Why You Can Be a Non-Believer, but Still Need to Be Religious (Or Rather Spiritual)
Life is not only black and white. Neither is it just grey nor colorful rainbow. It consists of wider spectrum. There are various wavelengths that may not be perceptible by our senses, but do exist through different approach of observation. Within our perception, we may favor certain colors more than others, and it’s perfectly fine as based on freedom of choice. Just because we prefer apple to grape, doesn’t mean we can impose our taste to others as well.
It is no more secret that some of us find religions today as mere political instrument, or delusional idea of afterlife insurance promising divine redemption and security. Moreover, the technology today has eased us accessing information from various fields of study that can enlighten us about pagan and Sumerian traditions and myths that are generally adopted by major religions, specifically the Abrahamic ones (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
The truth is, what we call as truth is not the truth at all. Even time and space is just illusion, scientifically. If the reality we live in does not even exist, how is it possible for a Creator to exist? Maybe we are the creator ones. We create those images and sounds by our own obstinate perception.
“We only see what we want to see; we only hear what we want to hear. Our belief system is just like a mirror that only shows us what we believe.” — Don Miguel
In the scope of biology, we have seen how most religious people argue that evolution is a blasphemous menace to the existing dogma, and they reverberate that evolution is just an atheistic fabrication against creationism. Despite of the fossils and the archeological findings that keep completing our taxonomy, denial (re: De Nile) is not just a river in Egypt, eh? Fortunately, science is better than sheer claim and stubbornness; there are other means to prove evolution. For those who learn about RNA mutation, merge of virus and DNA within somatic cells, epigenetics and polymorphism, must understand that evolution is more than just a theory; it is a fact we cannot just neglect by shrugging nonchalantly (even theory is based on collective facts). Evolution did and does happen, and it is happening, a real ongoing phenomenon.
However, perhaps historical trace and science are too much for some people to comprehend, and what concretely influences their faith to end up wavering is the daily social experiences, where they find that religions are judgmental and oppressive: how religions place women unequally in societal system, how homosexuality is treated unjustly, how differences in perspectives are condemned. To some people, this may cause disappointment or even hatred towards religions.
It is understandable when disappointment appears and people finally decide to question their faith, and even to leave their religiosity. It’s nothing novel in philosophy to wonder why God lets evil and sufferings exist, why can’t God simply intervene at least to save the good people and eradicate crisis of famine. Questions like “is God truly Omnipotent?” or “is God truly benevolent?” and of course “does God truly exist?” are not uncommon. Both atheism and agnosticism usually are pragmatical solution to this distrust issue.
(We are not going to discuss about derivative alternatives like deism, pandeism, pantheism, etc. for they are anyway similar in practice )
Closeted or not, it is perfectly fine for anyone to believe not in God and religion, and it’s totally a personal business, a private issue. No one essentially has right to chain you and impose their belief on you.
But then, it also means you don’t have right to enforce your atheistic view on other people as well. Just because you’re in the opposite side, doesn’t mean you have right to offend the other party. Surely it’s different case when you simply voice out your viewpoint, or share your journey. Anyhow, we can always choose delivering our stance in respectable and elegant manner that won’t cause conflict. This is a matter of accepting differences, the same way each of people wants to be accepted for who they are including their belief (or disbelief)
Nevertheless, you need to realize that by being a non-believer, you have a privilege of being the ones without boundaries of religion. You don’t have to fear any kind of punishable sins when you enter various religious buildings and get to know the ceremonial prayers of each religion. You can undergo every religious liturgy and feel the differences between one to another. You can also read all religious scriptures and learn them comprehensively without having to worry about your faith being swayed, because to begin with you have no faith at all.
That being said, you can be the bridge of all differences in various religions. If you have ever watched Avatar The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra, you’ll understand how they feel to be the bridge between humans and spirits, between all four elements, and between benders and non-benders.
We already know, for instance, when Muslims learn about Christianity or when Christians learn about Islam, they learn just to make comparison and look for the flaws. You, however, can be a neutral party without judgmental sense. You can read Al-Qur’an or Bible or Torah or Veda or Sutra or whatever religious scripture and simply absorb every knowledge from them. You don’t have obligation to revere them in divine way, but you can always revere every book as source of knowledge.
You can sing and hark in Christian church, or peacefully attend the Catholic Mass, but in other time can also visit Buddhist temple to meditate, or Hindu Temple to invoke mantras of Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu. You are free to revere all religious figures; be it Muhammad (PBUH), Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Lord Krishna, and you can simply adore them all for their virtuous examples they have taught.
Because when you are a non-believer, you really don’t have to hate anyone at all. You don’t have to hate any certain party of religion nor even the religious figures. In fact, you have all access to learn wisdom from all of those religions, and for this case you must be grateful. You have opportunity to be wiser ahead than of your surroundings, and you can love all people (even all beings, seen and unseen) regardless their background. You will in the end find yourself to be universally philosophical.
In addition, learning a religion means to learn new languages; Arabic for Islam; Latin and Greek for Christianity; Hebrew for Judaism; Sanskrit and Tamil for Hindu; Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan for Buddhism; Chinese for Taoism and Confucianism. When you learn religions, you will also have to learn about the custom of their origins, not to mention the art elements within every rite.
You will learn morale from different cultures in different contexts. You are going to be rich in soul.
Because there may be a Muslim woman who is discouraged by her family to pursue her dream as a successful career woman due to misconception of religious tradition, or dispute between ones who wear headscarf and ones who don’t, and you should be the bridge of mutual understanding between them. Because there may be a Christian friend who is gay or lesbian but they are mentally tormented feeling sinful of their identity they don’t choose, and that’s why you need to show them the passages in Bible showing Jesus is merciful and He isn’t judgmental (the more reason is especially most Christians today rarely read Bible because they just care about Sunday Service in Church, and although they read Bible mostly they just focus on Old Testament despite knowing Jesus has renewed the covenant).
There may be people whose life is difficult and full of anxiety, and they’re neither Buddhist nor Hindu, so there you are to introduce and teach meditation. There may be Buddhists who are arrogant looking at themselves as the robust ones and looking down on others because certain Buddhist sects don’t beg on deities for fortune, but relies on Karma and Buddhist precepts; for this you are required to show them showing off is ego and hatred, the very defilement they need to wash away to attain Nibbana/Nirvana.
There are those who feel disappointed by the religion they practice, but in fact they just look at the bad sides and don’t know much about good sides. They may be discombobulated, lost and depressed because of this. You can be someone who shows them the light in the dark, the beauties amongst the havoc.
There are conflicts between religions. There are misunderstandings about each others’ teachings and the interpretation of the scriptures. They insult the spiritual leaders and figures of each other’s. There are ruthless judgments towards the marginalized and outcast ones. You know this is not a right thing. You know it’s exactly the opposite of what is taught in those religions. Be neutral one, clarify the noble reasons behind the suspicious actions, or tell the loving passages.
Because we know this world is already full of religious morons, and clearly we don’t need the blasphemous ones. Blood is shed here and there because of religion, and we need peace instead of agnostic hatred. We have enough ignorant people to cause troubles, all we need is one who can enlighten us through knowledge.
You know that most of people are believers because of following their parents’ faith, but sometimes some of them may choose different road. They may end up converting to other belief due to one thing and another, and then they are judged and alienated by their relatives. This can be especially hurting and lonely. There you can be to bridge taking them to understanding and acceptance, and most important of all is respect to each other’s personal decision.
Nowadays we have religious extremists who are blinded by their faith. By being a non-believer, not only you can learn about all religions but also science. You can moderate this extremism by introducing science, explaining how things actually can be logic. It is not a secret anymore amongst scientists that homosexuality and transexuality are normal, no longer divinely condemned. Many things can be holistically and objectively understood within the field of science. Even our dimensional reality and conscience that people believe as mystique are not at all mystical.
In other hand, you can open up the hearts of atheistic extremists about the virtue of religious teachings. You can show them that in the end religions still teach about altruism, and no matter how much someone distrusts religions, there are still a lot of things can be learned from religions, and it can shape anyone into compassionate person.
“Science is knowledge and superstition is a belief, together they make their owner stronger but gentle.” — Nguyễn Xuân Bích Loan
In the end, you can be a non-believer, but that’s the more reason why you cannot hate religion. Your eyes are opened to see that religion is needed because life is difficult and people are weak. People need hope and reason to live life gracefully. You may be able to live life without prayer to ask anything, but you also need to remember that not everyone is as robust as you. Knowing this, instead of hating religion, you develop love and compassion.
“If people are ruled by laws and punishment, they will seek to avoid punishment but not truly have moral character. If people are ruled by virtue and propriety, they will themselves wish to be moral.” — Confucius, Analects 2:3
You are not only the bridge between religions, but also the bridge between faith and science. You are liberated from judgement and bias. You are even more religious (or rather spiritual) than those religious people, because you understand that worshiping can not be bounded by the walls of church or mosque or temple, but by exercising virtue and being useful for surroundings.
Originally published at fateisinevitability.blogspot.com on October 25, 2015.
