Roadblock

I haven't blogged much lately. Last month I learned that my comments on religion were offending some family members. So, what's a poor goose to do?

My only point is that if you start believing things on "faith" rather than "fact," that's nice, but it puts you on a slippery slope. The problem is that you have to start discerning what you blindly accept and what is factual. When you start blindly accepting things that can't be proven, you begin losing your grasp of the factual. You drift into a netherworld were "truth" and wishful thoughts intermix.

My one and only religion is called "reality." I admit that it stinks. No flaming chariot is going to whisk me away to Beulah Land. I do not have a mansion waiting for me, and I won't be walking on a street of gold. There is zero scientific evidence of a Heaven or Hell. I've heard people say that these places are in another dimension or behind the sun. Well, please show me any evidence and I'm on board.

The problem becomes serious when "faith" in unproven phenomenon is carried into the public policy arena. When lawmakers make decisions based on their "faith," rather than what is logical and best for the citizenry, humanity takes a step backwards. In fact, ANYTIME that religion and politics get in the way of science, the human race loses.

Manifestations

In Afghanistan and Pakistan, you also have people making decisions based on "faith." If a woman commits adultery, some men may throw battery acid on her face, permanently disfiguring her. Or maybe honor kill her by stoning or strangling. These people have "faith" that they are making their god happy. In the western world, "faith" usually does not lead to such atrocities, but it does lead to many illogical decisions.

In the U.S. there have been cases of mothers suffocating their babies because they "had demons in them." And, in the U.S., a president banned stem cell research based on reasons that stem from "faith."

I do not think "faith" is good at all, and can only cause irrational behavior. If you only act on what you can prove, you are likely to behave more rationally.

Critical Times

We are now at the most critical juncture in all of human history. The decisions we make as a collective whole will determine our survival. The social and environmental problems that we face are massive. We can have "faith" that our deity will come to rescue us or we can start addressing our challenges.

Our society totally lacks critical thinking skills, and this is a result of both poor education and religious indoctrination. We tend not to take responsibility for the world around us because we have "faith" that it's all a part of God's plan. But this type of thinking is simply a lazy cop-out and a shirking of responsibility.

Faith & Science

The Muslim world is fanatical in their religion and devout in their "faith." However, "faith" flies in the face of science. What contributions have Muslim nations made to modern technology? None. The greatest advances come from nations that embrace science. Centuries ago, western Europeans were also devout in their faith, and put their imaginary beliefs above all reason. We call that period of history the Dark Ages. It was the Renaissance that pulled western civilization out of the darkness and into the modern age.

"Faith" is the opposite of the scientific method. Science does not make judgments and only knows what CAN BE KNOWN through systematic testing. Truth is not an absolute, but one can take the preponderance of evidence to make a strong assumption.

Leprosy

Leviticus 14 of the Holy Bible provides a detailed ritual for the healing of leprosy. Well, guess what? It doesn't work at all. Is that simply because the people going through the ritual don't have enough faith? Fortunately, thanks to modern science, this disease is easily curable. Does that mean people who take drugs to cure leprosy have more faith? The logic is absurd, yet this is the sort of thinking that "faith" promotes.

Conclusion

Now, let's get back to a main goal of my blog, which is to promote sustainability. We have terrorism, drug cartels, human overpopulation, rising food prices, social unrest, crime, and the list goes on and on. Do we just ignore these problems because we "believe" it's all part of a grand plan, or do we roll our sleeves and get involved in some cause? I suggest the later.

Believe me, I spent most of my life in church and held a variety of leadership positions. While there are some "practical life lessons" given in church, for the most part I realized I was accomplishing nothing. I've come to think of organized religion as similar to Wall Street, which moves a lot of paper around but doesn't produce anything that is of use to society. Wall Street produces wealth from debt, and religion produces warm fuzzies from faith. But reality is inescapable, and sooner or later it catches up to us.

So, if I am offending people just because I am unable to believe in things that can't be proven, please forgive me. I realize religion is a sensitive and emotional issue, and that for the most part it is taboo to challenge it. I am not pushing my opinion on anyone — I am only stating that "faith" causes irrationality and I see it as a roadblock to a peaceful and sustainable future. Our future must be governed by logic and reason, and if it isn't we will likely nuke ourselves or do irreversible environmental harm to our planet. Does anyone really want that?

— Gooseboy