Religion: Blessing or Curse?

Religion: A Blessing or a Curse?

When we consider the religions of the world, past and preset both, what do we think of? Do we think about the great good done in the names of many of those religions, or the great evils? Is religion a blessing to humanity? Is it a curse? Is it both? People of every race, color and creed place great importance in religion, for good or for ill. It is important to consider why.

Religion can be called a blessing when one considers all of the good that has come from it. Many people live by the words and ideals that are preached from many of the religions. Ideals and true belief in such things as mercy, compassion, charity and many others are often found through the words of religion when they often would not be found otherwise. For this reason alone, religion should be considered one of the great blessings humanity has.

Religion could also be considered a blessing due to the many contributions it has made to the world throughout history. During the "Dark Ages" of Europe when most people were barely surviving and "civilization" and "learning" were forgotten words, it was the monks and religious orders who kept a great deal of knowledge from being lost. I am speaking not only of the Christian orders, but the Islamic faiths as well. It is a known fact that the first universities in the world were founded by the Muslims. What we know about science, mathematics, history and many other areas of learning would be greatly reduced were it not for religion.

Religion has contributed in many other ways as well. Due to the teachings of their faiths, vast numbers of people throughout history have aided others in times of trouble, worked together to help the weak and helpless, pitched in and helped when disaster struck...the list goes on and on. The world would indeed be a lesser place without religion.

Religion is also directly responsible for some of the greatest evils to ever occur in the history of the world. There have been people throughout history who have twisted religion for their own purposes and have used religious belief to commit atrocities that are almost beyond belief. They take faith and twist it around in such a way that they believe they are truly doing God's will or Allah's will or whoever.

There were ancient religions that engaged in human sacrifice, believing that it pleased their gods. The Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition, the acts of modern day Muslim terrorists and fanatics and more. Here is another list that goes on and on. Religious belief is responsible for all of these terrible things and more. It could be said that individuals are responsible for these acts, but without religion to give them legitimacy, these atrocities would have been much much less. It is understandable that many have cursed religion because of these kinds of events.

Religious beliefs are also responsible for a great deal of prejudice and intolerance between peoples and cultures. The attitudes of "you don't believe what I believe so you are inferior or an infidel or a heathen" have generated a great deal of animosity between people, nations and cultures. Wars have been fought in the name of religion and hatreds that have existed for centuries have been caused by it. Not exactly something to be thankful for is it?

I believe that religion is a great thing for the most part, however, it has one very big problem. The problem with religion, at least in the organized sense, is that it is administered by people. That may sound rather obvious, but when you consider the fact that people are emotional beings and are oftentimes ruled by their baser emotions instead of their "kinder and gentler" ones, this can definitely cause severe problems. When belief overrides common sense and intelligence, it is often to the detriment and sorrow of many.

A perfect example of this is the Muslim radicals and terrorists of today. Their beliefs blind them to reality and to what their religion actually says. They have taken a faith that preaches purity of self, kindness and charity towards others, peace and goodwill towards all and other noble qualities, and they have turned it into a symbol of hatred. Instead of compassion and mercy, they offer bloodshed and murder of the innocent. It is a striking comparison to the Christian Crusades of the Middle Ages, where much of the same beliefs were held by the Christians of the time period.

I do not have an answer to this seemingly insurmountable problem that afflicts humanity. Perhaps there isn't one, or perhaps it will take a change or event of such magnitude that it is unimaginable. There is one undeniable fact however. Whether you consider it a blessing or a curse, religion will always be a part of the human condition. Will you practice it one way...or the other?