Before I start this, let me explain where some of the ire you're about to witness comes from. I find myself at a lot of political functions these days, something for which I am at times grateful and at times wrathful. However, some manner of religion is present everywhere at these things. Much of it is lip service, and the rest is utter bullshit. The rest of it comes from a mixture of places, things I've seen here and there, or heard from the mouths of people (some of whom I care enough about not to murder, some of whom will probably never be found) or in print. Lastly, it stems from some comments by a man I both respect and detest: Chuck Norris. Mr. Norris, despite his fearsome roundhouse kick and other talents, is a highly conservative man and some comments he made in a recent book sparked the thought process that led me here. So, by all means, take these things into account as you read.
Now, I'm about to rant. Violently, by all indications. However, before I rail against anything (because who knows where this will actually go once I get started?) let me tell you what I believe. I believe that religion, or I should say religious faith, is a wonderful thing for practical as well as impractical reasons. It can be therapeutic, it can be a safe place when we endure trials and tribulations, and it can provide the framework for a healthy life. However, I believe faith is individual. No one believes exactly what you believe or what I believe. No one will interpet their faith exactly the same way. My religious beliefs are fairly simple. I honor my gods (the norse gods, if you're still in the dark about that somehow) and I give them my praise because they are dear to me. I thank them and worship them privately, because doing otherwise seems retarded to me. I believe if I lead a good life, if I die honorably and without cowardice, I'll spend my afterlife in Valhalla with the greatest of men and when Ragnarok rolls around I'll march back to Midgard and lend my arm against evil. That's it. There are no real rituals, no real ceremonies. I celebrate in my own way and if people want to join me in these things I welcome it but by no means encourage them to take my beliefs and my methods as a scaffold for their own. We are all different, we all believe differently.
Which is why I think organized religion, particularly as it pertains to politics, is fucking stupid. Look, I don't care what you believe in. Really, it means absolutely fuck-all to me. It has no bearing on my life save for judging how batshit insane you may or may not become later in life. We can discuss it, we can share ideas, we can do those things and then go back to our own respective places and continue living. That's my favorite thing about the hypothesis America represents. A melting pot, a place of culutral diversity, of religious differences, a place where we don't have to worship the same gods and we're not condemned for our varying faiths.
So why the fuck would we need faith in government?
Look, the Founding Fathers were Christians. And like all good Christians they brought their faith into their actions. That's great for an individual. As I said, whatever rules you believe your faith encourages you to follow are probably there for the betterment of everyone. The problem is that, as I said before, we all believe differently. Certain things are close to universal, sure. Mindless killing and stealing are wrong. But that's why we have laws. If a governing body creates laws but can't enforce them without invoking some manner of all-powerful God, then that governing body has failed. They might as well scrap the entire system and start over with theocracy, because they're inefficient at governing any other way.
Likewise, those same Christian Founding Fathers were the ones who proposed a separation of Church and State. They recognized the inherent wrongness in governing based on religious philosophy. Or governing with the aid of religious philosophy. It takes power away from civil service, from the people, and puts it in the hands of the most convincing guy who speaks for God. Prior to America's birth, wars were fought constantly for dominance based on religion in Europe. Protestant kings overthrowing Catholic ones and vice versa. It became more about faith than about ruling. That same problem would have existed one a much, much more violent level in a place that they envisioned as a utopia for all people, regardless of differences in faith.
So religious people make a big deal about toting the last bastions of faith present in our governing system: "In God we trust" on the money, "One nation, under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, prayers before government meetings. These things are a link to our past, they'll say. They're what stand between us and a bohemian wasteland populated by greed and promiscuity and all manner of nasty things. The truth is, that that's bullshit. The reason we continue doing these things is simple inertia. It has been part of our heritage long enough that it becomes an essentially meaningless, kitschy little thing we do out of habit and tradition, rather than widespread belief that its necessary.
Why do we need the Ten Commandments on government buildings? We have laws crafted to mirror those ten holy rules. We enforce those laws based on a fairly successful judicial system. We don't need, in other words, to flout the fact that our laws are based on the laws from God Himself. Doing that would undermine the power of our human system and, in addition, be utterly pointless. Everyone knows where the basis for law came from. Why be redundant?
Furthermore, blatantly favoring something that is Judeo-Christian in nature, regardless of your intent, is unconstitutional. You can't display things like that and still expect America to remain diverse, the next step is incorporating more religious pomp and circumstance than we've had before, and guess where it will come from? I understand that the Christian denominations are a majority here, but it doesn't make them any more worthy of having their bullshit carved into our walls than anyone else. That isn't how America works.
I think, even more than the stupidity and lack of sense involved, my problem lies, as usual, with organized religions. Now, as I said before, I don't believe the same thing as you do. You, in turn, don't believe exactly the same thing as anyone else. I don't, however, begrudge you your beliefs. I encourage them. By all means, have faith in something. Don't try to force it on me, don't look down on me because I disagree, because that's a really fast way to punched in the fucking throat. But please, believe.
The organization part is what I loathe, not the religion. See, an organization has to, by its very nature, have a heirarchy. That's something I don't think can be brought into religion. I don't think its right, or feasible, to quantify devotion or belief. Therefore, how can we say who is more pious? How can we say who is more holy? Or more deserving? I'm even supportive of people gathering for similar religious things, but why do we need a leader? Why can't it simply be a gathering of like minds to share in something profoundly dear to them?
Because somebody needs to make money. Churches, regardless of what they'll tell you, bring in a lot of money. We're talking Microsoft levels of money. And while they certainly provide a great deal of that money to charitable pursuits, none of it goes to taxes. None of it goes to, say, infrastructure. Why does the church get to hold itself aloof from government in that way, but still demand to be part of the lawmaking? The governing? Seriously, the hypocrisy of it makes me want to tear out my fingernails and rage-fuck a Scotsman in the Vatican, just to display my vulgar distaste for the whole affair.
Likewise, if those same churches paid taxes, who is to say we couldn't orchestrate a fund, a secular fund, mind you, that would donate that money to non-profit charities that are already doing what the fucking church does with less revenue? Why couldn't we do that? Because if such was the case, I'd encourage the church to participate the way any other corporation does: by buying politicians.
I pick on the Christians, but all churches are the same when it comes down to it. Organized religions all sing the same song, they just do it in different languages. But I speak the universal language: I Call Bullshit.
Feedback is appropriate here, so by all means toss some at me like rotten tomatos at a Carlos Mencia show.
Faithfully Yours,
-S.R.
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