An Excuse for Godlessness? (Updated from 1/3/2015)

"I know of no wars started by anyone to impose lack of religion on someone else. We have lethal Sunni v Shia, Catholic against Protestant, but no agnostic suicide bombers attack crowded atheist pubs."

-- Simon Hoggart (1946-2014)

Mr. Simon Hoggart's quote is questionable. He attended King's College, Cambridge, where he excelled at history and English.  Far be it from me to speak ill of the dead, but Simon would seem to have faked his way through the history classes.  As an Englishman, one would think he would recall Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, and their distaste for religion.  As Karl Marx put it, "the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions.  It is the opium of the people."  

Religion was viewed as a crutch, holding back human development.  The Nazi atheists weren't satisfied killing the Jews and the Christians, they had to go and attack the Soviets.  I would define this as "atheist against atheist" even though the Soviet religious minority was said to have thrown their lot in with the government against the encroaching Nazi war machine.  And what of Chinese communists, and their war on religion which continues to this day?  

It would seem to me that Mr. Hoggart's attempt to rewrite history, to suit an agenda, was probably a product of education rife with questionable facts and personal opinion, which our own educational system also suffers far too much from.  Unlike mathematics and other disciplines guided by rules and theorems, history and religion are all too easily subjected to personal opinion and political whim.  We tend to gloss over the facts of world history and rely on stories with questionable origin and accuracy as a basis for our many religions.  We tend to take it all on "faith."

"Doubt is part of all religion.  All religious thinkers were doubters"

-- Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991)

But, is Mr. Hoggart's statement to be construed as an excuse for Godlessness?  I sincerely hope not.  If Godlessness means we have to revisit the Nazi "final solution" or the Soviet work camps of Siberia, I think I'll take my chances with God, thank you very much.

Does religion have its problems?  Absolutely, but, it would also seem, agnostics and atheists are not immune to problematic philosophy.  Hopefully, we all learn from history and correct our errors in judgment.  

Karl Marx was absolutely correct in his analysis that religion is "the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions."  It may very well retard our growth, but at least we will grow.  I'd like to think, that the slow pace of our growth would allow us the time to reflect on past mistakes so we might avoid them in the future.  I'd like to think we will plod along with the dignity of tolerance and respect, for each other and our varied peaceful beliefs.

"I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church.  For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit."

-- Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931)

Albert Einstein was said to be an atheist, yet never used this word to describe his own thoughts on religion.  He viewed "God" as a word used by people to describe a concept that was beyond man's grasp and their descriptions as a collection of childish stories.  But, was this an admission of a lack of faith, or a great mind seeing beyond the limitations of man's concept, to embrace a loftier consideration?  

I think he was saying what I have always thought:  How do you define the indefinable, or describe the indescribable?  Do we dare try?  Or, is best to leave a personal concept for each of us to wrestle with on our own?  Can we all just agree that there is a "something," an energy that gives the universe rules?  With those "rules" we get creation, destruction, and balance.  We learn to understand that the mere concept of "nothing" is itself a confirmation of something.

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."

-- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

I do not care to imagine my world without the many peaceful spiritual philosophies and religions that give us so much interesting diversity.  This Sunday, maybe we could put our chosen faith aside for a moment and consider a world without diverse religious thought.  Has religion really retarded our growth?  We must remember which religions contributed to the roots of medicine, mathematics, engineering, physics, and the arts before we support an argument that our growth was retarded by faith. 

I think not.

I leave you with a quote from an atheist.  It flies in the face of Simon Hoggart's pacifism:

“Fighting God is fighting a war for freedom of thought, which is the most important freedom we have.”

-- David Silverman, Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained in 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com