phenomena as the actions of Gods, or at least some kind of omnipresent force that watches over us.
With so much belief, it’s unsurprising that Gods literally sprung up everywhere. A God of Wine, a God of Battle, a God of Love — you name it, at some stage there was probably a God that ‘oversaw’ that sphere of reality. When Caesar won a battle in Gaul against an army 10 times greater than his, that belief in something greater, that urge to find explicate all things wonderful, he attributed his overwhelming good luck to a benevolent Mars, the God of War.
It is this slightly odd urge to attribute everything that happens to some kind of higher power that makes us susceptible to religion in general, and monotheism in particular.
I wonder if, when a male lion fends off his pride from another male, he stops to thank the Gods or God, or if he just marvels at his own prowess and strength. Why then must we, as humans, always be humble in the eyes of God? Why can our greatest endeavours only be realised and ratified with the grace and benevolence of God? Why can we not be great and powerful in our own right, and why must we thank God instead of the work by other great men and women?
The thing is, monotheistic religion actually had a valuable place in ancient civilisation. Most things happen for a reason, and monotheism was required for the development of the world that we live in today. It’s widely believed that the development of monotheism went hand-in-hand with the development of large cities and trade between countries — as people moved from villages and tribes into larger cities, monotheism began to take hold. In such a large, messy and dangerous environment — a veritable melting pot of different cultures and tribes — a single religion, with a single God, was undoubtedly a desirable resolution to such problems.
When you swear on mighty, vengeful God to make good on a trade agreement, other believers of the same religion are very likely to believe and trust you. Before monotheism, trading and buying goods from around the world was almost nonexistent. Unfortunately, for the believers, some intelligent people quickly realised something else about monotheism: it’s very good for controlling people.
While polytheism was generally about explaining away unknown phenomena, monotheism is much more about the control of people, and much more importantly about the control of thought. God expects you to act like this and treat other people like that; God tells you what is right, and more importantly what is wrong.
Therein lies the rub: it’s not actually God telling us these things, it’s a bunch of prophets, scribes and priests. Not to be left out, even a few kings and emperors, over the millenia, have leaned over the shoulder of a scribe and said ‘Oh, I don’t like that bit… take it out.’ If an almighty being, one that was actually omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent had written the Hebrew Bible or New Testament, then we might be on to something. Sadly, they didn’t — humans did. Now, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Religion had its place, historically. Sure, it preyed upon our inherent belief that there’s something bigger than us out there, but it did enable civilisation to grow, and develop. It made it possible for people to live in relative safety, and to develop empires that shaped the world we know today.
Now that we’ve reached modernity, religion seems a little outdated. It still controls what we say and what we do. Once upon a time, eating bacon or shellfish was undoubtedly risky; just as a homosexual relationship probably was too. Today, they are not. Today, religion — organised religion, with a hierarchy, with priests, and with a system for regulating our actions and thoughts — serves very little purpose. It might be argued that religion has killed more people over the past 2000 years than it has saved. It might be argued that the world would be a different, wonderful place if the intellectual and spiritual road-block of the Dark Ages had never existed.
The problem is this: our need to believe in something is so great and so unerring that once belief is instilled in us, it’s almost impossible to shake off. The most monstrous atrocities can happen to a person, and they will still believe in God’s infallibility; they will still believe that God is watching over them, and that he has a mighty plan that justifies everything.
The root of almost every failed civillisation can be traced back to an over-zealous High Priest
I use the term ‘High Priest’ loosely; it could be a king, emperor, president or anyone that is buoyed up by the belief of a religion’s followers.
The thing is if God actually existed, and he actually guided us, there wouldn’t be a problem. He would actually know everything that has happened and will happen in the future. Unfortunately, I can’t disprove God — no one can. That’s the key, the linchpin and the crux to every single organised religion: they prey on our fear of the unknown. That’s why every religion exists and why they are followed fervently — from tribal polytheism to modern monotheism — to explain unknown phenomena. Every single religion has some tie-in to an afterlife, or heaven, or hell, or purgatory, or even rebirth. They rely on ideas that most likely can never be proven wrong. They rely on appealing to that spiritual side of us that we seemingly have very little control over.
Perhaps it is finally time to throw away a God that disables and lessens our vast abilities. Letting someone else decide for us what is right and wrong, what we can and can’t do, is such a damn cop-out! We, the human race, are so infinitely capable; why would we listen to anyone, or a God, that tells us otherwise?
Roog
Mar 19, 2009
Its your God-given right and a basic human right to be allowed the freedom of thought.
That line is so funny considering the subject and the conclusion, i hope it was intended
pinkjellybaby
Mar 19, 2009
All I have to say is that I love the fact that one of the related posts here is “So, there I was, sitting on the toilet…”. Indeed.
Although I argee with what you have said, I can’t really comment as I know nothing whatsoever about religion, apart from the fact that we were forced to read the Bible in Primary School which I was never too happy about.
I’ve never seemed to be able to get my head around the fact that people have such an unfaltering belief in God that even with all the pain and suffering in the world, they can still argue ‘his’ existance.
That’s my pennys worth and I’m afraid it’s all I have.
sebastian
Mar 19, 2009
Roog, I like to dice my language up a bit. Did you spot my use of ‘crux’ at the end, too?
That’s the problem with faith, Miss Jellybaby. People believe in it so strongly and so unerringly that they perpetuate it through the nurturing of their children too. If parents let their children be inquisitive and discover their own faith (or lack of), religion would be so much weaker. It’s the fact that religion is indoctrinated rather forcefully into our psyche that makes it (and the priests, and God) so powerful.
If our freedom of choice and thought was returned to us (most likely through better parenting!), then religion would just be a fun, community-driven way to give us workable morals and virtues.
pinkjellybaby
Mar 19, 2009
Hmmm I don’t know about that… I can’t say I got any idea about religion from my Parents! I was never pressured into anything by them…just by the school!
sebastian
Mar 19, 2009
And you’re not very religious, correct? As in, you don’t attend a church, or read a religious text regularly?
Ambles
Mar 19, 2009
My friends like to say I have “faith” but not “religion.” It’s the only way to explain my total lack of patience for the rules, accepted truths, the idea of conversion, etc. combined with my actual belief in God.
I think that faith definitely has a place in the modern world, especially where there are real atrocities happening every day… prayer can have a very soothing, comforting effect when all else seems lost, and a belief in God thus turns to a source of strength, rather than defeatism, or religious apathy (as in the “It’s God’s will, so there’s really nothing to be done” bullshit.)
As for me, at times when I have felt like I was doing or thinking something that was “agianst God”, after praying about it, I didn’t really feel that way anymore. For me, a belief in God will always be a source of freedom – an outlet for discovering what it is I really want, think, and am capable of… not a prison in which my mind, soul, and body are enslaved.
But don’t even get me started on all the crap that religion has done. Like I said, I have no patience.
sebastian
Mar 19, 2009
I think faith has as much a place in the modern world as we have the requirement to believe in something greater than ourselves.
Prayer can be very soothing, but why more so than meditation, or just sitting back in a deep, plush sofa and enjoying a chocolate bar? Why must we find solace in some kind of higher order? It’s irrational, and seemingly programmed into us genetically.
I can understand the concept of prayer, and the release it can provide, I just think that the structure and the ‘requirements’ of the belief enforced by organised, monotheistic religions is counter-productive to the believers themselves.
A concept once so pure, and so vital for survival (a God of the Hunt, for example!) has been horribly manipulated by intelligent and charismatic leaders!
There are people with faith (i.e. spirituality) without the religious baggage that usually accompanies it. Those people are the lucky ones!
Ambles
Mar 19, 2009
The thing about meditation, or other relaxing activities is that you are in a sense attempting to drown out the things that are bothering you… with prayer you are actually attempting to work out those issues. Just think of it as incredibly inexpensive psycho-therapy!
Also, when someone else prays for you, if they are really putting some thought into it and not just prattling off the usual sentiments, it can be kind of amazing… even if you don’t believe it’s working at all, for some reason it really does help, at least where your menatl health is concerned!
And yes, it is nice to be able to belive in something without all those little inconveniences… like, say, blasphemy! Blasphemy’s a bitch… she never lets anyone else say a thing.
sebastian
Mar 19, 2009
This is where discussion becomes a little tough, because no matter what I say to try and alter your opinion, you have faith, unwavering faith!
I think it’s very tough to say that prayer and meditation are different. Prayer assumes that there actually is a God (or something/someone) listening. Meditation assumes that you can work out everything in your own head. It’s a presumption of most religions that YOU, as a person/being, is only SO powerful; that there is only so much that you can achieve without the aid of God. This is a fallacy in my opinion, a nasty falsehood indoctrinated into us over hundreds of years.
Did you never stop to think that you were positively effecting your own health, and that no one else was involved in the process?
Ambles
Mar 19, 2009
Oh please, no one else involved? I would have to be a total hermit for that to happen…
You know Sebastian, discussion can be good for things other than simply trying to convince someone
Hannah-Lane
Mar 19, 2009
so you totally read my mind I think…and I don’t understand all this “thank God” business…I mean, if I do something great it’s because I DID IT. not that some mystical marshmallow man in the sky popped in for a bit and did it for me.
I also love the sayings they put on church billboards. My favorite two were when one week it said “Even the Devil goes to church” …first of all, how do you even know that? and second of all, if the Devil goes to church and the Devil is evil..then why would that make me want to go? then the next week it asked “Is Jesus your co-pilot? swap seats”…ummm and if I say no he’s not? should I just stop flying my plane? and then I wondered what if the Devil is my co pilot? then the Devil is in control. where’s the logic in that?
sebastian
Mar 19, 2009
It all seems to fall to pieces if you try to apply any kind of rational logic to it, Hannah. That’s the problem! Religion self-perpetuates because we continue to postulate the existence of God, or another being. Our mother tells us to thank God for the food on our table.
Why? Because her mother told her the same, and her mother… and so on down the time track. That genetic urge to believe in something spiritual is so damn strong…!
Ambles, I meant that maybe the priest, or God, isn’t actually doing anything for the healing process. You might just be healing yourself? It’s quite a leap of faith (hah) to presume that having someone pray for you somehow speeds up the… divine intervention?
Ambles
Mar 19, 2009
I suppose I believe because it makes me happy. I like thinking that even when I’m alone, I’m not really alone. I like to think that there is a devine being who is actually concerned with my welfare.
I know I’m kind of awesome, and it’s not as if I’m under the impression that I can’t do anything on my own… it’s just that sometimes I want to believe I don’t have to do everything alone!
sebastian
Mar 20, 2009
There are incredibly valid reasons for faith, and religion to exist. It is mere coincidence that there are 3.3 billion believers in the God exposed by the Bible!
Faith in itself is fine; as long as you don’t sit back and expect good things to happen to you, just because someone up there is smiling upon you! You make your own good luck!
George Michael said it best, though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=883t2Pac8pk
Eleni
Mar 20, 2009
So, uh, my response turned into a nearly 1500 word mini-essay, which I’ve decided not to put here amongst all these comments of more reasonable lengths. I’ve put it all in a post on my blog here:
http://rpgcalledlife.blogspot.com/2009/03/response-to-sebastians-discussion-of.html
Here is my introductory paragraph, followed by a list of topics I discuss:
Oh boy. You couldn’t pick a simple topic, could you? Let me start by saying that I’m agnostic, so the only thing I feel strongly about in regards to religion is that we don’t know anything. When someone makes an argument either way, my tendency is to play devil’s advocate… or, I guess, God’s advocate. So this response is supposed to be a scholarly criticism of your arguments, not an attack on your ideas. That said, I have not studied religion or history very extensively (I’m a scientist by trade), so in some cases I may question but not know enough to criticize your argument.
Selected topics:
-Singling out of monotheism (attributing things to a higher power, trade, function of control vs. explanation)
-The role of humility
-Religion as a killer vs. savior
-Use of prayer
-Natural tendency toward religion
-When did we stop needing religion?
sebastian
Mar 20, 2009
It sounds like you did what I wanted to do: go into a lot more detail than I did here. Sadly, I was forced to cut this entry short as I had to go out!
Please bear in mind that I try to write in an approachable manner that is readable by all, rather than getting too tied down into a scholarly/academic analysis of the facts.
Of course, if I’ve said something that’s just plain wrong, then I apologise; hopefully the sentiment of the entry is at least accurate!
I will read your full response tomorrow, as unfortunately I have to go to bed… damn GMT!
Ambles
Mar 20, 2009
Oh.My.God.
That music video is SO EFFING HILARIOUS! I haven’t laughed so hard in… hours!
Thanks! And I do like that song, even if it makes me a dork for saying it
sebastian
Mar 20, 2009
Wham and early George Michael stuff are some of my favourite song of all time
And yeah… music videos from the 80s and early 90s tended to be rather… ridiculous
floreta
Mar 21, 2009
whoa. smart post. i like how you’ve recapped history here. my views are along the agnostic line, more recently. for years i had been declaring Atheism! but i feel that is inaccurate today because one can’t really KNOW one way or the other, and i have been getting in touch with my spirituality.. and well, “spiritual” atheist just seems inaccurate for that. but i don’t like labels. i don’t believe in god, persay.. but i believe there is an essence that connects us all. i don’t think most atheists are really atheists.. and they are just kidding themselves and being dishonest. as far as ‘god’ having plans for us, not sure i believe in that. because i don’t believe in fate/destiny but rather, ones own choices in life, our own control. anyway i have been meaning to write about this SOMETIME but it takes a lot of energy to write of this topic!
sebastian
Mar 21, 2009
I always try to start with some groundwork and go from there — a lot of people only know modern developments, thanks to a rather loud, obnoxious and inaccurate media circus, so it’s good to go back and actually look at where things started… so we can see where they’ve been, and where they might be going!
I actually intended to spend a bit more time on this rant, but it got cut short. I’ll probably do another one on the actual applicability of religion in our contemporary, seemingly rather Godless environment.
Kudos to you, if you gather the balls — or the female equivalent — to write about religion. Perhaps it’s more approachable to talk about your religion/spirituality first… and go from there!
Eleni
Mar 21, 2009
Ha, you sleep almost on East Coast U.S. time.
Yeah, I didn’t really expect you to cite references, but the phrase “It might be argued…” followed by a really complicated claim that would be very difficult to argue makes the critical reader cackle with glee… or something like that. And I realize this was just a blog post; my response was just a (really long) comment, as I tried to point out.
I hadn’t thought about it last night, but you’re right–having only one god does make things simpler. While in theory all the ancient Greeks believed in the same gods, groups of people tended to concentrate their worship on a particular god or goddess. Same religion but different faiths and allegiances. Monotheism allows more unity. And unity allows… well, you said the rest. I think that’s fair.
sebastian
Mar 21, 2009
‘Fair’… you are so gracious, Eleni… Thank you!
I actually wrote a paragraph about my use of ‘it might be argued’ in my post on your blog, but removed it before I submitted. I agree, it is weak. I aware I am making bold claims that I wasn’t in a position to back up, but I was out of time, and it was also outside the scope of what I was trying to write.
(And yes, East Coast is where the servers were located for Asheron’s Call, the MMORPG I played!)