Sunday Sermon

Is religion the greatest barrier to peace that the world has ever known?

Virtually all religions push a loving message, but is that loving and inclusive message really just a veneer painted over what is in reality the promotion of a mindset that encourages violence and disharmony?

A mindset that is fundamentally incapable of respecting anyone who does not fall under the umbrella of a chosen faith.

This morning I am reading some news updates about the current situation in the middle east, and how the numbers of fatalities are rising in the aftermath of the offence cause by an anti-Islam film that originated from the United States.

Innocent parties, people who have no connection with those who created the film, have died.

Why is this acceptable?

Some of those who have lost their lives will not have seen this film, nor will they have any interest in it.

Why should their families be mourning the loss of their loved one over something that the person had no control over, and in all likelihood didn't support?

Where is the rational justification surrounding this ongoing misery?

I also see that Channel 4 have decided not to screen a repeat of their documentary Islam : The Untold Story after seeking security advice.

That translates to the personal safety of those involved cannot be assured, so best not to inflame the situation, and leave it on the shelf.

That decision is a blatant example of freedom of expression cowering under the boot heel of a threat of violence.

This reaction, while understandable, sickens me.

Do we really want to live in a world where we have to consider every single utterance in case it offends, as lets be honest some people can be offended at virtually everything?

This is not an attack on Islam in itself.

My issue is with religion in its totality.

For every fundamentalist Muslim who despises the west for not sharing their views, there's equally a Christian mirroring their hate speech and willing to back it up with physical violence.

I've heard all the arguments where people have asked me to provide evidence of Christians flying jets into the side of a building.

As if their chosen religion is guilt free from involvement in atrocities.

What they are trying to do is differentiate their religion from another.

To claim that one is bad and theirs is good.

Yet that's a twisted view that has more holes in it than the shroud of Turin.

If you want to take a big step back then historically what was the Crusades?

As a religion Christianity has as much blood on its hands as any other.

No one from the Middle East was clambering up the white cliffs of Dover to subjugate England.

Christians took the fight to the Muslims then.

Drop it down to a small scale and drag it into the present and certain Christians are still plotting to fire-bomb abortion clinics, murder doctors and nurses, beat to death homosexuals and vote for anyone who will promise to bomb certain portions of the middle east back to the stone age.

Everyone is guilty.

Or to be more exact everyone who nails their flag to a religion.

Even if they consider themselves a moderate, and would shy away from the worst excesses of their brethren, they are still complicit in a system that promotes misery.  

Any rational human being will be able to see that the common denominator in all this misery is religion itself.

Without it we would still have people dying violently.

That is the way of life.

It's the ugly side of human nature and it's doubtful that violence will ever be eradicated completely, but could we maybe manage to drop it a notch just by ditching religion?

I would think so.

Without religious people would be free from being stoned for being raped, free from being beaten for not covering their face with a scarf, free to marry anyone no matter where they came from or what gender they were, free to openly speak without being censured, and more.

Religion doesn't open a door for anyone.

It closes doors.

It drives a wedge between us all and creates disharmony at every turn.

So choose life.

Choose a future for us all.

Choose Atheism.