Religion, like politics, is one of the subjects that is likely to cause controversy between friends and family. Just as a couple’s disagreements about their finances are the most likely cause of a split, so religion is one of those topics which is best avoided away from well-known, like-minded people.
How often have phrases like “religion causes wars” been banded around? Who is prepared to stand up and contest the notion that “religion encourages suicide bombers”? Yet most people argue from what they think they know without really knowing the meaning of the word “Islam” is “peace” and that religions generally teach the same message.
Looking at history, wars have been fought in the name of religion or God. Take the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades and, more recently, the wars in the old Yugoslavia and the recent global struggle with terrorism.
Religious texts talk of misunderstandings, persecution and hatred because of belief and dedication to God. They never say it will be an easy journey.
Look at the examples of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. These men tussled with authority on either side of the Second World War. They stood up to national and colonial powers, deep rooted tradition and practices and battled for their voices to be heard. They didn’t fight or ask others to take up arms in the name of God; they didn’t work quietly behind the scenes to stir up unrest. They stood up for what they believed was good and right and succeeded in part because they protested non-violently.
When Adolf Hitler argued against the Jews, he turned it into a religious argument rather than if some Germans had stolen jobs from other Germans. When two countries declare war citing God or religious grounds, they turn it into a religious war whether or not this was the original intention. When suicide bombers stand up in court and quote from a Holy Book, they turn it into a religious conflict rather than some madman who just holds a grudge against the government. In all of these examples, society doesn’t turn against these individuals for being mad or bad, but for being religious. It isn’t just about the wrongness of the action but its religious angle which provides fuel to the argument.
Like so many other groups, religion has – and probably will continue to become – the one which is least understood and most hated. The one, most tolerant set of beliefs, has become the one is the butt of the most intolerant set of opinions.
