I read a legitimate news article recently about Israel having ties with two Arab nations. My first thought was "Well, that's nice. Why can't everyone do that?". Then I began ruminating on that last thought.. "Yeah why CAN'T everyone do just that?", thus triggering this post.
In this day and age of global connectivity and open communication, I find it hard to fathom sometimes why people of different religions find it extremely difficult to coexist peacefully. It is definitely a hell of a lot easier to get a conversation going, but people just don;t seem to want to do that..
All this talk about "infidels" and "slaying the unbelievers" makes me throw up my hands and say: "Really? You really can't move past that?? Damn, you guys are such infants!"
I am not against good organized religion in any way. I like my faith. It keeps me grounded, and I feel that it holds me accountable for my actions. A belief in a higher power is supposed to keep human behavior in check for the most part. Following a set of rules for morality is meant to keep people from being assholes all the time towards their fellow human beings. The concept of doing good to others for a future gain for all of eternity may still seem a little selfish in itself, but is necessary given the way human nature works.
The problem arises when people rely too much on their sacred texts and are childishly unable to see the evolving context as the world modernizes and moves on from certain outdated points that are no longer relevant. I will not go into specifics in the interest of peace, since I have no desire to engage any religious keyboard zealots out there over a useless debate wherein they will just show how backward they think. I will say this though, all those statements in various religions about making war on unbelievers are there for a reason that was valid AT THE TIME. For the writers of those texts who lied centuries to millennia ago, war was an inevitable necessity for survival, since the ancient world was a far less friendlier and less evolved place. To attempt to forcibly shoehorn all these violent notions into the current situation we live today simply just won't cut it, nor does it really make good sense for that matter. Societies have evolved (for the most part), and blind violent religious fervor no longer has a place at the table.
I wish these various religions would concentrate on the good tenets of their faith, preaching about love for others, cooperation, and taking care of your neighbor, concepts that are very badly needed in the world we live in today. They could also do away with those irrelevant passages about killing others in the name of the particular deity because dude, that kinda goes against your other teachings anyway, so what the hell?
Sadly, human nature does not allow for such evolved thinking on a massive scale. Selfishness and greed will always be part of the norm, and people will always take advantage of the gullibility of others by waving the banner of organized religion to facilitate more sinister purposes..
Why is it so hard for ALL religious leaders to come together, shake hands, and make a united show of force, telling their flocks to "Just get along with each other for the good of everyone"? Isn't it much easier to say "put down your weapons and pick up your tools, we are gonna make the would better for everyone!", than to always say "death to the unbelievers/infidels/what have you?"
Some may say it is a matter of pride for these religions. That reaching out would show weakness or some other nonsense like that. It is just so frustrating that people are still on that line of thinking. Get off your high horse and stop being such children! Do your part in making the world more united! There are much bigger problems we presently face as a race that we no longer have time for relatively petty squabbles over whose prophet was right a thousand years ago.
Yes, I may be oversimplifying things, but I do have a right to dream for a better day.
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