Religions
Religions may be seen as an attempt to make sense of life and its mission. I could say 'life and its meaning', but 'meaning' can justify a certain passivity, a statement of fact. Mission denoted purpose. Religions are an approximation because they deal with realities that transcend our present status; a bit like using the birds and the bees to teach children the facts of like. Only fools would take their stories and metaphors literally. There is more to religions than dos and don'ts. However, the dos and don't are more specific; they are basic norms. Let's take the Ten Commandments for instance.
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments revolve around honouring God and respecting our fellow human beings. The directives are pretty basic: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery... I guess adultery is breaking a marriage contract, so I would resolve that by not going into one in the first place and avoiding having sex with people who have. God is presented as the guiding principle, so I have no trouble honouring that. And yet I do not follow any established religion. Indeed, the Ten Commandments are endorsed, directly or indirectly, by most religions, including, of course, the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Why, oh why, then, are religious people the cause of so much violence in the world? What do they not understand about not killing, stealing or coveting? The bitter irony is that, frequently, their atrocities are actually committed in the name of God or religion.
So, why then?
The answer is simple: because many of us are a bunch of nasty idiots willing to be led by a few devious ones. All it would take is a bit of good will and common sense and we could live in peace and harmony. If this is not worth striving for, then what is?
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