My Religion
Key Insights
My moral and ethical
responsibility is to respect everybody's Life, Liberty, and Freedom.
God
- Faith - - Belief
without Evidence
Creation created God and us.
The key aspect of this perspective is that the concept of
God was not present from the beginning but rather emerged as a product of human
cognition and culture. This idea has several implications:
Anthropomorphic nature of God: The human origin of the God concept
explains why many divine attributes mirror human characteristics, albeit
idealized.
Cultural diversity of religious beliefs: The variation in religious concepts
across different cultures can be seen as a result of diverse human experiences
and interpretations.
God as a response to existential questions: The development of the God concept
can be viewed as a human attempt to address fundamental questions about
existence, purpose, and morality.
Creation happened. We now know pretty much how -
at least back 13 billion years. And it is hard to justify attaching willful
intent to any of the billions of steps in the process.
Here is an illuminating
video of how the other 8 billion people live.
All
sorts of religions and ways of life.
I was born in a Christian culture, so I consider myself
Christian. I follow the ethics of Christian teaching. I do not want to alienate
people by calling myself an atheist. The biblical God may make more sense as
the end state we all strive for rather than some authoritarian person-like
spirit that started everything. The best comes at the end with evolution, not
at the beginning. "Let's build something wonderful and call it
God."
When I was younger, my family attended close by protestant churches. We were
active as a family with the Covenant Methodist Church in Evanston. I did Sunday
school and was in scouts there. I did not go to church at college. I
participated in the young adult group at the Boston downtown Congregational
church when I lived in Bedford.
Betsy was active in the Episcopal
church, so we participated in the local Episcopal churches in Silver Spring,
Glen Echo, and Fair Haven. Our 6 kids went through the entire Sunday school and
confirmation thing. None of them continued with dogmatic religion.
The Fair Haven church failed, and
we joined the Lincroft
Unitarian Universalist. We were members of
the Lincroft, NJ Congregation for many years. They were indeed a
family-centered religion. We met many friends there with whom we still
interact. We do not currently attend any church but attend some events
at our daughter-in-law and grandkid's local Mormon church.
The Search for Truth
It does not matter how beautiful
your hypothesis is, it does not matter how clever the person who formulated it
is, or what his name is. If it does not agree with experiments, it is wrong. In
this simple statement is the key to science. -- Richard Feynman
The Mormon Standard
of Truth is: (1) Truth is "the way things are" whether
or not we understand it, whether or not we believe it, whether or not we
accept it; and (2) Truth never changes throughout all time, culture,
circumstance, opinion, belief, etc. In other words, there must be no exceptions when examined from all
angles. (Gold tablets buried in a NY farm fail to meet the standards in every
aspect).
Afterlife and Death
The only believable aspect of
death is that my life and consciousness end. I will be in the same state I was
in before I was born, not alive. Doing anything while living to affect my
happiness or well-being after I die makes no sense. To lead a good life while
alive is all I can do. That is good enough for me and all I'll get.
Spirituality
The concept of
some super-intelligence that guides and interacts with me is entirely
unbelievable. However, I am open to understanding and calling what directs me
"God" or "Lord" during church services and conversations
that use such terms.
Thousands of years and generations
of people have evolved many ways to get along and pass on their understanding
of how to live. This is the basis of religions, stories, fables, art, parables,
and books of codes for living, such as the Holy Bible, Koran, Book of Mormon,
and The Vedas.
These all lead to a stilted way of
talking and writing that is hard for children and uneducated adults to
understand. Unscrupulous charlatans and evil people use religious texts and
interpretations for malicious purposes.
Just Believe! Have Faith! Follow the Word! Sure!
Worship - the feeling or
expression of reverence and adoration for a deity
A colossal waste of time, effort,
and energy. What is the purpose? I'm pretty sure the Bible says not to. I
cringe at the word. Learn from Christ; don't worship him. The UU church has subverted the term to just the order
of service. A travesty. No wonder little kids get confused and turned off.
Organized Churches - Community
I participate
in church services to interact with people, be inspired by their spirit, and
hear good music. I feel satisfaction when the community works in service to my
core beliefs. History, ritual, and shared experiences are the essence of
religion. I can easily tolerate and embrace God
or Lord as symbols of what created me and the universe. I understand the
language of blessings, sacraments, worship, and the like and have compassion
for the thousands of generations that produced such teachings and rituals.
I do not appreciate dogma and tune out propaganda and nonsense. Belief
in Santa Claus is fun with little kids before they know it is false. Belief in
magic beings, walking on water, mysterious tablets, functional chants, and the
like are fun and exciting ways to tell stories and collect thoughts but cause
evil, grief, and deaths when carried to ridiculous extremes.
I see many
formal religions as governing agencies looking for power over people's lives.
That is politics and greed, not ethics or morality.
The power part of religion is not moral. Pandering to fears of horrible
happenings, claims that there is an afterlife, reincarnation, adoration, and
answers to praying are false propaganda to manipulate people.
"Those
who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
(Voltaire)
The Catholic
and Protestant services are loaded with dogma, unbelievable stories presented
as facts, and recitations of faith that nobody could believe. Wastes of energy
better used for good music and the development of ethics, morality, aids to
life, and celebration of human beings and truth. I cringe at the memory of all
the times I recited the Nicene Creed in public, not believing a word of it.
Middle
Eastern and African Religions
Middle
Eastern and African religions: Muslim, Jew, Hindu, and Christian are actively
bombing, shooting, starving, raping, and inflicting misery on innocent people.
I cannot support these thugs and evil people. They are religious in a tribal
sense, not a humanitarian one: power politics, evil, and greed in religion's
name(only).
Evangelical Christian
Phrases like: "God created such and so,
and God wants this or that." lead me to the obvious conclusion that the
authors want you to believe that God is person-like, has unfulfilled personal
wants, and that the authors have some mysterious inside track into God's
desires. I reject that as illogical. If God can create everything, why create
it with things God does not have, and why would God tell the authors about it?
I tend to look for what snake oil they are selling.
Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and derivatives
Roman Catholics have produced the
most excellent art and music I love. Over the centuries, they have produced the
stories, parables, and concepts that guide our society. But I cannot abide by
the RC's massive interference with people's sex lives. That is sick and
perverted; evil, not morality.
Father (now Bishop) Barron, a very
articulate and likable spokesman for Catholicism, explains what is happening. https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/video/sexuality-sacrifice-and-love/203/
. He says, "I urge you to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, wholly
pleasing to God. Sacrifice the whole of yourself: mind, will, passion,
emotions, body, sexuality." The rub is that the churches (almost all
of them) and my parents (and our society) do not allow discussion or teaching
about mind,
will, passion, emotions, body, and sexuality.
Without knowledge and discussion, kids cannot understand what is expected. Many
parents (my parents) did not instruct their kids about sexuality, body,
emotions, and passion. These are taboo subjects not discussed in the
family, schools, and church. The result is misery and suicide for too many. Why Sex Matters.
Imagine the hundreds of thousands of kids told, "You must pray to the
Virgin Mary!" without the slightest clue what virgin means. Mary becomes
like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus, mythical beings.
Sex
permeates religious dogma because sexuality is a fundamental aspect of human
experience.
Religious
Responsibility for Sex Ed
Unitarian Universalist
OWL Program "Honest, accurate
information about sexuality - - dismantles stereotypes and assumptions, builds
self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves
decision making, and has the potential to save lives." Why sex matters for every youngster. "Talking
about sex and sexuality is the missing link to prevent a whole bunch of
problems later in life, low self-esteem, depression, guilt, body image
problems, increased risk of sexual abuse, following the pack, and looking for
love in all the wrong places are just a few of the long-term problems,"
including a substantial risk of suicide.
Here
is an article from the (8/22/2022) Washington Post: After
Roe, teens are teaching themselves sex ed because the adults won't. (in
PDF) teen birthrate in the United States - 16.7 births per 1,000 females in
2019 - is consistently among the highest in the developed world. Today! Just as
it was when I was young. The current cause of so much grief, misery,
depression, and suicide.
The derivative churches and my
family abdicated their responsibilities in this fundamental aspect of life.
Parents, society, and churches must teach sexuality, body, emotions, and
passion. Withholding knowledge, teaching, and nurturing of a child's
sexuality is child abuse. Human being abuse. A cruel crime against the child
and society. A child is not a thing.
Bishop Barron claims
that 70% of religious Catholics do not know the church's primary message about
the body of Christ. How can they claim to be effective in teaching about sexuality?
They cannot and do not. Celibate men prancing about in dresses with smells and
bells are not convincing.
15% of 10-yr olds have seen porn.
Most High School kids watch it regularly. Many 7th and 8th
graders and High School kids are having sex.
Abortion,
Contraception, Sex Education
It is not reasonable to separate the issues of abortion, contraception, and sex education. The Roman Catholics, Muslim Sects, and many Evangelical Christians preach and fund efforts to ban all three - - pure evil.
Abortion is
prevented most effectively by appropriate sex education, ready knowledge and
availability of contraceptives, and intelligent discussion and public argument.
Public demonstrations and shouting about "baby killers" are
counterproductive, offensive, and stupid. This is still going on. Here is one
diocese's efforts to suppress
effective sex education. These sick, perverted, evil religious or social
belief systems advocate keeping little kids from knowing about sex. That is horrible. A crime against
humanity. Child Abuse
Here is a sermon by Bishop Baron, The Most Pressing Moral Issue of
Our Time. He points out that human beings
begin at conception and must be protected and nurtured as a moral and legal
principle.
What
I believe to be valid and important.
What the
Roman Catholic Church he represents fails in every respect to do. Hypocrisy.
Mendacity. Cruelty.
The pressing moral issue is to preserve
and nurture human life for all people for all their lives, not just the
first nine months. Actions should be advocated and
discussed for the health and welfare of parents well before conception and
children for a lifetime after. Abortion is almost non-existent in
countries with universal health care, sex education, and free access to birth
control.
Mormons
(Church of the Latter-day Saints LDS)
Mormons (LDS) have
great families and are kind and cheerful. They present an effective way of
life. But really - ceremonial underwear?
Gold tablets buried on a farm in NY? There is nothing there that is believable.
I think that having great families and being kind and cheerful is enough.
Present that instead of the garbage, I could be a Mormon. I enjoy being with
our local LDS families. The families are so obviously loving and outgoing that
there is a beautiful feeling being with them. I am particularly impressed by
the LDS's strong reinforcement of intelligent and pragmatic involvement with
their children. Chapter 4: Teaching
Children: from Four to Eleven Years (LDS Mormon Parents Manual): "It
is important that you teach your children about sexuality. The Lord has given
the responsibility for teaching children to parents, and this is one area where
children need accurate and morally correct information." A common
sense, reasonable, and responsible commandment in any religion or belief
system.
Riderwood
UU
There
are three UU churches a short distance away, but they are inconvenient due to
our mobility problems. Riderwood's small local group holds events every
Thursday, including a full chapel service. I try to attend and fit in but miss
UU's family orientation and social action aspects.
Unitarian Universalists UU
What
Do Unitarian Universalists (UUs) Believe? (sermon)
We believe that religious
authority doesn't come from any book, person, or institution but from within
ourselves as we explore together in a spiritual community. We rely on personal
experience, conscience, and reason as the final authorities in our faith.
Although our historical roots are in the Jewish and Christian traditions, we
also draw from humanist teachings, earth-centered practices, wisdom from the
world's religions, insights from poets, scientists, philosophers, and our own
experiences of life and spirit. A long sermon covering UU's history and
purpose: Our Holy Curiosity. "Our
faith is not interested in saving your soul. We're here to help you unfold the
awesome soul you already have." (Andrea Lerner)
Compare
the Unitarian and Morman religions. (sermon)
While both traditions arose as
alternatives to mainstream Christianity, Mormonism developed a distinct
theology and authority structure. At the same time, Unitarianism evolved toward
a more open, non-creedal approach that draws from multiple religious traditions.
However, there is diversity of beliefs within both traditions, and some
individuals may identify with aspects of both.
Compare the Unitarian and Roman Catholic religions. (sermon)
Essentially, Unitarianism
represents a more liberal, rationalist approach to religion, while Catholicism
maintains traditional Christian doctrines and practices within an established
church structure. The two have fundamentally different views on core Christian
concepts like the nature of God, Christ's divinity, and salvation.
Compare
the Unitarian and Protestant Christian religions. (sermon)
Unitarianism originated within
Protestant Christianity but has diverged significantly in theology and practice
to the point where many would no longer consider it a Christian
denomination. Protestant Christianity, in contrast, maintains core Christian
doctrines like the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus despite its own diversity
of beliefs and practices.
Compare
the Unitarian and Evangelical Christian religions. (sermon)
Both have roots in Christian
tradition; Unitarianism has evolved into a more pluralistic and liberal faith,
while Evangelical Christianity maintains more traditional Christian doctrines
and practices.
Compare the Unitarian and Jewish religions. (sermon)
Cultural Identity: Judaism is both
a religion and an ethnic/cultural identity. While having some cultural aspects,
Unitarianism is primarily a religious/philosophical framework rather than
an ethnic identity. Unitarian Universalism is explicitly pluralistic, welcoming
people of all backgrounds and beliefs. While open to converts, Judaism is
more focused on Jewish tradition and peoplehood. Unitarian Universalism often
serves as a welcoming space for interfaith families, including those with Jewish
backgrounds. Some people identify as both Jewish and Unitarian Universalist.
Compare the Unitarian and Muslim religions. (sermon)
Islam has specific religious
practices and rituals (e.g., daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan) that are
considered obligatory. Unitarianism, especially in its modern form, does not
prescribe specific religious practices and allows for greater individual choice
in spiritual expression.
Compare the Unitarian and Hindu religions. (sermon)
UU approaches Hinduism and other
religions through a comparative lens, often emphasizing philosophical and
ethical aspects while downplaying ritualistic elements. While fostering
interfaith understanding, this approach may not always capture the full
depth and cultural context of traditions like Hinduism.
I
maintain a listserv, OnReligion@groups.io, for
discussions of religious issues.
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2/15/2025 2:20 PM