… and I’m not just saying that because I have tattoos and don’t go to Church.
To be honest, I’m fast coming to the opinion that religion is the biggest weapon of mass destruction. I am all for following your beliefs and having strong opinions, but to immediately denounce anyone who has a different point of view is a recipe for disaster – especially when there is so much contradiction and hypocrisy inherent in every religion.
Of course I appreciate not everyone is like this and that for them, their beliefs are a source of comfort and guidance, but if anyone has seen the documentary Jesus Camp, you’ll know that some practitioners view religion almost as a popularity contest and are continually looking for ways to encourage more extreme – or myopic – behaviour, in a bid to ensure they don’t get ‘left behind’.
I’d call it childish if it didn’t have such dangerous ramifications.
If I had my way, I would stop schools teaching religious studies and get them to start studying religion.
Let them see the commonalities amongst faiths … how many share similar views on respecting and helping others and then let the individuals make their own choices rather than have it thrust upon them.
But I know that won’t happen so I suppose I’d just be happy if we taught the importance of context and perspective … which would not only [hopefully] help ensure the best parts of faith are protected [rather than fall victim to religious extremism inflation] but may stop people turning the internet into a place of mass segregation.
Hey, I can dream can’t I?
