Reflections

Consider a rose in all its splendid beauty. Imagine its flower, its petals, its various shapes and colors combining to form the articulate beauty evoked by countless poets and writers since time memoriam. Consider again the same rose, look beyond the flower, and see its thorny visage. This too was not lost on the poets, “Has not thy rose a thorn?” (Shakespeare: Henry IV Part I)

Now consider the Christian religion. Despite the very best efforts of the Enlightenment and the philosophers of the 20th century, Christianity has once again inserted inself in the forefront of political argument. In the United States the revival of the religious right seems in full affect. Even among the most centrist of Republicans, there seems to be an overwhelming need to pander to the Christian Conservative movement. Instead of isolating the extremes of the party, the right seems be more concerned with pandering to what it now considers (rightly or wrongly) its base.

The anti religous movement is also gaining tract. As a separate demographic entity, new atheism is the largest growing “religion” across the Western World. Led by the likes of Davis, Dawkins, and the late Christopher Hitchen’s, this collection of individuals finds increasing tract with those that have become disillusioned with the increasingly dogmatic followers of religion.

But for myself personally, I have found that the Christian religion cannot be attributed the simple explanations put forth by either side. As someone who would define himself as a skeptic, I have trouble swallowing some of the more extremes of Christian beliefs. Particularly, the literal interpretations of scripture and the continued clash with science by some sects of Christianity puts a “us against them” mentality that is both off putting and insulting to all the human progress that has occured between the 18th century and the present day. By reverting Christianity to be a religion that is anti-science and anti-progress, many denominations fly in the face of names like Hume, Schleiermacher, Voltaire, Kant, Spinoza and more.

But at the same token, the New Atheist tendency to demonize religions for all the evils off the world is also rudimentary and unfair. While it is true that Globalization and Islam has had an unfortunate coming together, and that the Christian faith has been used as an excuse for the unfair persecution of many, to say that it is essence of evil is not altogether truthful. Even much demonized institutions such as the Catholic Church has brought about good in the world. Missionaries, Aid and Charity Groups run in the name of God continue to bring aboug good works worldwide, increasing life expectancy, literacy and more.

Thus perhaps one can say that religion is like our rose, beautiful and dangerous at the same time. But one should not attempt to look at the flower without the thorns, nor the thorns without the flower for it would be unfair. Rather like with almost everything else in the world, the whole picture must be looked at in order to understand it fully.