Man’s inhumanity toward man, all in the name of God. It’s things like this that leave me feeling very discouraged about the phenomenon of religion. Caricature-esque behavior like this is haunting, because we all know of examples close to home where similar divisiveness has been carried out in the name of “God”. You know who they are …. your relative who says they would rather have thier son come home in a casket than sent home dishonorably from church mission service …your friend’s family who threatens to disown them if they convert from the traditional family religion to another one …your closeted homosexual friend who has attempted suicide a number of times, because they know that their family will utterly scorn them if the secret ever gets out… your sibling who is the subject of much condescending discussion in family conversations, because they no longer are active in the church… You see it happen every day.
Let us be honest – does religion divide or unite people – fellow “sons and daughters of God”?
People argue that religion helps unite families…
… More often than not, “religious differences” are the reason for so many relationships ending, bitter family divides, and unspoken hurt.
And let us now invoke an old scriptural maxim: “By thier fruits ye shall know them”.
If these are the fruits of religion – dividing us from one another – I want to stay as far away from it as possible. People often extol religion’s benefits of helping people – but I’ve got news for you. Religion is not the only institution known to mankind that is concerned with, and working toward the betterment of individuals, families, and the global community. See my adjacent post on Secular Humanism.
