On Religion

"There is clearly a sacred dimension to our existence, and coming to terms with it could well be the highest purpose of human life. But it requires no faith in untestable propositions [...] for us to do this." Sam Harris, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason.


These 3 monotheistic religions each claim a unique truth. Such claims will remain a basis for human conflict, violence and death. In each book, one can find stories preaching peace, yet one can also find stories preaching intolerance. To me it is strange that books supposedly written or inspired by God, contain such juxtapositions. The ease to manipulate these books for conflict and violence is innate.

Here are 3 examples of what can be found in these "holy" books.


"If your brother, the son of your father or of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the spouse whom you embrace, or your most intimate friend, tries to secretly seduce you, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods", unknown to you or your ancestors before you, gods of the peoples surrounding you, whether near you or far away, anywhere throughout the world, you must not consent, you must not listen to him; you must show him no pity, you must not spare him or conceal his guild. No, you must kill him, your hand must strike the first blow in putting him to death and the hands of the rest of the people following. You must stone him to death, since he has tried to divert you from your Yahweh your God..."
- Deuteronomy 13:7-11 Old Testament



(Jesus) "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned."
- John 15:6 New Testament



"You see many among them making friends with unbelievers. Evil is that to which their souls prompt them. They have incurred the wrath of God and shall endure eternal torment... You will find that the most implacable of men in their enmity to the faithful are the Jews and the pagans, and that the nearest in affection to them are those who say: "we are Christians""
- 5:80-82 Koran


To claim these books as the works of God is simply asking for conflict; it comes as no surprise that we had the Inquisition and today Islamic martyrs..
Just to give an example; imagine a repressed and angry muslim who seeks refuge by a mosque run by an extremist. Such a holy man need only select certain passages of the Koran to make it all to obvious that Allah wishes you to kill unbelievers in his name: "Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. But you may hate a thing although it is good for you, and love a thing although it is bad for you. God knows, but you know not" (2:216); "Believers, do not make friends with any but your own people. They will spare no pains to corrupt you. They desire nothing but your ruin. Their hatred is evident from what they utter with their mouths, but greater is the hatred which their breasts conceal" (3:118); "Those that suffered persecution for My sake and fought and were slain: I shall forgive them their sins and admit them to gardens watered by running streams, as a reward from God; God holds the richest recompense. Do not be deceived by the fortunes of the unbelievers in the land. Their prosperity is brief. Hell shall be their home, a dismal resting place" (3:195-96)


I am not writing this note to offend or anger the faithful. Indeed, had God been the true author, I'm sure he did not intend us to use the scriptures in such ways.. (subject of another debate). These books were written a long time ago, when competing religions were sprouting up and it seemed only natural to build into the holy books a protection which will ensure the sovereignty of the faith. But as long as these books are regarded as holy and immutable, they will forever be used as a basis for divisive conflict. The dilemma is that, so strong was the need for protection of the faith, inbuilt was the immutable character too. One cannot change the scriptures, for that is blasphemy. As Will Durant pushes, "Intolerance is the natural concomitant of strong faith; tolerance grows only when faith loses certainty; certainty is murderous."


It is only normal for a child to question many things about the world, and it is only normal for his parents and teachers to provide him with answers. As we grow, we discover that there exist a multitude of facts, things which we are sure of, and a multitude of uncertainties. When we are uncertain of something, reason drives us to seek different theories which explain the same phenomenon, to form a coherent understanding. For me, certain religions are an impediment to such a process when one questions the spiritual.


Spirituality is one of the most complex notions to understand. Claiming to know it all is not only presumptuous but also a barrier to a progressive understanding of spirituality. Religion is one of the many attempts to explain the spiritual. However, Religion is not the most rational of understandings by way of dogma. To quote Sam Harris again:


"Mysticism (the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight. - Wiki) is a rational enterprise. Religion is not. The mystic has recognized something about the nature of consciousness prior to thought, and this recognition is susceptible to rational discussion. The mystic has reasons for what he believes, and these reasons are empirical. The roiling mystery of the world can be analyzed with concepts (this is science), or it can be experienced free of concepts (this is mysticism). Religion [...] is the denial - at once full of hope and full of fear - of the vastitude of human ignorance. "


The following quote demonstrates quite clearly the fundamental difference between insight and dogma. What do you think?

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

- Siddhārtha Gautama