Religion - The Question of Faith

I wanted to post my view of religion because it is one of the most divisive issues discussed today.
The Question of Faith: How religion has made humanity damaged goods

In the beginning there were men; men with the intention to control the weaker individuals in their society for their own betterment. Using their intellect, creativity, and insight, men devised a scheme that would not only affect their current society – but would alter the landscape of human history. Religion necessitates dogmatic belief; a belief in something unseen, unheard, yet all encompassing. How could early man have created the creator? How could man take oral narratives from unwritten legends, myths, and folklore, to codified law? How could man have known what damage his selfish endeavor would reap upon the future of his world? This post will examine the role religion has played in several facets of human life. I will show a correlation between religiosity and violence; the religious impulse motivating capital punishment; the effect of religion on education in America; and finally I will explain how the belief in God has created greater intolerance.

Part 1: The path to peace is through the sword

When asked what imagery comes to mind when they hear the word religion, the majority of people will respond with some phrase from their holy book of choice, or perhaps they will pick some historically inaccurate depiction of creation. However, there is a small percentage who will depict religion as a violent entity; one that has caused some of the greatest injury to humanity. That small percentage would be correct – in my opinion anyways. And the violent nature inherent in religion has spurred some of humankind’s most advantageous, and disastrous exploits.

The land grab mentality that mankind possesses, is one that has ridden under the flag of religion from the time of its inception. People have chosen different banners, but the idea is the same: take what you want because God is on your side. How do people know when God is on their side? How do they know that God is not on the side of their enemy, (who undoubtedly believes God is on their team)? Who is to decide which people is most favored by God? These questions were of no importance to the Holy Roman Church during the Crusades. For two hundred years, from 1095-1219, the Holy Roman Church sought to bring Jerusalem back under the control of the Christians. The Crusaders fought against Jews, Pagans, Muslims, and everything in between. They used the word of God as their guide. The God of the Old Testament was vengeful, wrathful, and full of hate for people he supposedly created. (Encyclopedia Britannica) The Old Testament states the following with regards to violence: “Kill every male dependent, and kill every woman who has had intercourse with a man, but spare for yourselves every woman among them who has not had intercourse." (Numbers)
The Lord apparently didn’t think that was enough carnage, so he issued this order to Samuel: “Go now and fall upon the Amalekites and destroy them. . . . Spare no one; put them all to death, men and women, children and babes in arms, herds and flocks, camels and asses” (Samuel)

The God of the Bible also enjoyed random acts of violence throughout the early years of Christianity. The subsequent passages are glimmering examples of his wrath for mankind:
“Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.” (Numbers, The King James Bible)
“God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.” (24:8)

The New Testament contributed its fair share of violence, and violent acts, in accordance with God’s wishes. Instances of abuse of children, women, and those who did not support Biblical Law, were subject to the harshest punishments. It is essential to note that the authors of the Bible wanted to instill a lifelong fear of God to keep people under the control of the upper class. They could not have accomplished such a tremendously difficult task without the help of a God – someone people believed was constantly watching over them.
The Bible was not the only religious book to endorse unparalleled violence. Belief in the teachings of Muhammad has motivated numerous individuals, countries, and Kingdoms to spread chaos for thousands of years. Like the Bible, the Qur’an widely contradicted itself. Stating Allah wishes peace to reign supreme, while simultaneously calling for the death of infidels.
“And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers.” (2:191)
“Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.” (2:216)
The hateful rhetoric of Muhammad and his disciples, gives one the impression that there is no other way to live your life, except at the mercy of a God whose greatest pleasure is the destruction of non-believers. The question then arises: if God created everything in the Universe, why would he create a Universe that he could only control from above? Why would he use donkeys, burning bushes, alcoholics, and Kings, to convey his message? The Bible and the Qur’an do not possess the ability to explain the answers. Nor do the Holy Books explain why God is angry with humans. God created sin in the form of temptation. If he was an all knowing God, wouldn’t he have foreseen man’s fall from grace?

The aim of religion is to provide a moral code by which you should live your life. The stories depicting violence are meant to scare you away from violence. In light of that fact, it is impossible to ignore the rate of violence compared to the belief in God. According to the Pew Foundation, in the United States, where more than 70% of people believe in the God of the Bible, you would imagine the U.S. would be a peaceful, tolerant society. That is not the case. In reality when observed from a religious standpoint, the States with the highest level of belief also have the highest rate of crime.

Consistent with statistics available for the year 2009; the States that include citizens with the highest level of devotion, also appeared on the list for highest rates of hard crimes. the most religious: Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Kentucky and Texas, which are tied.
The states with the highest crime rate: Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina, Missouri, Illinois,
What does that say for religion? Why would the States that encompass the largest number of believers also possess the highest crime rate?

Part 2: The more you love God, the greater the punishment

In America we utilize an archaic system of punishment: Capital Punishment. The etymology of the word “capital” comes from the Latin term capitalis. Capital punishment is typically reserved for the worst criminals in society. Those people who have committed crimes which are beyond clemency. The Babylonians offered the first laws regarding Capital Punishment for a multitude of offenses, which they codified in Hammurabi’s code. The laws applied to different aspects of societal life: family law, civil law, criminal law, and case law. (Hammurabi)
Hammurabi’s code depicted numerous crimes as being punishable by death. This is incredibly significant to note, as Hammurabi’s code set the precedent for future legal writers, and religious leaders. The framers of the aforementioned monotheistic religions drew from Hammurabi’s code when constructing the word of God for broad application. The following is a small sample of some of the laws that would later appear in the Bible, Torah, and Qur’an:
If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take possession of his house. But if the river prove that the accused is not guilty, and he escape unhurt, then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death, while he who leaped into the river shall take possession of the house that had belonged to his accuser. If any one bring an accusation of any crime before the elders, and does not prove what he has charged, he shall, if it be a capital offense charged, be put to death. If the purchaser does not bring the merchant and the witnesses before whom he bought the article, but its owner bring witnesses who identify it, then the buyer is the thief and shall be put to death, and the owner receives the lost article.”
If any one break a hole into a house (break in to steal), he shall be put to death before that hole and be buried.

The Bible and Qur’an take identical stances with regards to crime and punishment. The famous quote used often in modern day courtrooms when requesting the death penalty is, “an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth…” That quote is taken almost directly from the Code of Hammurabi. The Bible calls for Capital Punishment in the case of murder in Exodus. The Bible also absurdly states that animals can be put to death, on top of the death of their owner if the animal hurts someone: “If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.”
If you decide to keep the animal after it has killed someone, than you are in even worse shape than before: “But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death” (21:28.29)

Because of the influence of the Bible, Qur’an, and Torah; animals are still put to death for injuring someone. If animals can be put to death for being animals; it is not surprising that people fair about the same – maybe worse. The crimes punishable by death have significantly dwindled in Western Society in recent years. However, in countries located in the Middle East – where Sharia law is applied -–people are put to death for all of the crimes listed in the Qur’an as being punishable by death.
Most Western societies have abolished the death penalty because it doesn’t fit in with society’s view of its own humanity. The countries that have held on tight to the institution of Capital Punishment are statistically the most religious, or non-secular. According to the Pew Research Institute in 2009, the top 8 countries that use the death penalty are as follows: The Peoples’ Republic of China; Iran; Iraq; Saudi Arabia; The United States; Yemen; Sudan; and Vietnam. The Peoples’ Republic of China seems like an anomaly on this list; don’t be fooled by the lack of Religious acceptance. China’s government acts as God, Lord, and Savior, to its people. Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, are countries where Sharia Law dictates what behavior is acceptable, and how people should live. The United States is the most religious developed nation in the world. Yemen and Sudan are Muslim nations that have more than religious problems to deal with. And Vietnam consists of many Christians and Buddhists, who are fighting mainly for democracy.

The United States is the big surprise on the list. The Constitution of the United States was written in such a way as to separate church and state. The writers of the Constitution represented multiple religious and political backgrounds. They had witnessed the destruction of the Church of England knew the stories of the Pilgrims who sought refuge. They wanted to avoid the problems of religious influence on the public domain. The Bill of Rights specifically mentions “Freedom of Religion.”
The United States is also one of the only western nations that have yet to abolish Capital Punishment. There is a direct correlation between religious belief and the belief in the death penalty. Christians in the United States compose 78% of the demographic: this amazingly high percentage of believers demonstrates in part why Americans are unwilling to abolish Capital Punishment. (The Pew Research Institute )Their God said it was ok to kill those who kill – so what is the big deal?

Part 3: Learn this not that

In America, we have a University system that is the envy of the world. The world is so envious in fact, they send their best and brightest to the United States to study. Nevertheless, we have students from America who are struggling to compete with international students within the same age group. With the vast resources America possess, how is it possible that more and more international students are being offered admission at the top Universities? The answer is clear: scientific illiteracy.

According to a study conducted by the National Science Foundation in 2006; almost 50% of doctoral degrees in the many areas of science, were awarded to foreign born students. This trend is continuing to rise each year. One of the reasons for the increase in foreign born students in the sciences has to do with the influence of religion in science.

We rank ahead of Cyprus and South Africa in High School Math. In Science we rank ahead of Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, Cyprus, and South Africa. That isn’t an achievement to be proud of. Our school age children are going up against a wave of intelligent, motivated, and serious foreign students. The United States is letting its Christian majority dictate what is appropriate to teach children, versus the stance of the European, Asian, and Southeast Asian countries. Which is: what else can we teach them? One of our most populous, and religious, States, has taken the issue of educating the youth of America to a whole new level.

As recently as 2010, Academic Administrators for the Board of Education of Texas decided that the best way to educate our youth was to reform the curriculum. One of the many ways in which they reformed the curriculum, was to remove references to Evolution. Evolution is not a theory: it is a fact. By removing scientific fact from the textbooks of students, the Board of Education is setting the students up for failure. The Board recognized the Conservative Christian dollar – and acted in the interest of the Christian majority…and their wallets. The implications are widespread. Texas is the number one purchaser of textbooks in the nation. With schools losing money every year in Federal funding, they purchase books that have a lower per unit cost: that means Texas has the power to determine the market. Texans understand this. That is why Texas took action to remove Evolution from the books. If Evolution isn’t taught in Texas, chances are it won’t be taught elsewhere in the United States.

The Bible, Torah, and Qur’an, do not give the Theory Evolution room to breathe. Darwin’s evolutionary discoveries are important to the understanding of all sciences. This is precisely why our students are not matching up to others in Europe, Asia, and Central Asia. The Pew Research Institute conducted a survey of Americans in 2006, asking them if they prefer Creationism over Evolution, as the primary scientific model. A whopping 59% of respondents believe that Creationism should be taught in lieu of Evolution. The lack of real science in the classroom will not only handicap most American students striving for College, but will seriously debilitate them in the real world.

The story of Creation is similar in the Bible, Qur’an, and Torah. They all tend to agree that the Earth is about 6,000 years old, was once flooded, and that man and dinosaurs lived side by side. It is safe to assume that religion needs to be more flexible to allow fact room to grow. Anything that is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, Torah, or Qur’an, can be explained away quickly with, “that is how God wanted it.” How can Americans be expected to compete for much longer if the only answer they are providing their children is, “that is what God designed it for.”
Part 4: God loves everyone. Except the following:
In Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, the acceptance and tolerance of all mankind is not consistent with their belief system. Though God - in his infinitely creative artistic abilities – designed man in his image; he forgot to address genetics. Genetics is a term that is widely used to describe the inner biological workings of man and beast. The understanding of genes is something that the scientific revolution brought us, some thousand or so years after the writers of the Bible, Torah, and Qur’an, decided that all man was not created equal.

The equality of man has been an issue since the beginning of human civilization. The Bible, Torah, and Qur’an, developed a story that fit the needs of the civilizations from which these Holy Books sprung forth. The idea of accepting people for how they were born was not in the best interests of those in charge. God needed to love only a select few individuals: his chosen people as the saying goes. How could God create man, yet only love a handful of his creation? How could he create temptation, intent, and desire, without addressing the genetic makeup of individuals?
The God of the Bible was very specific about whom he loved and whom he didn’t.
“If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.” (20:13)
“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders.” (6:9)
“And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.” (38:7)
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5)
The Bible not only forms intolerance for homosexuals, but for prostitutes, adulterers, and anyone that is not an Israelite. The intolerance constructed by the Bible has had seriously deadly repercussions in the years following its mass print. People in countries all around the world die because they are born different. They die because God has chosen them as being unfit for love. Again, this brings us back to the issue: why would God create men he had no intention of loving? The Bible does state: “hate the sin, not the sinner.” But what is that supposed to mean? How can you hate a sin that is the person?
In Surah 26:165, and 26:166; Allah states the following with regard to homosexuals:
“What! Of all creatures do ye come unto the males, And leave the wives your Lord created for you ? Nay, but ye are froward folk”
The homosexual wasn’t the only one that incurred God’s wrath: women were not created equal. God had created Adam in his own image, and from the rib of Adam he created Eve. Basically, the writers of the Bible and Qur’an wanted to display the subservience of woman to man. Because women were not viewed as equals, they were subject to greater scrutiny in all things. Women were also punished more extensively than their male counterparts: even when the crimes were identical in nature.
In Exodus, the Lord describes the place of a woman before man:
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's”

Women were deemed chattel, or property that could be sold, acquired, bargained for, and enslaved. This ideology is still present in many societies throughout the world. In America women still make less money on average than men; women still bear the majority of the household responsibilities; they have to fight occupational gender bias; and so on. This is a direct result of a society that believes in God. If God had declared woman the equal to man in all things – gender discrimination would not exist.

The Qur’an expanded the rights of women somewhat. The teachings of Muhammad were unable to completely absolve women from their duties as servants to man, but he was able to lessen their burden so to speak. Allah stated:
“Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your tilth as ye will, and send (good deeds) before you for your souls, and fear Allah, and know that ye will (one day) meet Him. Give glad tidings to believers, (O Muhammad” (2:23)
“Women who are divorced shall wait, keeping themselves apart, three (monthly) courses. And it is not lawful for them that they should conceal that which Allah hath created in their wombs if they are believers in Allah and the Last Day. And their husbands would do better to take them back in that case if they desire a reconciliation. And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness, and men are a degree above them. Allah is Mighty, Wise.” (2:28)
The rights of women in nations that are highly religious suffer the greatest. Women in the Middle East – under Sharia Law – are made to conceal their faces and/or hair in order to prevent men from feeling lust. It is the duty of the woman to control the lust of man, not the man’s duty to control his own lust. This places women in a particularly difficult situation, especially in issues of rape.

The Qur’an does not endow women with the same level of trust that it does men. In the matter of rape the Qur’an states that four witnesses need to have been present when the rape occurred to speak on behalf of the woman. This doesn’t bode well for women who were attacked while alone in their homes. If four witnesses cannot be brought to testify in her defense, than the woman will have to pay damages to the accused. Oftentimes the accused can stone the woman alongside her family for her impropriety.
The interpretation of religious laws should be of great concern to everyone. The religious laws that I have exhibited as being of an intolerant nature have continued to play an active role in society. Our political systems, educational systems, and military operations have all had felt the touch of religion. In a secular society, there’s no place for religion in a scientific curriculum just as in such a society matters of public concern should be solved through debate and not through dogma.