religiousrhapsody

   Religion is thought to be an individual's thoughts and beliefs about a superhuman power recognized as the creator of the universe. "Religion is a way of getting closer to God," said Jim Bluemle, a Catholic friend of mine. While his view may be true, that is only looking at one aspect of what religion is and what it does. It leaves out the fact that religion is an old method of restricting and controlling people. Remember the Puritans of the New England states? It is my right, as an American, to worship any religion I prefer. The United State's First Amendment allows the freedom of religion to it's subjects. I choose not to follow an organized religion. Organized reilgion is an unhealthy practice because religions are too restricting, controlling, narrow minded, predudice, and the source of many other problems.
    A person's religion shapes their character by determining a member's beliefs, values, outlook on life, morality, priorities, etc. So religion is very important factor in life. Each religion, whether it is Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., has it's own set of ideas and guidelines. Each has rules and beliefs that the members must follow. Religion also tells its subjects what they believe and how they should act. The people don't have the freedom to think for themselves. If you were to ask a religious follower what they think about God or the afterlife, they wouldn't tell you what they think. Instead, they'll tell you what their religion has taught them. So they aren't permitted to have ideas of their own. Religion trammels those who follow it. Even if they do disagree with some aspects of their religion, they still follow. A person's religion is sacred to him or her. If they disagree with any aspect of their religion then they should not follow it. Disagreements with religion that have spawned numerous religions from all original thought. Jews, Catholics, Christians, Church of England followers, and Lutherans are all derived from the original teachings of the Old Testaments. But for some reason, people don't break from their current religious beliefs to form their own beliefs. Instead they continue to follow a religion that they don't fully believe in. This is not healthy for the individual. Despite the fact that they may feel empty or unfulfilled; they continue to follow thier inherited religion.
    Most people don't freely choose a religion. Most people are born into their respective religious status. They didn't have the choice at their birth; it was their parent's decision on which faith they would be raised. Most people don't change those beliefs either. I believe religion is just a variable. What do I mean by that statement? Take your average Catholic; now imagine if he of she was raised in a Jewish home instead. They only thing that has changed was his or her religious upbringing, but the outcome is the same. Does the different religion cause the person to feel less or more strongly about their faith? The person would feel just as strong about their Jewish faith, as he or she did with their Catholic faith. So your faith in a religion could also be perdetermined by your parents. Most of the religious subjects only follow their religion because it's the only thing they are taught and they don't explore other possibilities. These people are cheating themselves of the opportunity to find a more appropriate belief syetem to follow. If you follow a religion you must believe its views and beliefs to be true. You wouldn't want to follow a religion that is false. So, by following a religion one is proclaiming that religion to be true and that others are false. But with so many religions, how can anyone claim to be right?
    No one has any right to say that another religion is wrong (including myself.) "In Bali they believe in demons. Demons can cause human illness; make crops fail, pigs die, and volcanoes erupt. The Balinese must pacify and cajole the demons in order to survive. On the Day of Silence everyone must sit "silent and immobile all day long in order to avoid contact with a sudden influx of demons chased momentarily out of hell." (Trenholm) Are the Balinese wrong? Do they have false beliefs? Are other religions superior to the Balinese? The Balinese may be right or wrong. But no one can say whether they are right or wrong. No one really knows. Thus, no one should claim to be right or wrong.
    All religions claim theirs to be right. This has led to many conflicts and wars. A short while ago, Pope John Paul II publicly apologized to the world for the violations of human rights by Catholics in past years. Over the years religion has produced some of the bloodiest and nastiest events: such as the Spanish Inpuisitions, the Crusades, etc. Religious hate and prejudices have existed throughout time. People looking down on others that don't believe in the same deity. The band Strung Out shares this view on religion in their song called Unclean. "In the eyes of Christ, in the eye of war, in the grasp of an unseen God. The sky has turned a crimson red as the dead lie everywhere. There's Cchristains and there's Catholics, there's Muslims and and there's Jews. Fighting for the name of God for the color of their hate. When will we ever learn before it's too late? So tell me why must we die for their God?"
    Let me follow this up by stating that I am not an atheist. I am not denying the existence of God or a god. I acknowledge the possiblity that a supreme being may have created the foundation of the modern and historic world. I don't deny that there may be a purpose for our presence on Earth. I am open to any and all beliefs. I also don't proclaim that my religious beliefs are correct, nor do I state that other's beliefs are incorrect. There is no hard proof to support any religion. I am open to any religious beliefs and followings. I don't limit myselft by choosing one religious beliefs to follow. This practice of not following religion gives me the opportunity to explore all types of worship and form my own thoughts on the subject. I have the freedom to think for myself and from my own beliefs and values. This freedom is not available to the faithful followers of organized religion. It is a great power and benefit to use your own mind to think and exploer the wonders of the world. Anyone would agree that you should work your brain (it is a muscle.) The best way to work your brain is to think. To think of all the possible answers to those difficult questions. It's amazing to have the freedom to come up with my won ideas about god, souls, the universe, the afterlife, amoung other things.
    We are all humans, and we are all fallible. I can't prove any of my thoughts and ideas on religious issues to be correct. I can only control my actions and my values. I am going to try to live a good moral life and instill those values into my children. Organized religious association is not needed to be a moral person. Breaking free of my limited thought shackles was one of the most enlightening moments of my life. Like a whole new world was being openned to me.
    But breaking free isn't as easy for some people. It is tough on an adolesscent to tell his or her parents or grandparents that they no longer believe in the family inherited religion. It becomes even more difficult for older individuals to change their beliefs. It is not an easy task for a 60-year-old man to admit that he has been following the wrong religion for 60 years. If that were true, then he wasted 60 years of his life pouring his heart and soul into something that he now considers a fallacy. So, rather than change their beliefs they continue to follow their religion with an unsatisfied feeling. But, the biggest obstacle to overcome is to get a religious person to open up to the possibility that he or she may be wrong, or to get them to examine another form of thought. Most religious followers are not open to other possibilities because they believe they are already following the right religion. They don't feel the need to explore, and they are only cheating themselves by this thought. In the film Dogma, Chris Rock says, "It's better to have an idea, rather than a religion."
    Religion has withstood the test of time and will continue to exist for eternity. Religion is our thoughts of the supernatural world. But I believe we shouldn't follow an organized religion. Rather, we should from our own views on the unexplained spiritual world. Even if we borrow from other thoughts (ie-you can still believe Jesus to be the son of God, or the belief of karma.) In other words, you can believe in Jesus and the ideas of the Bible while not following an organized religion. Using certain principles as a foundation for your new ideas and beliefs.
    Despite my attempts, I know people will still be in captivity of their respective organized religion. I can only be one of the few who won't allow myself to be trapped and held back by this curse commonly referred to as organized religion. Amen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Sammy K