Let's Get Metaphysical

I’ve been extremely busy with stuff, but the comments in the previous post have inspired me to hand over my two cents on the very touchy subject of worship. It’s always a thorny issue, and it invites endless debates. But it’s an issue worth talking about.

I’m not a big fan of it, as older readers of this blog or my friends already know. And as I have mentioned before, faith will always be a personal thing. It will always be up to you which pre-established beliefs you can apply to your daily dealings and search for spiritual contentment. If you don’t believe in God in whichever manifestation countless religions have presented them to you, that’s cool too. In this day and age, that liberty to choose is a crucial one, and one that mustn’t be suppressed by anyone.

I agree that many people have found, and continue to find, comfort and direction with their beliefs, despite the imperfections of traditional systems. I acknowledge that people need to have moral codes or compasses at some point in their lives; whether they attain that through learning old teachings from old prophets or even from the expansive and infinite terrains of pop culture is entirely up to them.

Religion, like anything man-made, is imperfect because we all have limited perceptions, no matter how we have, since time immemorial, claimed monopolies of various truths. Many lives were lost and rich cultures were destroyed by “holy” wars, inquisitions, and crusades throughout the centuries. Blood has been spilled “in God’s name”, and it has created rifts and inspired pissing matches on a grand scale. It hasn’t stopped. People still justify trampling on people’s rights by brandishing ever-reliable “God” today.

What’s also disheartening about old institutions like the Church, in its many incarnations, is that they’re not open to evolving ideas anymore. To cite a recent glaring example: the late Pope John Paul II stated for the record that gay people are “evil”. When the world’s most powerful religious leader says something like that, it’s not merely an opinion. It’s canon, a declaration that homosexuals are abnormal, sinful and cannot be part of a productive society. And if someone this influential can be so bold and self-righteous to make such an “inspired” assessment, I shudder at the thought of how that strengthens followers with latent homophobia. I fear and feel sad for gay persons stuck in such a hate-mongering, very selective thoughtscape. And it’s also disappointing that very few Christians have shown the courage to speak up against such unjust and, to be frank, stupid attitudes.

All that being said, there are followers who are realistic and practical enough to go with their own judgments regarding alternative lifestyles, birth control and feminism, and it’s really good that many people are willing to dissect complicated issues like these (these elicit contrasting views, depending on which priest you ask). And it must be noted that some faiths are trying to be relevant with the times by being more accepting of differences. Some have proven to be helpful to those in temporal need as well.

My Dad once asked me why I wasn’t a Christian anymore (he had to find out when I briefly mentioned that fact in a Gary V. article I wrote two years back). I simply answered, “I can’t relate to Christianity anymore.” I wanted to elaborate that I couldn’t relate to its many intricacies—the mystical backstory, the repetitive rituals and the hypocritical declarations, among other things. I couldn’t tell him that I didn't believe in the selfish, bossy bastard the Christian God has continuously been portrayed as anymore—an embodiment of “might makes right”—a cosmic bogeyman that I do not find worthy to judge me.

But we didn’t talk about it anymore. He was obviously disappointed, but he just let me be, as he always has. Maybe one day, we’ll discuss it. I hope we do, honestly, so that he’ll at least understand where I’m coming from. He has his beliefs, as do my other relatives, and I respect them.

I don’t know for sure if there’s a real Supreme Being, or if he/she/it was just concocted by ancient scribes to be an imaginary friend for grown-ups. But if there’s anything I’ve learned and continue to learn about life, it’s tolerance. A little goes a long way. We can just agree to disagree; none of us are getting any younger. It’s actually hard sometimes, but let’s just celebrate diversity. At the end of the day, we all want the same things, even when our daily addictions and preferences differ.

It’s a small planet, and we’ve very little time to make our efforts count, God or no God.