A Tool, not a Rule
It’s Religion, folks. The “R” word that nobody wants to talk about. And it’s what is driving the recent string of unfortunate Supreme Court decisions, and the extreme divisiveness in our society.
At best, religion can be a guidepost, a roadmap, a framework for leading a meaningful life; a way to preserve culture and traditions. At its worst, however, it fosters hate, divisiveness, fear, and obviates critical thinking. The problem is, there is much too much of the “worst” variety out there. No matter what lame excuse is given for treating women as second-class citizens, or declaring marriage as only between a man and a woman, or voting for a lying, turd of a human being to lead our country, you can bet those actions are rooted in religious dogma.
Most people don’t fully appreciate the extent to which religious beliefs influence almost every aspect of our society, from popular, everyday events, to momentous legal rulings. Been to a sporting event lately? Our national anthem did not always have the phrase “under God” in it. That phrase was added back in 1954, largely at the urging of a British cleric. Those evil atheists be damned! It’s quite clear that at least a few recently appointed Supreme Court justices lied in their confirmation hearings, stating that Roe v. Wade was “settled law.” However, as soon as they had a chance to overturn that landmark ruling, they did so. You bet that their duplicity had a lot to do with their religious beliefs.
Recently, the Arizona Speaker of the House, Rusty Bowers, testified in the January 6th Insurrection Hearings. Although Speaker Bowers did not bend under pressure from Donald Trump and his minions to declare his state’s election fraudulent, his reason for standing firm was that he stood by his oath to the Constitution, which he believed to be a “divinely-inspired” document. I wonder if Mr. Bowers thinks we mere humans can do things like create glorious works of art, draft landmark and consequential documents, or even just make good decisions, without help from above? Of course, we can – no divine intervention needed! Religious belief, when carried too far, defies common sense and gives short shrift to our inherent abilities as sentient, intelligent, compassionate beings.
America is one of the few western, civilized countries that have gotten more religious over the last handful of decades. Compared to the United States, western European populations have higher percentages of atheists, attend church less frequently, and are more likely to believe that religion should be kept out of politics. Oh – and I’ll just throw in the fact that surveys of citizens in these countries show they are generally happier, and have better outcomes in many health categories, compared to the United States. Sadly, in our country, someone who professes to be an atheist, or doesn’t claim fealty to an unseen, unproven, imaginary deity, has a snowball’s chance in hell of holding elected office.
Ironically, we are all atheists. If asked “do you believe in God,” the logical response might be: “Which god”? As people such as Sam Harris and Dan Barker have pointed out, humans have worshipped many gods. Does anyone reading this believe in Zeus, Apollo, Anubis, or Ammavaru? How about Cihuacoatl, Cin-an-ev , Cinteotl? Or maybe Fatouma, Fidi Mukullu, Fon, Gleti? Chances are you are an atheist when it comes to the hundreds of gods to which thousands, if not millions, of people have sworn allegiance, past and present. An honest person, a clear thinking person, would acknowledge that the god they worship is largely due to an accident of birth.
As I alluded to earlier, I would not argue that there are no benefits to being a religious person, or that all religion is bad. But the truth is that all-too-often people of faith have been responsible for terrible, horrible, tragedies since time immemorial. The truth is that people of faith cherry-pick from their holy books, ignoring or rationalizing the many contradictions and the archaic, antiquated, and frankly reprehensible “commandments” and instructions (let me know if you think we should bring back stoning someone to death as a punishment for adultery).
Some may think those are harsh words, and maybe you instinctively want to defend your flavor of religion by saying “Yeah, but MY religion is good because…” Or, “But, MY church doesn’t (fill in the blank)…” But there’s no question that for all the relatively innocuous faith-based institutions or organizations out there, there are others that want to impose their beliefs on the rest of us and turn this country into a theocracy. As long as it’s their flavor of theocracy.
And it’s happening now, thanks to efforts by religious conservatives and their lackeys. Stealth candidates up and down the ballot are running for school boards and local and state offices, often being less than honest about their religious beliefs in order to appear more palatable to the electorate. Shadowy groups like the Federalist Society recommend right-wingers for judicial positions. Unelected judges are installing right-wing policies, espoused by religious conservatives, that do not reflect the sentiments of the majority of Americans. The founding fathers must be rolling in their graves, as the wall separating church and state is crumbling, right before our eyes.
The trials and tribulations we all face require us to create our armament, our toolbox, to help us along the bumpy journey of life. If you find your faith to be useful and helpful, great. If your faith helps you through difficult times, fantastic. But please realize that your toolbox will not be the same as mine. You may prefer a screwdriver; I like using a wrench. Respect people’s right to use the tool of their choice, or not to use a tool at all.
I’m not advocating for the abolishment of religion – in fact, that would be quite impossible. But I am advocating to elevate common sense over fairy tales. I am advocating for everyone to be vigilant – do everything you can to keep faith-based dictates from contaminating public policy. And for God’s sake (sic), never force your beliefs on somebody else, as the religious “right,” and the highest court in our land, seemingly want to do. Religion should be a tool, not a rule.
© 2022 L. Wechsler. All rights reserved.