“All Faith is false, all Faith is true: truth is the shattered mirror strewn in myriad bits; while each believes his little bit the whole to own.”

-Richard Francis Burton

Defining the role of religion in my life has been an ongoing struggle. I have only been able to receive diminutive glimpses of the truth. I’ve gone from devout, unquestioning Catholic, to intelligent theologian, to agnostic, to Taoist inquirer, to atheist and have finally arrived at Provisional Deist. During my travels on the theological path I picked up some pieces of the shattered mirror and tried to make as much sense of my existence as possible. I would like to share what I have discovered thus far and my opinion of the role of religion in society and politics.

Organized religion is the root of superstition, ignorance, fear, and ferocity. It is also the source of social structure, code of law, foreign interactions and alliance. Although religion itself has played a pivotal role in human existence, we are now evolved enough to start creating new ways to express spirituality. Just as a toddler learns to convey his desires through words instead of crying, humanity needs to take a step forward in the regions of both science and religion. Some biblical historians believe that Jesus Christ, a radical egalitarian, was in fact against organized religion because it leads to hierarchical structure. It was Jesus who reprimanded those who displayed their faith openly saying “Do not be like the false followers who shout their worships in the streets. Instead, go into your house, lock your door, and pray to God alone.”

I feel that religion is an instinctual entity that has been hard-wired into our minds through evolution. Religion has always been the basis for the various tribes of the world. In ancient cultures, religion played an important role in trade, moral code, and human relations. It is human nature to want to be with others that hold the same beliefs as our own. I think that that tribalistic mentality has carried on into the present day. People are able to form friendships and alliances on the grounds of religious affiliation. This is why I take the liberal (or perhaps conservative) view that a person’s religion needs to be highly individualistic. Everybody needs to search for what they believe in as the truth and tap into their own spiritual energy to successfully live their lives. I don’t believe that my existence on this earth is so simplistic that it revolves around “being a good little boy so I can go to heaven”.

Now there are some drawbacks to an “individualistic religion”. People would no longer share a totally standardized or universal belief system and in our society, uniformity is sacred. There would be a lot of differences between people that may start arguments but surely wouldn’t escalate into holy wars. Also, there is still the risk of a hierarchical environment developing. However, I highly doubt that people would agree to have a complete variance of religious views. People like to know that they aren’t alone and let’s just face it; some people are too lazy to think for themselves.

It’s not surprising that religion is playing a more significant role in American politics. Our entire history is intertwined with Puritanical ideologies. Our Founding Fathers laid the foundation for Separation of Church and State but that line was crossed long ago. Kevin Phillips is right: America is turning into a theocracy. The conservative Right Wing seems to be on a crusade to rid the world of anything “Evil”, all in the name of God. This is not the proper role of religion in society. In fact, I don’t think religion should have any role in society. Albert Einstein summed it up quite accurately:

“A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death”.