The Sheep Without a Cause

After a decidedly lengthy episode of absence, the Sheep is back with some thoughts on a really thorny issue these days: religion.

Let me first lay out my position, so that the rest of this note becomes more than just a passing commentary. I am agnostic. I have studied mostly science subjects from childhood, but I've had great exposure to both the artistic (in music, in sketching, and in painting) and the spiritual. I've been to temples more than churches, mosques a couple times, and have friends from all major and non major religious backgrounds (including a Mormon!).

And none have managed to convince me that RELIGION is key to our lives. So I have come to the conclusion that I lack faith. So I asked myself WHY.

I guess it's simple. I have faith in science. Science has taught me that belief and faith have to be EARNED. Scientists do not strive to prove a theory, but to disprove it. When countless tests have been conducted, then we begin to believe in the theory. When that theory has been shown to work in all conceivable scenarios, it becomes accepted. Belief is thus earned, and the theory shown to be true in our every day lives.

I went to a church last weekend, on the behest of a friend, and on a personal wish to be proven wrong. The pastor talked about a passage in the Bible. The Bible is the word of God he said at one point. But then he continued to agonize over a statement by Jesus to "hate yourself, your wife, your family" or something along those lines.

He concluded that Jesus was using "shock and awe" to prove a point that being a disciple requires plenty of sacrifice. But I was thinking, "Hang on, that wasn't what he SAID. IF the Bible is the word of God, surely you blaspheme!"

I guess I was being a little strict, but that's beside the point. Islam takes their Koran literally. But these texts are THOUSANDS of years old, in the context of times that are vastly different from today. Why do people choose to follow THEIR lives, THEIR words? Where is the evidence that God created the world in 7 days? Where is the proof?

Having blind faith can lead good men to perform evil deeds (thanks to Channel 4 for that striking thought!). The whole point of religion is to put all questions and doubts about God aside. But man has progressed because he dared to ask questions. She dared to push boundaries. We dared to break free from the shackles of superstition to arrive at where we are today.

Are we to now expected to revert to religion, superstition and prejudice?