Religious Angst

     With so much in the news about religious extremist killing and kidnapping people,  States trying to discriminate under the guise of religious freedoms my heart is breaking. whether it's serving cake or allowing people to use the restroom. So much justification for bigotry, division, arrogance, and self-righteousness. Many times under willful ignorance.

     I am having a difficult time seeing the good in religion. I see the catastrophic damage that people have caused in the name of religion to those who are not of their religion, or don't prescribe to their "morals". I am tired of hearing how christians bash other christians because they aren't the "right kind" of christian. And then judging those of other religions, or who are non-religious, self-righteously assuming you are the on the right-side.

     I am tired of hearing people spout scriptures that condemn others assuming their subjective view, and cherry picking of the scriptures is the only right and true  understanding of them. I am tired of the dogmatic literal views of some scriptures that again, condemns others, while overlooking  other literal scripts because it isn't convenient.

     How many times does your scripture say to love one another?  How many times does your scriptures say to not judge others?  Why am I not seeing this in my daily news feed from my Christian friends?  I can't go on this weekend listening to others talk about the atonement and how grateful they are about being saved in one hand, and cast stones with the other.

     I am not impressed. I am not moved to follow your path. And not because I don't want to follow strict doctrine, but because I don't believe it is the best way to do the most good and prevent the least harm. Well-being not only comes from my life being free from suffering, but those around me. To see injustices towards women around the globe, and then justify patriarchy does not seem moral to me. To want to have love and connections with those around you, and at the same time prevent others from having that does not seem moral to me. To want job and housing security for yourself and your family, but try to stop others from having that does not appear moral. To condemn and kick out your children because you don't l.ike who they are attracted to  does not appear moral.

     To overlook or hide abuses in your church in order to protect it from condemnation, is immoral. To spend millions of dollars on expensive church houses while there are members and non-members around the globe going hungry does not appear moral.

     This holiday weekend, I am going to step away from the rhetoric, and go appreciate nature, and my family. I am going to contemplate how I can do good and make a difference; to help others with the time I have here.