Thoughts on Easter

The Easter season always brings out the religion in people who make, for all to hear, statements of outlandish belief. The most prominent for this time of year is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It is a bold statement; one made by people who wouldn’t otherwise be saying something as extreme but they have successfully put reason and science aside, suspend disbelief, and state firmly and without doubt that this is the case. And they are not talking about a figurative resurrection but a physical return from a state of complete and final death.

This year I thought about it again, as I have for as long as I’ve been a reasonable person, since about the age of 7 or 8 when my beliefs were solely based on what others told me was the truth; almost all of which turned out to be fiction and not fact. But there was a difference this year that has been brewing in the background for quite some time. It is a realization of just what is religion.

The statement to which it boils down is this: religion is a delusional emotional refuge when one can’t cope with reality. People in extreme emotional stress find religion to be a way of coping with that which can’t be controlled, that which is outside of their emotional and/or physical capacity. When there seems to be no possible solution, they put their trust in God and let the chips fall where they may. It brings peace of mind and let’s them off the hook so to speak. They don’t have to deal with it, a higher power will somehow make it all ok, where ok is whatever is the outcome. They can then simply say, "I did all I could"; "I put it in God’s hands."

The ability to do this is no minor feat. It is the result of conditioning that either takes place from little on, or is suddenly seized upon by a desperate “soldier in a foxhole”, harking back to the saying that there are no atheists in a foxhole.

This is not my way of admitting to being an atheist. What I believe or don’t is not the issue here. I am looking out in the direction of what others say they believe, and must admit that what I said above summarizes it for me. It is a mentally rewarding escape from reality, like any other delusion. It allows one to go on with the activities of the day, one day at a time, and not be bothered, distracted, or otherwise impacted by enormous implications of dire results.

People pray for luck at the gambling table, the lottery, that the traffic lights will stay green for them, that their team will win, that they will make the shot, that their loved ones won’t be killed in war; in general that the outcome of events will be favorable for them or their loved ones. It is a way of coping with uncertainty.

There is a secular formula for the same thing. What is the worst thing that can happen? Accept that possibility and try to improve on it. This works as well for the lay person, or when the situation is not completely beyond one’s ability to influence. Prayer is reserved for that which is seen to be completely out of the sphere of one’s influence.

Calling upon gods is not a new thing in our history. It predates history, it is part and parcel of every civilization of which we know. This in itself offers some proof of a spiritual or “other” existence. And I don’t dispute any of that; as a matter of fact, I believe that there is a spiritual world and that we are influenced by it/them. The basis of Christian religions is the suspended belief of many scientific principles and observations. Arguing the point with a “believer” would be as futile as arguing the existence of the Olympian gods with an ancient Greek or Roman.

When examined, at least seemingly objectively, the belief system of the RCC is a sophisticated revision of pagan gods and their hierarchy and one that I completely reject. The utility of it lies in the social aspect of a congregation of like minded people and the emotional respite described above, and there is much to be said in favor of both aspects.

There is a parallel in our system of government where the ideals of the constitution are sound but many of those who are elected to govern in accordance with those ideals succumb to excesses of power and become corrupt. This same thing has occurred in the RCC, and perhaps in many other religions, where the ideals of Christianity or Islam are good but the humans who interpret them are “whitened sepulchers” who are prone to error and contrive ways to satisfy their personal desires within the hierarchy of a church. The problems arise when what they do impacts our personal and daily lives. At least in our system of government we can elect others. The only recourse in the RCC is to quit supporting it financially and any other way. The impression I have is that some religions allow for the ouster of leaders but I’m not familiar enough to speak to it.

The Islam phenomenon is interesting because it is so extreme. It binds government and religion together officially, making it impossible to live without being under the control of those who would have you believe a certain way; control so extreme that I would be punished severely for writing these thoughts. It could be concluded that where the Christian faith offers delusion to adherents, Islam is all about controlling the thinking of its masses.

The real freedom is to be able to take off the clothes of organized religion and find the truth through inspired thinking; never accepting any conclusion as final, never writing a system of belief because as understanding deepens that which was absolutely clear yesterday is enhanced, seen to be incomplete.