Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Lumanlan-Elloso: When religion becomes evil By Lyn Lumanlan-Elloso Commentary
MOST people have turned to their religious philosophies when dealing with difficulties and questions of morality. The diktat of religion is so dominant that it has created the most potent consequences in the history of mankind.
But first, let me pose this question to you. Is religion created by the Supreme Being we call God, Lord, Allah, the Tetragrammaton, "Yah?" or Jehovah -- or is it inspired by the fundamentals of natural law?
Religion is created by man derived from a code for moral or ethical conduct to achieve spiritual harmony with the assurance of deliverance. It is viewed as brotherly love and comity towards others while it disparages other beliefs to be paradoxical, as they become zealots of their own idiocy. It creates xenophobia, or the fear or contempt which is foreign or unknown.
But when is religion evil?
When Islamic fascists institute an incalculable terrorist attack towards Western countries or their allies, religion is a means to an end. While Muslims have conflicting insights on jihad, the world today has taken an ominous definition to the word.
Jihad is a central and broad Islamic concept that includes the exertion to improve the quality of life in a society to fight tyranny or oppression. However, extreme fundamentalist leaders like bin Laden have labeled it as "holy war" to protect, defend and expand Dar al-Islam (the house of Islam, contrasted with "Dar al-Harb," the house of war, which is every place not ruled by Muslims).
Men and women, young and old alike have been recruited to such extreme missions of suicide attacks towards innocent lives in the defense of their religion.
The action is short of personal culpability and empathy towards humanity. The belief that this is the bona fide will of God, creates a happy ending with the promise of salvation. But how can one really believe that genocide is the answer to racial purification? Is the sense of right and wrong blighted by the teachings of jihad? How can a man kill without feeling any remorse?
In the New Testament (Book of John 16: 2-3), Jesus said, "they will put you out of the synagogue; in fact a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. They will do such things because they do not know of the Father or me" (Jesus speaking before His disciples).
History has shown other religions to have instigated persecutions against advocates of other religions. History records the tormenting slaughtering of well over 150 MILLION faithful followers of Jesus Christ by the hands of the Roman Catholic Church.
In March 12, 2000, Pope John Paul II delivered his "Mea Culpa". The Pope publicly sought forgiveness in prayer to the Lord for the persecutions suffered by the Christians in the past and in the present day. This prayer referred to the atrocities to the early crusaders.
Perhaps another notable event is the Jewish Holocaust -- probably the most notorious genocide that ever happened in the history of mankind. Six million Jews were executed under Adolf Hitler. How little did we know that Adolf Hitler was a Roman Catholic and an instrument of the Catholic Church?
In 1933 the Vatican signed a Concordat with Germany making Roman Catholicism the only recognized religion in that country. The Concordat was signed by Cardinal Pacelli (later to become Pope Pius XII). Hitler was never excommunicated for his acts by the church but Martin Luther (pioneer of Protestantism) did, for translating the bible to the German language.
Recently, local authorities in three small towns in Mexico are telling evangelical Christians to change their religion to traditional Catholicism or suffer severe consequences. Evangelical Christians who do not renounce their faith are being threatened imprisonment, expulsion and the removal of public services.
Religion is also widely used to pursue debauchery. Take the latest incident in El Dorado, Texas where the convicted absolute ruler of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints promoted polygamous relationships.
Young women were forced into spiritual marriages among polygamous men who are physically abusing them. The children were warned not to contact the outside world and they were sheltered in a compound. They were told that outside the compound lies an evil world in which they would be forced to cut their hair, wear makeup and have sex with many men.
Such fragile minors are easily led to believe that their sacrifices are furtherance to a spiritual cause that is beyond their comprehension. This wrong but yet accepted wisdom is a way of life for the fragile mothers who have been forced against their will, all in the name of religion and compliance to it.
Religion, in the past years, until today, has been exploited to administer a reign of terror in order to conform to the beliefs of the autocrats. It is evil when it seeks to control people's minds, when it ordains hatred against others, when it limits one's capacity to explore right from wrong and when it seeks to chastise a member of the congregation doing the unconventional. What is then the basis of our faith if there is no religion?
Religion should not be the basis of our faith in God. The Holy Bible, which is ignored by many religions today, is the only existing testimony that there is God, that He sent His only son to redeem us from our sins. Our faith therefore should not rely merely on religion or our spiritual leaders who are palpable to make mistakes, but should also be dependent on our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
We must be steadfast in our faith, not on the canons of our Church, which are based on traditions and practices that are not warranted by the Holy Bible. When the day of the reckoning comes, it is not the religion, the spiritual leader, or prayers from the congregation that will help you enter God's Kingdom. It is how well you've used the gift of salvation.
(The author writes columns for Diario Filipino, a community paper based in Auckland, New Zealand)
