It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black

Actually, me is not what I want to talk about. Religion, and ideology, is what I want to talk about. I never used to think about religion all that much before I came here. Maybe because back home religion is not so much in-your-face as it is here. Back there when religion shows up it's in a sort of an apologetic "excuse me, may I" sort of way. Not that there are no religious people or that the church has no policy or agenda (though it has more politics than policy right now from what I hear). It's just not... relevant, I think.

I have seen myself thinking of and discussing religion here a lot more than I am interested; though, mostly because it appears to be an issue and, yes, many people think, a policy maker, in this country. I have also been forced to define myself as an atheist although all I am is an a-religious person. The concept of a god was never an issue for me due to its complete absurdity.

But the concept of religion appears to be an issue. Mostly, I have had the following (oversimplified here) discussion with Josh:

Josh: "Religion is obsolete, we have outgrown it. It is not needed anymore as we know what lightnings and thunders are. So we should erase it."

Banana: "No, religion is not obsolete as there are so many people that need a support system, rules, and order in their lives."

Josh: "Alright (or awright), I do not mind spirituallity. It is organized faith or religion I object. Religion is the cause of so much evil, look at history."

Banana: "But it is men that start the evil, they come up with the ideas. Obviously, religion is created by men, and it is a tool. Men say: fight in the name of (insert a deity here), not some obscure voice from above."

With which he agrees because, obviously, it is a stone in my garden - no religion, no reason to fight. But then, I grew up in a non-religious country and there was a reason to fight. Milions of reasons at that: the mighty proletariat.

I can see what Josh's beef with all this is, though, it's the fighting Christian, the fundie. It is religion as a policy-maker, religion that wants to influence the legislature. It is the fact that they are trying to impose their beliefs and morals on everyone else by turning them into laws. But my point still stands, it is men, using religious influence, that are trying to promote their own beliefs. It's like with guns, it is not guns that kill people but people using guns to kill other people.

So, where are we at? What happens if we decide to eradicate religion? When communists did it, sort of, their thinking was that religion as a tool for control was merely competing with ideology, another tool. Well, they managed in a half-assed sort of way, to neutalize it. I am a-religious, as is my family. But then I have friends that are somewhat religious (nothing like folks here, mind you), and then others that believe in a vague sort of way that "there is some power". I've never known what that means so I chalk it off to superstition (there's no god, but I won't say it out loud because what if there is?!). All in all, not a very religous bunch. The result: when one system fell apart and there was nothing there to replace it (and we are not talking only economic systems here because communism was ubiquitous in people's lives), entropy ensues. Go figure!

I guess the point I am trying to make, albeit in a clumsy and rambling fashion, is that people do need a structure. For everything. Think about it. People need to follow diets and stricts exercise regiments to lose weight (whatever happened to balanced eating and not sitting on your fat ass in front of the TV/computer/whatever all day long). People need systems to study and achieve certain levels in their education or professional qualifications. People need rules and order and that's why we live in an organized society. Why is it so hard to understand that in regard to their spritual lives, people need a structure and guidelines?

What I am saying is that, granted people need some sort of structure, eradicating religion would leave them clueless and they'd be looking for something else. The reason religion is such a perfect strusture is because it appeals to everyone, unlike ideologies that appeal to certain classes. For instance communism was appealing to the empty stomachs of the workers and the sense of justice of the itellectuals. Once your stomach is full or you get older and understand your skills would be forever unrecognised in an "everyone's the same" society, you quickly become disenfranchised with communism. Religion though appeals to the spiritual needs of everyone, basically it appeals to the fear of the unknown, the fear of death. And that's where it starts building up. It's perfect.

I don't know what else to say. It's more or less: we cannot eradicate it because people need it. It is not evil but it is used for evil purposes (good as well, actually). It is men that are evil (or good). Things are not black and white because if they are white for me, they most certainly will be black for someone else. There are underlying factors for everything and pointing a finger at religion as a cause for anything is just refusing to take off our blinds. While writing this, I read another blog (edit: I eventually linked to the article; it might not be good to link to a personal blog without asking for permission, huh?) and that largely seemed to be the point of the article pasted there. Look at the cause not at the effect. Now, look deeper. Now think. Now take responsibility.