The Dark Side of Religion

I've noticed that whenever God is brought up in a conversation, I start to feel uncomfortable. Before it was because I didn’t know where exactly I stood on religion, but now it’s for a different reason.

I Hate, Therefore I Am

 

When you start looking into religion, it’s disturbing to see how many groups of people justify their hateful actions in the name of their God: the Westboro Baptist Church, the KKK, terrorists, Christian crusades, etc. I’m not just talking about extremists, but people who use God as a weapon for persecution as well.

Some of these are well-meaning people who are using their faith as an excuse to hate something they're afraid of (or conditioned to be afraid of), whether that be uncertainty, guilt, death, inadequacy, or simply different ways of thinking. Although many wonderful things are done in the name of religion, the religious world is full of ignorance, veiled hate, and hypocrisy and I often hesitate to associate myself with these people and their way of thinking. 

A Common Thread

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I would be ignorant if I claimed complete separation from these other believers; the common thread that holds all these different religious views together is the practice of devoutly following the writings in a holy book: Christians have the Bible, Muslims have the Qur'an, Jews have the Torah, and so on. I can only speak for the Bible, as I have not researched as deeply into the other religious texts, but next week I will review the history of the Bible and voice my opinions on its incorrect interpretation as "the word of God".