Justifications

Perhaps I've been too harsh. Perhaps I've been too ironically intolerant and hypocritical. Religion, for all it's irreconcilable beliefs and blatant contradictions, when taken as a larger value, is incredibly useful to society, versatile in delivering on people's needs, and provides the support and faith that people need to get on with life. But all this is ruled by a predominant veil of hypocrisy and irrationality. Is it justified that whatever benefits we get from religion are wrapped up with a contract that will perpetuate irrationality?

Religion provides the support people need when that support is taken away from them. Someone who's been trodden on their whole life, diagnosed with cancer, and simply overlooked in society is more likely to turn to religion than someone who's been pampered, educated, and encouraged to find their own way. Religion allows the weak, those who have been ragged on for all their lives, to find their way, through God, through the idea of heaven, and through purpose. People need something, the belief that their higher power will provide it will certainly be enough for them to continue their lives, to live it to the fullest.

It's nice to have encouragement, to have that certainty. Some people just aren't strong enough to stand on their own two feet, to buy into the belief of the absurdity of life and the construction of our own purpose. But if you've been down in the gutter all your life, isn't it also kind of hard to believe that a greater power is looking out for you? People are diagnosed with terminal diseases all the time, I would believe that it's very hard for them to maintain a steady belief that their higher power is doing the best it can for them. While it's nice to have that steadfastness in life, it also seems quite hard to justify its existence.

The main problem I have mostly with religion is mainly that buying into it promotes irrationality. The very concept of an abstract, almighty being unconditionally loving every person on earth, even the scum like child molesters or murderers and allowing forgiveness is absurd. I haven't even belittled it, Straw-Manned it, if you will (Logical fallacies don't fly with me), that's the concept. It is inherently absurd when you take into consideration the logical rationalities that rule the earth and heavens. Quantum physics and astronomy and astrology govern how the stars and planets and neutrinos and the like behave. Evolution dictates animalistic behavior and adaptations. All of this is supported with evidence and verification. I cannot believe in something that has absolutely no proof whatsoever. But I digress. With the acceptance of religion comes the acceptance of its tenets, and its tenets are, like I just said, inherently irrational. As more and more people begin to accept the irrationality and the hypocrisies and contradictions, they're perpetuated. They're made permanent and integrate themselves into society, as plainly evidenced by the progression of society over the past thousand years. The belief of a God is so commonplace now that atheists and agnostics are now the pariahs and are not accepted. It's an unfortunate trend.

So while I fully believe that religion is useful to the people who need it, we really could do without it. Existentialism, the school of thought I subscribe to (and the best, hell yeah!), isn't for everyone. Not everyone can self-enlighten and realize what it is that makes them happy. Some people need help to bring about this realization. And that's absolutely fine. The problems I have with it, however, are the fact that the help that comes, the cavalry if you will, stays with us. The baggage isn't going away any time soon. The backwards and oftentimes hateful passion that it inspires really could be directed at something else - something useful. But I suppose its the price we have to pay to maintain a society that can function after being beat down throughout its life.