I would describe my own religious
beliefs as being a theological atheist, a Unitarian Universalist, a Humanist,
and a Freethinker. By claiming myself a theological
atheist I am simply stating that I was raised without a God concept and have no
interest in a God concept. I am not an
anti-theist (against God) but live my life without a need for a God concept. I
have been a Unitarian Universalist since 1960 because it is a religion that has
no formal creed and asks its members to explore what gives meaning to their
lives and justice to the world, especially through movements that promote
tolerance and improve the lot of humanity.
I am a Humanist because I believe we have only one life to live on earth
governed by a biological life cycle that for our species is rarely more than 80
to 90 years for the vast number of all who have ever lived. I believe that life should be lived as
productively as circumstances allow giving our lives a sense of self worth and
harming as few people as we can. I am a Freethinker because I believe
tolerance, education, and respect for diversity allow us to care for our
neighbors and discover our human strengths and weaknesses.
Too often in human history religion
has been used to divide people into believers and non believers. It has led to wars between religions (Hindus
versus Islam, Christians versus Jews, Christians versus Islam, Catholics versus
Protestants) with millions of casualties.
Religions have also suffered from lack of faith and have been demoted to
myths as is true for the polytheistic religions of ancient Greece and Rome or
the polytheistic religions of Meso and South America.
Religions have also confused people
by contradictory claims and acts. A
loving God wipes out almost all of humanity in Old Testament scripture. We can
be taught to love our neighbor as ourselves but we can also be taught to reject
our families if they do not believe as we do.
We can be told by the Ten Commandments that we shall not kill. But in
the Same Old Testament God tells Moses to kill the Amalekites even their women
and children. The same contradiction appears in hymns
invoking “Onward Christian soldier, onward as to war” but at the same time we are
told “God is love” and that Christ is “the Prince of peace” and “Blessed are
the peace makers.”
The United States was founded on
the religious principles that the state should make no preference for any
religious creed. It allowed Protestants and Catholics, Jews, Theists, Deists,
and atheists of that era all enjoying the benefits of society without the coercion
of demanding a single state religion or set of religious beliefs. Our laws on religion
that have been taken to the Supreme Court have tried to clarify attempts by
non-believers to keep a wall of separation between church and state and by
believers to breach that wall and allow their views to prevail for all. When I
read Facebook commentary I often wince at the harshness expressed by people who
believe so strongly in their particular faith that they would come to blows if they
were facing each other. That is not a message of love. That is not a message of compassion. That is not a message of tolerance. It
conveys to me, instead, a message of insecurity -- that unless we believe together we cannot get
along. That is not America. That is the fury of the past witnessed in the
30 Year’s War in central Europe as Protestants and Catholics killed each other. That is Ireland for three centuries before a
peace agreement was worked out. That is
the Middle East today with its intolerance on all sides. That is Pakistan and India fighting over the
future of Kashmir. Where is love in
those wars? Where is redemption in those
hatreds of otherness? Where is the
Golden rule? How can America be a land
of tolerance for diversity if it excludes tolerance for the religious beliefs
of others? Believe what you want but don’t
impose your particular interpretation on everyone.
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