Can You Hear Me - God ?

Tonight we tackle the controversial and long-debated issue of religion. If you are fanatically against or in favour of religion, to the point where you are inelastically narrow-minded and have shut yourself from any ideas or beliefs other than your own precious ones, then I suggest you read another blog that might perhaps boost your ego – ‘cause it’s not going to be this one. Before I attempt to express my own view on the matter, I would like to do a small analysis on the three bodies of this issue: Church, Religion and God. Like the Holy Trinity, they perhaps seem inseparable but looks can be very deceiving.

Let’s begin with Religion. There are probably as many religions as nations out there and since the dawn of time religion has been an important aspect of society, often losing its true value and being misused by humans. Religious fanaticism has always existed. People and nations have battled each other for the dominance of one religion. Cain kills his own brother Abel for the love of their God and many humans and races followed his example afterwards. Greeks killed in the name of Ares and Vikings in the name of Odin. The Christian Crusades lasted for years, while Islamic acts of terrorism can occur in the name of the one true God. However, if we look closely at the origins of religions, we will discover that their purpose is pure. Religions evolve as a means for humans to explain what they don’t understand: the sun and love in ancient times, life and death (something which has always been a mystery) or miracles and sightings. Religions also serve as codes of behaviour and the expected consequences of misbehaviour. “Thou shalt not kill” and “thou shalt not steal” do not sound that horrible to me! As for “thou shalt not commit adultery”, you can refer to my respective blog entry. Law and order (aside from language and logic – though the latter is debatable) is what often distinguish us from animals. A set of rules that guide us to a virtuous life and a society in harmony are not ridiculous or unnecessary.

Whether we follow a particular religion or not, whether we even believe in one god, many gods or none, I think we can all learn from what religion is trying to teach us. Like all things, religions evolve and change. Forcing them either towards extinction or dominance is not the way. Religion has just been misused in the hands of humans. It has been abused, like all objects and ideas. A knife in the hands of a doctor can save lives; in the hands of a murderer, a knife will take away lives. Religions may seem to divide and separate, but is it not simply used as another excuse to do so? People who want to be different will always find a reason to be different: race, skin colour, nation, language, looks, sex, sexuality, profession, social status. Wars will always happen. Let’s admit it: wars happen for dominance and economic reasons. Call your reasoning “religion” or “Helen”, it doesn’t matter. I have friends who are religious and I have some who are not. I have friends and have met people from different backgrounds, with different beliefs. And it all comes down to this: a good person is a good person, despite of which box they tick under “religious views” on an HR form.

Which brings me to the church, because the church is not god and is not religion; it is humans. Each church/religion has its own set of “rules”: eat this, don’t eat that, no sex before marriage (if you contracted an STD recently I bet that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea!), fast so many days, pray so many times, donate so much money, wear this, sit like that – the list is endless. We all need to understand and accept that most of this set of rules came from humans. They might have been prophets, saints, holy people, church leaders but they are still humans (or aliens according to some). They are not gods. If someone chooses to follow a religion and a church, then let them be. It is their life. However, if you don’t agree with certain things that the church is trying to impose on you about things that have to do with your everyday life, then do what your heart tells you to do but do not let it turn you away from your god or your religion. It is more important helping others, rather than having cabbage for lunch, so weigh your priorities.

The church (including both the leaders and the mass) supposedly serves to represent god and religion. However, we all know this is not always the case. Some church leaders have been of course virtuous and close to perfect. Some church members are devoted and do their best to be good people. A big number of people though use religion to their advantage, whether for power or money or because they might be insane. Followers are manipulated, texts are altered, the truth is distorted and as a consequence people are drawn away from religion. It is understandable but again we need to remember that it is not the cloth that makes a descent priest, just like it is not a scrub that makes a good surgeon. As for the church followers, if they are fanatical, extremists, misguided, misinformed or just plain stupid, it is not their religion’s or their god’s fault.

Which finally brings us to God a.k.a. Allah, Jehovah, Vishnu, Zeus, Shangdi, Theos, Jesus, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto – the list is indeed endless. And by this point readers are probably wondering what my view on God is. Well, let me tell you this, whether there is a flying spaghetti monster in the skies or not, I do not know, I do not lose sleep over it and most definitely I cannot change it. I can neither prove nor disprove that God exists. I see however the need of a divine presence in the lives of humans. We need something to look up to, to urge us to become better people or to help us understand why certain things happen. Each human believer in God has their own reason for doing so and we all have an obligation to respect that. If it is a bunch of crap and a waste of time and energy, like fanatic atheists will claim, then why is it your concern? Why do you waste time and energy in non-believing something? Why do you make every discussion (whether it originates from films, football, politics, science or food) come back to disproving the existence of God?

Sure, if He (or She) does exist, I have a lot of questions that need answering, such as: Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people? What the fuck happens to us when we die? Why do you not just show up yourself and get it over with? And why does chocolate have to taste so good, yet contain so many calories? But spending half of my day in trying to ridicule religious people is just sad and pathetic. If you overcome the fact that God does not exist, then surely you need to make the most of your life and this is how you choose to spend your time? As for the everlasting debate of science and religion, just a quick note: One does not mutually exclude the other – fact! Simply because we are able to explain how the universe is created, does not mean that someone did not put that matter and anti-matter there in the first place. If the particles have been there forever and there was no beginning in time, then that is as fucking mind-blowing and incomprehensible as God himself!

Bottom line in all of the above: Choose your own belief or fluctuate between a few if you want. Do not be radical about it though. Learn to be open-minded, respect other people’s choices and let them find their own path the same way you are struggling to find yours. And if you are still unconvinced and screaming at your screen as you read this blog that god is crap, that people are stupid for believing in one and that such thing does not exist, then I dare you to this: Find a mourning mother who has just lost her child. Life has no meaning for her and the only thing keeping her sane is that her child is in the hands of god and that there is an afterlife. Walk up to her face and tell her that she is a fucking idiot for believing that. And if you still unmoved then do this: Look yourself in the mirror and convince yourself of it. Personally, I am struggling and I want to believe that there is someone/something out there that is bigger and more divine than this, ‘cause every step I take towards not believing in it, the more miserable I become in accepting that this around us is all there is after all.

Nothing Important Happened Today

I haven’t written in my blog for a while, not because I didn't want to but because I couldn't find the right time. A lot of things have happened in the past 3 months, which I would not say were “life-changing” but most certainly did occupy most of my time and mind. Experiences which have not necessarily always ended in a climax but which have made the transition of this time more interesting. Friends getting married, trips to old and new places, being introduced to new people, catching up with old friends and family, near-to life-changing attempts and decisions, meeting semi-famous and famous people, being beamed up in a Star Trek transporter, surviving a zombie apocalypse and a couple of minor health problems, just to name a few. Perhaps the most important of all though was witnessing a tragic car crash which occurred last night at my neighbourhood.

The circumstances of the accident are still uncertain but it seems that the driver lost control of the car somehow, drove off on the pavement and hit two pedestrians before crashing onto a wall. The scene was like something taken out of a movie. The emotions were all over the place. One of the two women died on site, whilst the other one is hospitalised in a critical condition. The driver survived the crush but I cannot imagine the pain he is going through, having to live with this event haunting him for the rest of his life. In a matter of a few seconds, the lives of three people and those of their families and friends have been altered forever. What sort of twisted unfortunate series of events placed those two women in the path of that car? One minute they are walking down the street, heading for a night out or a night in, thinking about the meal they are going to prepare or the drink they just had, rushing to meet someone loved or simply going home to feed their pet, but fate had different plans for them. Even the slightest attempt to understand, comprehend, explain this tragic loss of life is futile.

What perhaps perplexed me the most was the inability of most of us, the eyewitnesses, to act or help in any way. The car door was jammed; it took the firemen almost an hour to get the driver out. One woman was dead and the other injured; the paramedics were doing their best. But what was done, was done. I felt as useless as a cross screwdriver used to tight a slot screw. No-one could take that crash away. No-one could make time stop or turn it back. No-one could give life back. And no-one will ever be able to ease the pain of the dead woman’s loved ones. She is gone, off to a world which can only be better than this one. The tragedy remains with those left behind.

So where does this leave us? Do I close this entry with a god-send remark about how my life will never be the same or something along the lines of “carpe diem”? Do I tell you to pick up the phone and call all of your family members and friends, patch things up with those you are upset and hug random strangers in the street? Do I make a life-altering decision, make a 180-degree turn and stun everyone with my amazing new lifestyle and abilities? No, none of that will happen. Besides the wrecked wall, shattered glass, some blood stains and a few flowers, nothing is left to mirror the events that unfolded last night. The bright sun reminded nothing of the dark, cold and gloomy last night. All the police and ambulance cars are gone, the witnesses walked back inside their houses and the police officers, firemen and paramedics moved on to another scene. People say that “shit happens” and we have to accept it. But can we?