I wonder why there is so much gut-wrenching anger spewing forth from religious people. Radio talk show hosts who espouse religious views, and many major religious leaders these days are filled with hate and vitriol. Why? It seems to me if I truly believe that I am among the saved, the blessed, the righteous, I would have no reason to be angry at gays, Muslims, Baptists, Papists, the Lakers, Nancy Pelosi, the NRA, heathens, infidels, or anyone else.
Seriously, why the anger?
If I truly believe that I am among the saved, the blessed, the righteous, why would I have reason to be afraid of things of the world?
I remember reading Marshall Frady's biography of Billy Graham years ago. The one section that stuck in my mind is the one dealing with a minister in the hills outside Nashville. The man drank a bit, smoked a bit, drove a beat up truck, and lived in a very modest home that he made available to anyone who stopped to talk. KKK or Black Muslim, Baptist or Quaker, atheist or deist--it did not matter. This man did not seem fearful or angry. This man opened his home. I wonder why?
I am an angry man. Haven't always been so. Don't like it. But I am. I am not a religious man.
Wonder why I'm not religious and angry?
Most religious folks I run into these days, on the streets, on TV, on Facebook are as angry as I am, or so it seems. I wonder why they are religious and angry?
And the number of guns held, and bragged about, by religious folks in their homes speaks to mass fear. I wonder why?
I wonder what it takes to get rid of the fear and anger. Are these natural states of human beings? Why would religion not help?
It hasn't.
You ask many important questions, and I have a theory in response to one of your musings: Why the anger among the religious?
ReplyDeleteHere is my thought: Modern religion stresses two things - being righteous and being damned. The path to righteousness is filled with lofty goals that are extremely difficult and almost impossible to achieve. The path to damnation is filled with acts that are affiliated with simply being human, so that path is relatively easy. We don't want to be one of the damned, and the path to righteousness seems to be an impossible one, which results in human nature rearing it's ugly head. They reason and say, "Okay, I'm only okay, but look at THEM! Their lifestyle is different and (hence) WAY worse than ours! See I'm not so bad..." And the focus shifts from "What can I do to be a better person?" to "If I rally hatred against THEM, the focus will be off me."
It is my contention that if the religions taught grace - acknowledging that Jesus died for ALL our sins way before we could commit them - and ask the people to just try just be a better person (through kindness to our fellow man, no matter their beliefs), wouldn't that shift the focus from differences and anger to gratitude and understanding. I mean, wouldn't you feel better if your church elders said, "Jesus knew how much your bar tab will be. It's paid. Just try not to exceed it okay? Maybe volunteer wash a dish to lessen it?" I'm thinking church might be a bit more interesting if so, in my opinion.
Or I could be completely out of my mind. I'm just saying'...
I'll leave the determination about your sanity for later.
ReplyDeleteI like your bar tab metaphor. I'd change it to "The tab is paid. Now, instead of focusing on the hereafter and trying to get the limits on your credit card and/or tab increased, focus on here and now--this is heaven, and you are here. There is only one thing on which you need focus. Love. Not hate. Not fear. Love."
Is there evil? Yep. Are there evil people? Yep. But it ain't my job to kill them. So, I like guns and have guns for my pleasure, but it ain't because I want to kill folks. The gun is for fun, not business, unless I'm in the military or law enforcement ("Then I'm a server of Caesar--the state--not religion). As a vet and a believer in god, I'm still wondering about the details of this though.
Thanks for the post, Jessica