Religion in the US

by Joew

A FEW COMMENTS ON RELIGION IN THE U.S. (AND PROBABLY ELSEWHERE)

1. In terms of the nature of religion...

I think it should be pretty clear to anybody raised and educated in a modern, Western country... who’s “blessed” with a nominal level of intelligence, and mental health... that religion’s “spiritual” side (paranormal, metaphysical- however you choose to view it...) is based upon a loose mess of folklore with no corroborating evidence or basis in reality, and there’s no sensible reason- aside from the pleasure of fantasizing, or escape- to believe in such things. Even if one chooses such self-delusion- perhaps to avoid, postpone, or buffer, the impact of painful reality- or for the lonely, to become a part of a community... such does not come without risk, as the motives, agendas, and methodologies of the leadership are too often defined by deceitful, mercenary, lecherous, and sometimes- just plain evil- men and women (concerning the Catholic Church and the recent revelations of their leadership’s cover-up of priest’s disgusting and inexcusable sexual escapades, including pedophilia... suffice it to say it doesn’t do much to alter my dubious opinion of them, and I seriously question whether the other organized Christian churches in the US are tremendously better, overall; I won’t even comment on the lunatic fringe, such as Osama bin Laden, abortion clinic bombers, etc. as nothing need be said which shouldn’t already be obvious.)

2. As for how societal factors relate to belief in their dogmas...

Historically, there’s been a strong correlation between lack of education/scientific knowledge, and prevalence of religion in civilizations. Why religion enjoys a considerable level of popularity in our modern Western society, which has a highly-educated and technologically adept population comparatively, is somewhat paradoxical.

3. In terms of the positive side of religion...

A little fantasizing may not necessarily be a bad thing. If some people were to force themselves to acknowledge, “point blank,” too much of the hard reality associated with our existence, and accept how little control we really have over many elements of their lives, they might become grief-stricken, and unable to get out of bed, go to work, feed the dog, etc. So, a little self-delusion and fantasy (many people’s favorite flavor of this is a religion) may provide people with the “escape” they need to make it through yet another day. Although pretending there are supernatural beings who “like me” and will lend me a helping hand... while babies go hungry as draught, famine, and death become the norm in impoverished countries, and insane violence ravages the innocent in still other parts of the world... isn’t my cup of tea, I’m sure I otherwise engage in some self-delusion in other matters, and that I’m unknowingly just flat-out wrong about still many others. That’s the nature of being human, and if there’s any salvation from these unfortunate tendencies, I’m pretty sure it won’t involve the groping, philandering, money-grubbing henchmen of a deity: real or imagined.

4. Regarding religion and wealth...

One only need look at the opulent lifestyles of the clergy in major churches, or have an inside glance at how much attention they give to exploiting their “tax exempt” and “charity” statuses to know that religion is a business in this country- seeing is believing. At best, it’s a social profession, at worst (and sadly, more frequently) it’s a flat-out racket... a con game. On the extreme end of the spectrum, I’m hard pressed to think of a greater hypocrisy than those clowns on TV telling their audiences to have more faith, pray, and send them their money- their congregations get a lot of empty promises and pipe dreams, while they enjoy the very worldly pleasures of the cash they con out of the sick, desperate, and/or gullible.

5. In terms of religion and government...

Yes, various governments have been, and are, linked with the prominent religions of their nations, usually (maybe even universally) with the primary objective of social control. Here’s a related misnomer of interest: the Romans didn’t go out of their way to feed Christians to the lions in their “arenas”- a cliche often repeated... actually, the Romans were extremely tolerant of the Christians because they preached passiveness and conformity of the “flock” to those in power- they were told to be good citizens, and they’d henceforth find their rightful reward in Heaven. In essence, since their spiritual leaders generally told them to pay their taxes and keep their mouths shut, why would the Romans- a very pragmatic bunch- have a problem with that? The lions were fed those deemed “troublemakers,” period... no religious “discrimination” involved (Pagans, Jews- whoever else- had an equal shot at being fed to the lions, if they parked their chariot in the wrong place, spoke ill of the powers that were, etc.) The Roman’s modus operandi for handling dissent, and what was otherwise considered criminal behavior, was similar, in principle, to those of many modern-day governments, although their tactics are a bit dated, perhaps. Then again, after reading about what goes on in various state-sponsored prisons and torture chambers around the world today, one might be inclined to argue to the contrary.

IN CONCLUSION-

It’s probably clear that I’m an atheist, and no fan of organized religion, in general. These snake oil salesmen have been around for a long time... it’s a very old scam, and most certainly a great deal of harm has come from it’s sundry forms. But excluding the more malignant varieties, some overall good probably does come from religion:

 It can provide a sense of local community in an ever-more-alienating and impersonal society. It can be a source of camaraderie, and a context for socializing for those of the proper mindset.

 Many religions provide a decent (though imperfect) ethical framework through sets of rules, metaphors, and moralistic fables, for those who need such guidance (I’m not including churches who find need to integrate hate-mongering directed at Jews, Muslims, Christians, Whites, Blacks, homosexuals, or scapegoating of anybody else into their lore, for that matter.)

 We live in a country where increasingly avarice, betrayal, wholesale dishonesty, greed, unbridled lust for power/wealth/gratification, and corruption are becoming the norm in our greatest business, social, and political institutions... places where traditionally- if only, in popular myth- the common man could look to for examples of leadership, ethics, and stability. The bubble has burst, and the fairy tale is no more. At their best, churches can provide a sanctuary- a cornerstone- where one can still find some of the decency, honesty, and humanity that were once prided as qualities of Americans at their best.

 For some, it provides a much-needed escape, or minimally a temporary buffer, from a cold reality that’s too hard for many (if not most) to handle in it’s raw, undiluted form.

 Some religions provide charity services that actually do significant good for the disadvantaged.

Regarding the last point- unfortunately, and more commonly, many church’s primary objective isn’t to help people, but to put on a good show for public-relations, to create a facade for enabling financial maneuvering, etc. and the results, predictably, are just that- good showmanship, dollar figures moved about spread sheets in anticipation of their tax-exempt fiascoes... but a mild degree of scrutinizing reveals that in terms of actual “charity” provided, very little beyond the “show” was accomplished. If many such organizations were subjected to real accountability and oversight (not the kind of paper trip that’s easily circumvented and virtually impossible to verify) the inefficiency revealed would range from shameful, to illuminating what amounts to outright scams. Sadly, those at the lowest end of the socioeconomic ladder- the truly needy- suffer for the lack.

Considering the way religion operates in this country, and especially considering that President Bush now wants to escalate the “farming out” of social services to religious organizations, I think one can make a pretty strong argument that their “tax exempt” status should be no more- after all, the line between a church and a business, other than in namesake, has become awful blurred (in my opinion, anyway.) They should pay taxes. And they should be subjected to the same kind of accountability as any other subcontractor. Probably emanating directly from the heavy entanglements of organized religion in our national political circus- in terms of churches “relationships” with our government (what happened to separation of church and state?) accountability has been grossly lacking. I don’t fault our government for this- it’s a matter of manpower- and there are plenty of other, more venomous snakes slithering out of the swamps to be concerned with. The United States is a country facing a multitude of serious problems- terrorism, corruption in major business to an extent that undermines the financial futures of millions, a system where private economic power is readily translatable to political control, an increasingly lopsided distribution of wealth, a health care crisis, eroding economic conditions (relative to population growth) reflected in inadequate and unstable employment, and diminishing qualities of life for the lower-classes, and alleged national security needs compromising individual privacy and personal freedom in no indiscrete way, to name a few.

How long the United States can endure- that is, while maintaining a semblance of the country most adults like to envision it as being- under the financial, and social burden of all of this is uncertain- the United States proper, via it’s military, technological, and (present) economic dominance will certainly live on... what’s less clear, is in what form (in any event, organized religion will undoubtedly survive along with it.) While increasingly for the common man, there’s no job security; relative to wages, real estate prices have increased astronomically (I’m not referring to interest rates- they’re low, but they will go up in time;) millions can’t afford medical care, state college tuition has increased over 40% in the last 10 years; personal savings is at an all-time low, and personal debt is at an all-time high. All of this- while too many spiritual parasites sell their hollow promises and psychological placebos- tax exempt. Supervision of their pseudo-charities is minimal, and demonstrably inadequate. Sure, we have “freedom of religion,” as freedom of speech facilitates rambling/writing damn near anything else (as it well should,) but why should any resulting profits be tax-exempt any more than those of the latest “Lose 10 Inches Off Your Waste In A Month” best-seller diet book? Getting back to financial reality- even if a person doesn’t give a damn about the poor and struggling (due to a Darwinian belief system, or an unduly vicious disposition, perhaps) how many people think it’s an equitable tradeoff if loss of this tax revenue means their kids can’t afford to go to college? Rest assured, if they have the desire and aptitude, the smiling television evangelist’s sons and daughters will be able to afford the most elite and expensive of private education, while the siblings of the majority of the “flock” who funds their Harvard or Stanford tuition... will have to rely- more than ever- on faith to secure their futures, in an ever-more-competitive landscape of low wage, dead-end jobs.

I try to give organizations, as with people, a fair shake... to give credit where credit is due. I realize that upon reading this, some might conclude that my mindset has become so cynical, and my attitude so colored and hardened, that I’m incapable of realizing, or appreciating the emotional benefits of religion, and my views regarding their other aspects have become commensurately skewed. Yet I’ve personally seen examples of religion in action that have truly impressed me- I had an acquaintance who ran a small ministry, of a few dozen people, on the weekends. He was a Christian, and a Black man of poor upbringing, and middle class means- a decorated Vietnam veteran, he worked during the week as a supervisor at a factory, making no special efforts to solicit cash for his church, other than accepting voluntary, anonymous donations- while running his ministry, in a conscientious manner, out of his own pocket as much as was needed. To him, it was a hobby and an extension of his personal good will, and although I couldn’t accept his spiritual beliefs and shared little commonality in terms of culture or background, I would voluntarily donate my time, and money, to his cause because he was a man of integrity, decency, and character- his efforts yielding some of the best religion has to offer in terms of true benefit and service to his community. This man’s actions are commendable. And just as there are other some churches which genuinely help the needy in meaningful ways, and I’m sure there are many fine individuals like him who are equally worthy of praise... sadly, they seem to be buried in a sea of flashy opportunists, flimflam artists, and worse.

If you feel I’m in err, or otherwise wish to comment, send opinions, virus-laden hate mail, death threats, descriptions of what awaits me in hell, etc. to

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