I have always been fascinated by religion even from when I was a small child. I grew up in a small town split between Methodist and Christian churches and later went to two private Catholic High Schools.

Growing up I wondered why we were taught the teachings of Jesus on Sundays and threw rocks through the windows of the Methodist church on Saturday. Later history classes made me question how people could justify killing each other in the name of a man who died for us rather than raise a hand in violence, more over, a man that was supposedly sent to us to preach divine love.

And although I myself am not religious, I have read the bible cover to cover twice. I have read the Book of Ladder Day Saints, tried to comprehend the vastness of Judaism and in recent years I have studied the fundamentals of the Muslim faith. And unlike most of the devout followers of these various ideologies I have not just read the words, I have looked at the history, culture and politics surrounding them as well.

Admittedly I have no formal degrees in theology or history, only countless hours of reading, PBS Specials and the History Channel over the years. But it does not take a square hat and tassel to see the truth, only common sense. Religion is the single most destructive man-made creation ever devised.

Rotten To The Core
Religion has been the root of nearly every war in recorded history. Even today, contrary to popular perception the current disaster in Iraq is at its root not oil or terrorism, it is a battle of religious ideology, Christian versus Muslim versus Jews.

Throughout history the church has been a breeding ground for corruption. Its greed and deceit well documented as well as the resulting atrocities. It has been involved in blockading and covering up information vital to the advancement of society as a whole, as well as its own internal perversions and debauchery.

Given the evidence against religion in general I find it disconcerting that society still abides these organizations and continues to perpetuate the pointless conflicts they breed. Humans by majority wish for an end to suffering in the World but we continue to overlook the real cause. There is a cancer in our society and it must be cut out, it is time for mankind to put religion behind us.

Religion is not Faith
First understand that religion is not faith. Faith is part of the human condition, mans way of finding order in the universe, connecting to the inner-self as well as fulfilling our natural spirituality. Religion on the other hand is a man made institution designed to control and subjugate humanity through the exploitation of primitive fears and suppression of knowledge.

Yes, it can be argued that there are good aspects of religion such as charity and teaching of morality, but I challenge that those are simply inborn traits of humanity that the church has taken credit for. We don’t need the Bible, Torah, Koran or any other ancient tome composed by man to tell us how to be good people, we need self accountability.

“I do good I feel good, I do bad I feel bad that is my religion” – Abraham Lincoln

Keep ‘em Dumb
Religion at its core demands that we do not think for ourselves. The Ten Commandments for example are a farce, the first 3 commandments tell you everything you need to know about the purpose of Christianity.
“I am the LORD your God you shall have no other gods before me.”
“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God.”
“Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”
Translation: Control!

The rest of the commandments are common sense. Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t lie, and don’t be greedy. Oh, how profound! Every mentally balanced human being knows that killing and theft are bad. Every ancient society, Native American culture and tribe in the deep Amazon has had these same rules since the Stone Age without the need for organized religion.

The Bible, Torah, Koran and the like are at best guidebooks, like a children’s primer, with a few stories to teach us lessons about morality. While they do have some historical references, every book written contains hints of the culture and period in which it was composed. Following the Bible in literal translation, or worse placing biased interpretation on it, more than 2000 years after it was written, is no beteter than basing you’re entire belief structure on Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who.

Religion wants mankind to believe that it cannot think for itself. That without the church humanity would collapse when in fact we would be better off without it.

Held Back a Grade
The ongoing conflict between science and religion is a prime example of the churches stifling of mankind’s progress. The theocratic institution would have humanity never progress. It has fought every major advance throughout history from astronomy to medicine. Imagine how many hundreds of years we are behind due to the intervention of the church. This is not just a past misdeed, in our current society the religious authority continues to fight the exploration of knowledge and hinder progress.

The church would have you believe that scientists are as a majority faithless heathens embroiled in a battle against the word of God. Despite the obvious ignorance that statement is steeped in, it is simply not true. Many scientists are not religious yes, but faithless could not be further from the truth. Scientist that I have known are actually the most deeply faithful people I have ever met. With knowledge and an understanding of the glorious workings of nature who cannot help but have a sense of a higher power.

Evolution of a Narrow Mind
Another example of religion fostering ignorance in the people is the debate over evolution that has waged since the 1800′s. Why do the Papal Cartels try and dispute evolution? The physical proof is all around us, and in us. To understand and accept the natural facts of evolution is not to deny the probability of a god. Why would it not make sense that a higher force in all infinite power did not create the process of evolution itself? Why does the church stand stubbornly behind a simplistic and childish notion of God plopping a man and woman down in a garden to produce all of inbred humanity?

My Grandfather used to say “Beware of anyone who knows anything absolutely!”

Science is founded on theory, meaning, this is what we believe to be true based on our cumulative observation and studies to date. Theories can change and in fact are design to be disproved and expanded upon. The church is absolute and to question is heresy. History has shown us time and again the danger of this kind of mentality.

Religion is even at the center of our current environmental troubles. The church teaches that God put man in dominion over the earth and all its creatures. This falsely superior view undermines the respect we should give our environment and in time has overridden our natural instinct to live in harmony with nature, resulting in its callous misuse.

Truth Aint Easy
Ignorance is the only evil and religion is its master and arbitrator. Ridding the world of this archaic and destructive system is the only way we will ever realize peace among mankind. It is the only way we can progress unobstructed as a culture and it is the only way we can truly explore our faith and the spirituality inherent in man and nature without confines.

This is the point that I am supposed to say it will be a simple and peaceful shift in ideology, but I cannot. Those in power and their hordes of brainwashed zealots will not simply fade away. If humanity is to reach the next stage it will be the wake of a bloody revolution, a war the likes of which history has never seen. That is just the cold truth of the matter.

The bible thumpers have been terrorizing us with the pending apocalypse for centuries now. Perhaps it is coming but it is not mans judgment day, but religions.