The Art of Unreasonable Religion

It starts with an ego. Ego then quickly evolves with such strong attachment to an idea that one finds himself or herself carving out an identity based on said attachment. As such, we find ourselves often defending a certain position because we are, in essence, defending our own identities.


The sports world provides a good example. I'm a Tennessee fan. For more than a year, Big Orange faithful defended Lane Kiffin. Kiffin, dubbed as the 'mouth of the south', often made comments that were embarrassing to the fan base. His comments would often be utterly inaccurate or obnoxiously arrogant. No one really complained about this, until his hasty departure earlier this month. Why? Because he was wearing orange...because, while he was a brash, immature, smart-ass who had never really accomplished anything on the football field but idle chatter, he was "OUR" brash, immature, smart-ass. Our identities were closely attached to Tennessee football and he was Tennessee football's top dog.


We see the same type of identities being formed in regard to religion. We define ourselves through our chosen faith. We feel comfortable with those who share that identity and often feel uncomfortable around people who do not.


I was born and raised in that belief system but eventually had too many issues with the illogical platform...with the inconsistencies and errors in scripture and with the influence of the various sect movements that was evident in the Bible. For me, it all added up to a new spiritual path that was still very much embracing of the wisdom presented through genuine Jesus teachings, but not exclusive to that path or the 'believe in me' message that evolved through the Christian movement.


Recently, I've been involved in Discussion Boards and through e-mails with fundamentalist Christians. I routinely see people worshipping the Bible more so than the God that inspired it. I see people incorrectly using scripture as a way to lend divine authority to a personal opinion while missing the point of that scripture altogether. Bottom line: I see people embracing the art of unreasonable religion.


In the course of these e-mail discussions, I point to the inconsistencies or errors in scriptures. Those thoughts are ignored completely by those I'm engaging. When I bring context, culture, custom and language considerations to the texts...again, these thoughts are blatantly ignored. I presume the deaf ear is lent to maintain a status quo centered on the unreasonable.


Why? That's not a rhetorical question, because frankly, I don't really have an answer. One thought comes to mind. Personal identities are so wrapped up in a chosen religious path, that any notion that does not support that path--even if that thought is far more logical than what has been previously believed--is considered to be an attack on one's personal identity. Therefore, a move is made to defend--to expel a more reasonable path, even if you're defending a position that is clearly indefensible. Sounds like a step toward madness, hey?


More than 2,500 years ago, a man recognized the madness of man and enlightened many, continuing to do so to this day. That man was Gautama Siddhartha, also known as the Buddha, or "awakened one". He recognized the suffering that man had made out of life through such a strong connection to conventional wisdom--through obtaining things or finding fulfillment through social ideals, such as status, etc.


I think ultimately what he taught us was that the first step toward sanity is recognizing one's insanity. To me, that meant pushing away from the art of unreasonable religion and seeking a path of true and intimate connection to God. It meant recognizing the wisdom from an enlightened few guides, such as Jesus, Muhammad, Lao Tzu and Buddha. It meant railing against complete self-identification with the spirit guide and a complete embracing of the journey and every brother and sister along the way.


Maybe one day, we humans can awaken to the idea that our identities do not have to be wrapped up in a 'belief system' and we can begin embracing each other and our world. It's a path that creates far more peace... a lot more happiness, and might even put the human race on a journey toward sanity.


Best wishes to all...
True