A Study in Religion and Living

 Religion. A subject that should never be discussed in public. Why? Mostly because people are very opinionated on religion; either for, or against, which denomination or faith is right or wrong. Jesse Ventura said, “Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in number. It tells people to go out and stick their noses in other people's business... The religious right wants to tell people how to live.” Gov. Ventura was right.

The Bible is a great guideline on how to live. That's all. I read a book one time that one of the characters made a profound statement on the Bible. He said (paraphrased), “Moses had millions of people that he had to control. What better way than through fear. He didn't just go up on Mt. Sinai and come back with the Ten Commandments. He wrote the 'laws' of God so that the 12 tribes would be controlled. No better way, as has been taught through history, than through fear of retribution for bad deeds.”

I don't want anyone to think that I am trying to change minds on religion. I would never do that. You do you, I'll do me. I do believe in a higher power. I do not believe in the Big Bang Theory. Was the Universe created in six days? Highly unlikely. It took millions of years for the Earth to evolve into what it is. Did humanity just appear out of the dust of the Earth? I doubt that. Although I also have a hard time believing that we evolved out of that primordial ooze. All I can say about that is: I wasn't there so I have no first-hand knowledge.

Let's get back to religion. Moses to be exact. The Exodus out of Egypt was a monumental undertaking. Moses took the 12 tribes of Israel out of Egypt and into the desert in search of the Promised Land. Is there hard evidence of a mass exodus at some point? I believe there is, although I cannot recall the researcher's name that investigated it. But, if you think about it; Moses took millions of people out into the desert, was lost for years, then came upon the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land. He was not allowed to enter it but was told by the Almighty to send in his people and to kill all who lived there; men, women, and children. Only because they were non-believers (sound familiar to anything in today's world?).

Great story. A story of perseverance and faith in the Almighty. Did it happen the way it is recorded? Once again, I wasn't there. Is it possible? Anything is possible, the question is: is it probable?

Having blind faith is nothing more/less than sheer idiocy. Here's a modern-day parable. A story I heard a few years ago that makes my point more clearly.

There was a flood. The entire area was being evacuated because the dam was about to burst and send a wave crashing through the valley that would destroy all in its path. In the town there was a devout Christian man that was sitting on his porch in his rocker.

A pickup truck came by as the water was rising driven by a man in a flannel shirt with a cap on that had a Confederate Flag emblazoned on it. In the back window of the truck was a gun rack with a shotgun and a rifle. “Come on, man,” the driver urged in a thick Southern drawl. “The dam is getting weaker and starting to crack.”

“No. I have faith in my God. He will save me,” the man on the porch said. Thinking to himself as he watched the truck drive off, “I believe that man could be a killer, a terrorist, or something worse. He had guns in his window and showed pride in the Confederacy. I would never be caught with a man like him.”

A few hours later, the water had risen to the door and the man had gone inside to watch from his window. A man in a raft came by. “Come on, man! The dam is getting weaker by the minute. I can take you to safety.”

Looking at the rafter, the man shook his head, “No. I have faith in my God. He will save me.” As the raft took off the man thought, “That man had tatoos and a shaved head. He wore leather. He had to be a man of Satan. I couldn't trust him.”

Another hour passed and the water had risen to the second story. The man was looking out his upstairs window when a boat came by. “Come on, man! It won't be long before the dam breaks. The entire valley has been evacuated. Let me take you to safety.”

“No. I have faith in my God. He will save me.” As the boater sped down between the rooftops, the man thought to himself, “That man was colored. He would surely try to steal what little I have left.”

Finally, the water had reached the rooftop. The man was sitting on the top of his chimney when a helicopter came flying up. Over the loudspeaker a female voice shouted, “Come on, man! The dam is going to break within minutes. This is the last time anyone will be able to save you. Let me take you to safety.”

Looking up into the sky, the man shook his head and yelled, “No. I have faith in my God. He will save me.”

The dam broke. The water coursed violently down the valley destroying all in its path. The lone Christian man, sitting on his chimney was swept away and drown. The next thing he knew he was standing at the Pearly Gates looking into the face of St Peter.

St Peter smiled sadly at the man. “You have lived a good life. You have given to charity. Helped the poor. You have gone on missions to spread the word of God across the globe. You have believed wholeheartedly in the Word of God and loved his son. You are welcome into Eternal peace. Now it is time to go before the Lord God and be judged as all humans are.”

The man slowly walked through the gates of Heaven, looking around at all the beauty and listened to the sounds of the angels singing their praises. He was happy knowing that he would be part of this. Hadn't St Peter said as much? The Lord couldn't judge him poorly. He had done great things in the name of God and Christianity. He was a shoe-in.

Suddenly he stopped. He was standing before the Golden Throne of the Almighty. God looked down on him and smiled. “You have done great deeds throughout your life, my son. You have lived a good, clean life, adhering to my Commandments as best as any human could. You have repented whenever you fell short. Yes, you have done well.”

The man, having heard such praises from his Heavenly Father felt emboldened to ask a question. “Lord Father. If I may ask a question.”

“I know what it is you want to know but, proceed, child.”

“I have an unwavering faith in you and your power. I know that if I ask, you will give. Why then, when I needed you the most, I needed you to save me from the flood, did you not?”

The Father looked down at his human child and smiled. “Son, I did not forsake you. I knew that you would drown if you were swept away in the raging waters. I first sent you a truck. You refused because the man driving it had guns and wore a Confederate Flag. This went against your ideas of a good person. You were judgmental against someone that held pride in his ancestry and had been out hunting for food for his family and his neighbors.

“I then sent a raft. Again, you judged against a man because of his tattoos and clothing. This man is a pediatric physician. He has saved the lives of thousands of children that would have otherwise died.

“The third time I sent a boat. Again, you judged a man because of his color. This man was a teacher and a coach. He has helped hundreds of underprivileged children in inner-city schools from dropping out, joining gangs, using drugs.

“The fourth, and last time, I sent a helicopter flown by a woman that was in training to become an astronaut. She was first in her class at the Academy and had helped several others raise their grades to passing so as not to be disqualified. Again, you judged because you did not believe a woman was capable of saving you.

“You have lived a good life, not a great life. You have believed, blindly, in me and my power. You have judged against your fellow man that did not fit into your bubble of belief. I gave you four different ways to be saved yet you refused because of your prejudices.

“For that reason, you will not be allowed into the Kingdom of Heaven.”

It doesn't matter what deity a person believes in; it doesn't matter what kind of life a person has lived; it doesn't matter what deeds you have done; what really matters is how you treat others of different beliefs than your own. If you cannot accept another because of skin color, sex, origin of birth, ancestry, beliefs, sexual orientation, etc., then you have not achieved enlightenment enough to pass from this world into the next (whatever that next world is for you).

Each and every one of us on this rock must learn to live together. Kurt Cobain stated, “Life screws us all. No one gets out alive.” We all are born innocent, naked, alone. We all die guilty, clothed in sin, alone. What matters is what happens between those two occurrences. Did we treat other people right, without screwing anyone over? Did we treat the Earth right, take care of the world which keeps us living? Were we petty, obsessed with 'things,' more interested in our own well-being and feelings than that of others? Were we 'elitists' that couldn't be bothered with anyone below our standard of living? Most importantly: did we love one another?

It doesn't matter where you came from, what your economic or social status is/was, what your education level is, what your experiences in life have been; it is how you live that precious thing we call life. The past is done and over and cannot be changed. Forgive those that have done you wrong and let Karma take care of it. Forgive yourself for your shortcomings but work on being a better person. It is today and beyond that counts. Those that did you wrong will get what they have coming, one way or another, in this life or the next, just don't forget what they did and do not let it happen again. For those that held out their hand when you needed it, remember it and pay it forward.

Your choices make you who you are. How you treat people and the world we live in will determine whether you get to your 'Heaven' or sends you to your 'Hell.' You, alone, are the master of your life and afterlife.