RELIGION ENGENDERS FEAR HATRED AND DEATH
On this minor planet, our humanity unites us, our religion divides us. All my life, I have watched people die in the name of God, Muslim, Jew, and Christian amongst others. Even within religions, divisions cause bitter conflict, Catholic against Protestant in Northern Ireland, Sunni against Shiite in Iraq for example.
Like most British people, I am a secular person, agnostic rather than heathen. I believe in a higher intelligence, but cannot subscribe fully to the teachings of the Churches, whom I find increasingly irrelevent and self absorbed. Jesus brought a fresh approach to religion, and his teachings were radically different to the Old Testament idea of God. He was a man of his time, yet today, Churches are apparently stuck in a time warp, their ideas set in concrete, unable to provide meaningful spiritual leadership for the modern, more complex world. If there is a God, he gave us a brain, and must surely expect us to use it. Yet those who are religious are expected to put reasonable questions to one side, and just have totally blind faith in a book that was written by mortal men who disagree with each other, and was in any case written long after the event. Even in this age of television and scientific investigation, look how the controveries over the deaths of Kennedy and Princess Diana spawn many alternative myths.
Over the next few weeks, I intend to put on this weblog some ideas which are designed not to persuade anyone, but to make them think a little more deeply. starting with a question posed by Epicurus in 300 BC (ie he predates Christianity)
IS YOUR GOD ABLE TO PREVENT EVIL?
IF NOT, HE IS NOT OMNIPOTENT.
IS GOD WILLING TO PREVENT EVIL?
IF NOT, HE IS MALEVOLENT.
IF GOD IS WILLING AND ABLE TO PREVENT EVIL,
WHY DOES EVIL EXIST?
IF GOD IS UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO PREVENT EVIL,
THEN HE IS NOT A GOD.
........................
The foolish believe in religion.
The wise know religion to be false.
Those who seek to rule know religion to be useful.
More to follow. Your comments welcome
Dave Cathy
