Excerpt #10 from my book, Religion, An Obstacle to Human Progress
Religion Should Be Studied As History
Most people do not understand that religions are simply belief systems concocted by early humans thousands of years ago in the infancy of our intelligence thousands of years before any science existed.
“Where knowledge ends, religion begins.” – Benjamin Disraeli
It’s interesting to study religions as history but not very sensible, in fact dangerous, to adopt them as belief systems.
To do so would be like using a horse for our primary means of transportation.
The equestrian ride might be more traditional and comfortable for some, but in today’s traffic, it would neither be wise nor safe.
Such is the case with old religious thought.
It does not get us to where we need to go.
Antiquated, divisive, and dysfunctional, it keeps us from getting there.
The phenomenon of religion is largely about tribalism and security.
People organize themselves under the umbrella of belief systems for security, survival, camaraderie.
All fields, such as transportation, are forced to improve and remain current every day based on contemporary knowledge.
Religion should be no different.
Couched in mysticism, superstition, and, often, absolute stupidity, religion has gotten away with literal murder.
From the Crusades to the Inquisition in the name of Christ, to sweeping military campaigns in the Middle East and North Africa in the name of Islam, to Catholics and Protestants clashing in Northern Ireland, to Hindus and Muslims fighting one another in India, to Buddhists and Hindus fighting in Sri Lanka, and countless other bloody religious wars, the killing never ends.
It’s time to recognize these beliefs for what they are, understand where they come from, and advance to a real understanding of life and the reality into which we were born.
Divinely Inspired, Inerrant, and Infallible Nonsense
Religion is the most absurd, destructive, and problem-causing institution humanity has created.
Much of its dogma and purveyors represents the largest (legitimate) scam on Earth.
Most religious adherents are motivated by the implausible, preposterous and problematic claim that their work is ordained by their interpretation of the divinely inspired, inerrant, and infallible words of their particular god.
The good that religion does can be far surpassed by organizations not driven by divisive dogma and tribalism.
Minister “mills” and charlatans are everywhere.
One can purchase the title “minister” over the internet for a trifling.
I know a woman who goes by the title The Reverend Dr. Beth Smith (not her real name).
She received both her Master and Doctor of Divinity for doing next to nothing at one of these so-called seminaries.
She never attended a class to get her Doctor of Divinity.
She has the audacity to use the title “Reverend Dr.”
It’s a sham and an insult to those who earn these titles legitimately as a result of an enormous amount of work.
We license physicians, attorneys, architects, engineers, accountants, and other professions to assure their competency.
Why do we allow people to use the title “minister” without similar certification?
Ministers need to demonstrate that they understand a broad swathe of life and the history of religion and belief systems before they are turned loose on the public.
“One of the great hoaxes of history is that people need holy men to guide them to do what is right.” – John Kaminski, author
From my experiences as a student at both Yale and Harvard Divinity Schools, I agree with Kaminski.
There were lots of decent, intelligent, and well-meaning people at these schools, but — with all due respect — there weren’t many I would want leading my flock.