The Calvin Hicks Show

In Bill Maher’s newest movie, “Religulous”, he states, what is arguably the most controversial statement of this decade, “Religion must die for mankind to live”. For anyone who is an Atheist, this quote probably doesn’t matter, but for a person of faith, as I am, these words may upset the conscience. It puts my mind into a moral dilemma where I can’t decide if I concur or disagree. I cannot condemn religion because without it, I would not be the person I am today. It is something that has shaped my life in many different ways, but I also differ from those who blindly believe that religion isn’t responsible for many, if not most, if not all, of the modern world’s major conflicts.

Today, the major religions have a bad reputation, and, quite frankly, they should. The mainstream media constantly features reports of the Middle East’s religion-based terrorism. There is no doubt that the terrible violence, coming from both Islamic and Jewish extremists, is a legitimate threat to the security of all nations. Meanwhile, back in the United States, where Christianity reigns supreme, many of the mainstream religious leaders hypocritically condemn all other religions of the world, and constantly claim that Christianity is the only religion that has a positive effect on society (we all know the Crusades were a great idea). It seems, in the present day, that religion has become a competition between different beliefs, and through this competition, conflict has risen. It makes sense. What has happened is, different group of people believe that they are more “right”- or the sole moral power of the world- and therefore they are constantly trying to prove themselves over one another. Through this, conflicts begin, which in many cases result in violence against an opposing group. So is this the true intention of religion? Was religion established to provoke hate rather than to promote peace and love as they all claim to?

According to study done by Dr. Inzlicht, who is a neurological researcher in Toronto, people who are more religious tend not to be so anxious when making an error. “Anxiety is actually quite important,” Inzlicht says, “We need it to let us know when things aren’t going right. We need it to let us know when we’ve made errors, when we need to correct ourselves.” What Inzlicht is essentially saying is those who are religious do less to correct their mistakes. Perhaps that explains that constant mistakes that organized religions make today. Maybe, religion just clouds the judgment in such a way that people don’t realize when to correct an error. Today, people who are considered religious are looked down upon as those who don’t necessarily think for themselves. It would seem that religious people listen mostly to what the leaders of their church tell them. This is shown every time a presidential election comes up or a new controversial issue finds its way into the television.

I sat down with Rev. Jeff Sonafelt, who is an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) pastor and chaplain of the Lutheran Youth Organization Board, and asked for his thoughts on organized religion. He expressed to me his view on the difference of faith and religion. “Faith is an individual belief in God and everyone’s is going to be different. Religion is meant to be the way in which you practice your faith and share your testimony with others- not to be told how to believe.” Jeff went on to say “I believe Jesus came to this earth to end religion (as humanity has shaped it), not as a proponent of it.”

If there’s anything the religions need to learn, it’s how to get along with each other. As long as religions will not accept one another as equals, there will always be conflict, and until that happens, history will show religion as the bully who picks on those that are different from them. We live in a frightening time, but is religion to blame for that? Or is it the groups of followers that obey their “all knowing” leaders, rather than pondering why they should, or shouldn’t, take the actions they are told to carry out? It is ironic how a group of different beliefs claim to be the exclusive path to finding peace in one’s life, yet they cause so much division. In reality, the only way to find peace is to respect those who differ from your beliefs, and accept the fact that no one knows everything. If there is someone who does- a creator or a higher power-, who religious people believe they should be just like, He’s not wasting His time trying to prove himself.