Growing Out of Religion

As revolutionary technology grows more advanced and scientific discoveries are made exponentially, does religion’s old-fashioned ways really stand a chance? How much does it have left in the future? In the past, religion has caused wars and movements that shook the world’s foundations. To this day, religion is still extremely influential, but many people are starting to have doubts.
Being a non-religious person, I have noticed that almost all religions follow one basic pattern: a moral and divine life must be lead by following a certain set of rules. However, as many religious people spread the word of their faith, the way that some extremists spew hateful nonsense actually repels potential followers. In Jonathan Edwards’ sermon called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, he describes how people who do not believe and love Jesus Christ will burn in the flames of everlasting hell. He tries to instill fear into the hearts of his listeners and guilt the so-called “sinners” that have no chance to enter heaven. Basically what Edwards claims is that God loves us but he also hates everyone and will make people suffer eternal damnation for not loving him back. If that’s how it is going to be, then count me out. As a child, I was raised as a Catholic. However, as I grew up, I realized that the things that the Catholics called love also included lots of hate. While Catholicism teaches to love everyone (even enemies), many of its followers harass people who are different from them. Thus, I pushed Catholicism away from myself. Yet, I still admire the part of religion that promotes kindness and internal beauty; it is the only that is keeping me from being completely disgusted by it. 

Was it Instinct?

You may not be a racist bigot, but you would be blatantly lying if you say that you've never judged a person by the color of his or her skin and culture. I will admit that I was cautious when I saw a middle-aged black man dressed in baggy clothing come out of a gas station at 11 o'clock at night. However, this does not mean I have a bad opinion of African Americans at all. Just like Victor in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie, the man was probably just craving a late night snack. Still, stereotypes exist for a reason; they are true to some degree.As judgmental as all humans are, Caucasians are always perceived as the supreme and most merciless racists. In American society, appreciating the heritage of a minority is celebrated but once someone says "I'm proud to be white," we shame the white man. It's almost like they are being accused of a crime. Minorities can be just as discriminatory as the majority and shouldn't have an exclusive pass to be racist. There is no excuse for racism that is fueled by hate and closed-mindedness. Yet, having eyes that are made to see and observe our surroundings, we as humans can’t help but to judge a book by its cover. Even before reading this post, any person can tell by the photo above that this would be about racism. If we would give each other a little break and stop making something that has little to do with race into a humongous issue, maybe people could focus more on the progression of humanity rather than dwell on insignificant things. Sometimes, what we contemplate about is all in our minds.

Join Me in the Depths of Terror

• How does fear fuel hysteria and mob mentality?

Like a spark that ignites a bonfire, fear, the unknown, and change fuels the hysteria that spreads as people become dragged into the same anxious mindset. Lured by fear, people become ravaged with emotions that are louder than their brains. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the lynch swarm displays that mob mentality emerges from the depths of fear. Following the murder of the heavily intoxicated Boggs, individual townsfolk remark that Colonel Sherburn “ought to be lynched.” Small whispers evolve into all-out yelling sprees. As the crowd submits to their ongoing terror, they grow rowdy and unreasonable. “Snatching down every clothes-line they come to,” the hysterical mob rushes towards Sherburn’s house. It is not the genuine care that the townspeople have for Boggs that causes them to resort to violence; their only goal is getting rid of a catalyst of fear. As humans, we are born with the tendency to imitate and follow. Our first words reflect the words that our mothers and fathers say daily. Therefore, humans are quite akin to the sheep in Animal Farm by George Orwell that bleat “four legs good, two legs bad,” and just go with the flow. Considering the analogous mental environments that people live in, society’s “fools” who go against the flow are humanity’s only hope for a turn-around. A different opinion can cause a part of the hysterical mob to convert their thoughts towards the right path. People must learn not to succumb to fear and smother the fire in order to open their minds to the sweet taste of psychological tranquility.