MUSHY'S MOOCHINGS: IMAGINE THERE IS NO RELIGION

Monday, March 05, 2007

IMAGINE THERE IS NO RELIGION

Man has always and will always kill each other over differences in religion. There is no escaping that fact. No matter how hard we pray for peace or victory over those that oppose us, we will always mistrust and hate others for their beliefs.

I do not discuss differences in religion anymore, looking instead inside for the basic faith, not caring what the differences are. It makes no sense to argue the fine points when we all love and worship the same God. With the exception of Hindus and Buddhist (at least as far as I can tell), the Christian, the Jew, and the Islamist worship the same God.

Who are we to interpret God’s mind – it is impossible. Therefore, since we will not know the truth until we are in His presence, why do we insist on thinking we are the only ones with the right interpretation.

I remember as a young boy asking a playmate about him being a Catholic. He could not tell me much, not really knowing the ideals of his parent’s church. However, I knew that during the week he cussed like a sailor on shore leave, but after Saturday or Sunday Mass he seemed somewhat reserved until mid-week. Confessional seemed to bring the importance of being “Christ like” back in his demeanor for a few days.

He also called everyone he did not like a “FARMER,” which must have meant something really bad to him, but since my grandparents were “farmers” the phrase did not seem very demeaning to me.

My mother is Catholic, having married a Scot-Irish immigrant after my father died. Through this marriage I have a stepbrother who is a priest. I have learned quite a lot about their particular faith since then.

I also remember spending long evenings and early morning hours, sitting in my friend’s ’49 Chevy pickup, smoking cigarettes and discussing the finer points between the Baptist and Church of Christ faiths. He argued his church was the proper church since it was named for Christ, while mine was named for an area of our town! He also thought his was better because they did not use musical instruments in their services.

I suppose there were times when in frustration, had I been a half-bubble off, I would have wanted to smash both of those guys! However, I did not and would not. I have grown very tolerant of people and their faiths. I simply do not care about your faith – no – that is not true! I do like to hear different viewpoints, finding them very entertaining and enlightening. I just do not care that you have a different opinion. If it is the one god, then all is fine. We will find out the truth, standing side-by-side one day, and we will feel ashamed we tormented and killed each other over something so trivial.

I suppose Lennon had it right about the world being better off if there were no religions or borders, but it is a pipe dream. Only the second coming could ever make that happen, but it is nice to imagine sometimes.

16 comments:

Michele said...

Hmmm, guess I agree with most of your post, except the part where maybe Lennon had it right! John dropped off my fav list after he 'took up with' Yoko! Good to see you posting again, though!

Les Becker said...

Okey-Dokey and Alrighty then! I'm a-gonna steer clear of this one - I'm afraid already...

BRUNO said...

Couldn't have said it better myself! Glad YOU did---too much work for ME! Seriously though, when it comes to the belief of there being a God, or no God, I prefer to err on the side of pro-God, just in case. Better to look like a scaredy-cat at the end, than a jackass at the start! Sometimes I wonder what, or who, is at "the end". But I'm certain it's something greater than myself! But, that's just THIS cowards' opinion!

fuzzbert_1999@yahoo.com said...

Ah come on Les...it's just a post to elicit free discussion. More the most part, we're all adults here!

FHB said...

Nice post. Excellent sentiment.

Anonymous said...

Very interesting post...makes you think. I've recently watched some shows on the History Channel about the crusades, as well as the muslim invasion of western europe during the middle ages. It's interesting how history continues to play itself out when it comes to religion.

Marie said...

Oh Mushy, you'd have to know I'd bite on this one.

From the depths of my sickbed, I speak.

I can kind of see your point between Jews and Christians. We have basically the same law, the same idea of being covenant people, of judgement, heaven, hell, etc. However, we sure do answer differently when asked, "Who is Jesus?"

I am unaware of any Jew vs. Christian war.

But as to Muslims, you are losing me, there. Culture is religion externalized. The differences between Judeo-Christian civilization and Islam are so incredibly different I couldn't post them all in the comments. . .economics, law, education, society, progress. . .my goodness, they are getting ready to lash a 19 year old girl for getting gang raped over there, I read just today. Saying we have any similarity with that religion blows my mind.

Not the same God.

Les Becker said...

Oh, no. I never once claimed to be an adult. Still scared. Backing away slowly while watching the ammo being counted...

FHB said...

Oh please. It's WAY too easy for us to put on blinders and simplify everything by saying that there's something wrong with Islam. They do pray to the same God we pray to. Islam and Judaism are brother faiths. I'm not saying that there hasn't been war between Christians and Muslims for a thousand years. There has been, but it hasn't been one sided. Remember back in the 1990s when Christians in Serbia sent murderous thugs to ethnically cleanse Bosnia of Muslim population, and the Muslim Chechens who've been slaughtered by Christian Russians for years with no help coming from the West. There are lots of people in the Islamic world who don't like the way their faith is being used to commit terror. Click on this and listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzLnMk-bO8w

I know, one voice, but I think it matters. There are lots of people in the Islamic world who want peace, but they are out shouted by thugs, waving guns and bombs, no doubt sold to them by some God fearing Christian country. No one is innocent in the world.

FHB said...

By the way, that guys name is Iyad Jamal al-Din. He's an Iraqi cleric, and so far, there have been no reports of his death since the broadcast. Don't you wish we could see stuff like this on CNN?

Becky said...

I was raised Catholic, but haven't really practiced it as an adult because I was so frustrated with their many hypocrisies. How can one say that God says to love each other, but not if they're X, Y or Z? I could go on and on. I do like hearing about other religions and faiths (or really any views on any topic) but not when the person is self-righteous and condesending.

Marie said...

FHB,

you said "no doubt sold to them by some God fearing Christian country"

I don't think there is such a thing as a Christian country. I guess by this statement you mean the USA, which has a lot of Christians in it. But there is no nation, as far as I know, that is officially Christian or 99% practicing Christian or what have you that I know of.

Plenty of officially Muslim countries with 99% practicing Moslems, though. The price of converting to any other faith? Death.

I see zero, no, none, nada moral equivalency here.

fuzzbert_1999@yahoo.com said...

Imagine there is no country, nothing to live or die for...

Anonymous said...

Heya Mushy!

I like the way you so carefully approach the topic. Don't stress out sugar, no one's gonna web-stone you to death. For the record I am a hindu, and god is god, there is no distinction brought about by what name he's(she) hailed with. People often misunderstand that point, hindu's don't have many gods. We have one god, sipmly various ways to express his omnipotence.

Next, ironically, I'm not a particularly religious person, and I think Lennon had it exactly right. But then religion is not the only thing that divides people. Take race, class, language, culture.

As long as people fear what's different from themselves, and masquerade that fear behind differences in all or any of the above, we'll be killing each other till the second coming indeed.

Final point, and no offence intended to any one, but if Jesus did come back, or Buddah or Krishna, something tells me they'd sigh at the immature mind-sets that govern our planet, and walk away. Try another thousand years!

Love, P

Anonymous said...

P.S. Bruno sounds like he's living in Pratchett's discworld. Ye gods shall smite thee!!!
HeHe:)

Mwah..
Priya

Joubert said...

Amen!