Religion and peace –the two are incompatible

Lynette:  Thanks for your insightful comments. And, yes your comments are welcome.  My personal hope is that love is the answer to having and spreading peace. It must be a ‘love’ that is more appropriately defined as respect and honor for others regardless of whether they are just like you or not, regardless of whether they believe like you or not.  But again, we have the same problem – defining love from the perspective of the “law” as given to us by religious formality, or defining it from a personal one on one experience – regardless of whether that experience is prophetic or existential.

Love too is also taught and expressed by the worlds religions through their prophets, teachers and leaders – including Jesus, Muhammed, Shiva, etc.  In reality and typically the love they teach is of two distinct kinds – one for those in the faith, and another for those outside of the faith. Each type has differing forms of expressions. In the faith – peace, unity (in small groups anyway), common goals and objectives, etc.  For those outside of the faith – love is expressed in the form of ‘let me show you how right I am by the teachings and words of our books and letters”, and “we love you so much that we are going to help you exit this world before it’s too late for you”.

Within each of the worlds religions, there is a way to attain peace – a peace that transcends religions and borders. Getting believers to see that truth is the challenge the entire planet faces. It will require education, knowledge and information, and connecting with the world.  It will require that we focus our efforts on showing that all people are truly the same and that we have a common ancestral connection to all other people throughout the world.

There will never be peace on a global scale as long as innumerable prophets and teachers and religious leaders, throughout time and currently, maintain that their way to achieve peace is the only true and right way. That particular  path to peace is the same that has been tried unsuccessfully down through time. It’s myopic and ultimately destructive to those who think their way is better than yours. So in an effort to avoid the same conundrum where we are doing the same things over and over again hoping to get a different result, we must pursue a different path.  We must walk a path that seeks to rein in those ideological views that teaches and encourages an attitude of superiority to the adherents of any and all religions. This can only be done through a global program of scientifically based education which is done in a way that is non-threatening and subtle.  Education and re-enforcing our common connections and doing everything possible to give the United Nations the authority to act decisively in the best interest of our world will help greatly toward the goal of peace.  That appears to be the only rational way for there to be peace on earth and goodwill to all.

What are your suggestions?  How would you solve the problem?

Response to my friend Habib about discussions on peace

No my friend, and with all due respect to your beliefs, as you well know, all of them purport to believe in and teach peace.  The Christians teach every Sunday School child about the ‘Prince of Peace’ and that Jesus is all for ‘peace on earth, and good will toward all men’.  As you know in your own faith, peace is in your name, and in the teachings of Muhammed and the other prophets – including Moses, Abraham, and David, which also by definition and association, is therefore in the Jewish faith too. It’s in the teachings of Buddha and the Hindi.

Peace was also the ‘nature’ of the Mayans, but they maintained it through human sacrifice. Todays religions have modernized the sacrifice concept,we don’t kill just one person anymore. Now we justify the destruction of whole groups of human beings in the name of peace and our god, and don’t feel the slightest remorse since it is validated in our writings.

No!  Peace is inherently included in all religions – it’s the interpretation and application of that definition where constant global conflict continues as it has throughout time.  When each religion demands that the world recognize that their way to peace is the only true and right way that then opens the door to justifying the imposition of that particular will and way on unbelievers by whatever means – ie. violence, death, misery, intolerance of others’ views and ideas, destruction of persons and property because it doesn’t fit the ‘word’ or the ‘book’.

The pursuit of peace, as it is defined by the worlds religions, has resulted in more death and destruction throughout history than by any other reason.  Even if the entire world were converted to just one religion, there would still be dissenting views by those who believe fervently that their interpretation of the teachings and writings is more right than yours – brother would still kill brother over the ‘word’.

What is the solution?  How can the people of the world resolve this issue?  As long as one says that my way is the only true and right way, and if you don’t or can’t accept the “obvious’ truth of these ‘holy’ words, then not only are you going to ‘hell’, but if you refuse long enough, these ‘holy’ teachings encourage me to help you get there, then the issue will not be resolved.

But, if all people will honestly look at the writings of their religious leaders and prophets, and decide that if any human is dying at our hands, or if I am being intolerant, or if I’m wiping these people and their art and literature from the face of the earth for the sake of my religion, then we must stand up and claim to the world – this is not our way.  We will change it to respect and honor all people and their beliefs.  If we can not or will not do that, then our teachings must be changed, and those leaders and prophets are wrong.  Those teachings are obviously wrong.

What should we do?  How do we get back to the core value that all humanity is of great value in and of itself – whether they believe or think like us or not.  Education. Connecting to the world.  Showing all people that there is a better way.  A way that supports, teaches and encourages rational peace and tolerance and acceptance of all peoples – in their current situation.

It’s a truly global initiative. we must stand up and stop all those teachings that do not match their own words.  Peace can be achieved, but all the worlds religions must change to get there.

further analysis of the worlds religions and their gods (allah, yahweh, shiva,etc)

^^written in response to a blog posting about explorations in religion^^

Very thoughtful analysis. So let me get this straight, you’re a deist,… maybe.

I too make a clear distinction between religions and god or allah or yahweh, but most of the world does not make that disassociation. However, the only way to correctly explain religion and to evaluate the effect religion has had on society globally is to determine whether those religions act or have acted with good intent toward all people throughout history. Since religions purport to carry out the wishes of their respective god or gods, as those wishes are interpreted in the minds of men, then in reality it is impossible to separate the two concepts.  So then we are left with analyzing the actions of the adherents of the worlds religions as a way to understanding the intent of their god or gods as that intent is understood in the minds of those adherents. In other words, actions will accurately portray their religions and their god(s) or allah or whomever. It is then left up to us to decide if that particular god (allah, yahweh, shiva, etc)actually deserves our respect and ‘faith’.

Personally, after reviewing and studying history, science and religions, and having been ‘brought up’ as a charismatic christian in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, none have earned my respect or faith.  All have fallen short. All have been the source and cause of more misery, death, destruction and intolerance throughout history, and even today, than all other reasons combined.

My blogs explain my reservations in a little more detail –

Jesus, Muhammed, Yahweh, Allah, God – Why is there no peace on earth? http://wp.me/pLtX8-1x

Our world unified – A modern rational world view http://wp.me/pLtX8-1l

Jesus, Muhammed, Yahweh, Allah, God – Why is there no peace on earth? http://wp.me/pLtX8-1x

Ghulam:  We are all equal.  The people of the Book, the followers of Jesus, call Jesus the prince of Peace.  The Muslims of the world have by definition in the name of their faith – peace.  Muhammad taught peace in one breath and war with the other. Most religions claim peace as being their way as well.  Yet,  there has been no peace on earth.  Each has attacked and destroyed the other, and even killed within their own over the slightest infractions, from the very beginning of human awareness.  Why?

In short, and in practice, each “faith” has only allowed there to be peace as long as you are like them, or you believe the exact same way that they believe, and of course, you must also be one of them and accept the ‘obvious’ truth that they are Right, the sole purveyors of the only true and right way.  Every religion on earth claims the title of  ‘bringers of peace’ and the very definition of ‘rightness’ for themselves.  Each will argue persuasively, from their writings, books and literature, that they are right and you are wrong.  And, each will not be able to understand why it is so hard for you not to see that they are right.  If you can be honest with yourself and delve into your own beliefs first before you take on others’ beliefs, then you know that there has been no peace and obviously no rightness around the world no matter which myth  is in ascendancy.  Just look at the death and destruction, misery and intolerance wrought in the name of your myths or religions throughout all of recorded history.  Look at all the people who have been killed, communities destroyed and civilizations wiped from the face of the earth because they were pagans or barbarians or savages or jews or christians or muslims or hindi. The evidence is overwhelming. The facts are obvious and undeniable.  Yet, we still choose to go down that path. We still choose to cling to that which is without a doubt – destructive to human life and peace the world over.  Just look at you own history and try to convince yourself that it has been good…..and right….and godly.

Oh! Religions have tried to modernize as the facts and laws of science become more and more proven and irrefutable.   Over time, the religions have tried to change and adapt to the maturing world view around them, but the process has been torturous and slow and oftentimes, violent.  Every religion on earth has either killed those who disagreed with them, destroyed their property and families, been intolerant toward those who didn’t look or act like them, destroyed great works of literature and art, hung, burnt at the stake, and even crucified those who were different or posed the slightest threat to the way things have always been.  It still goes on today, even in this age of knowledge and enlightenment.  That is the heritage of all religions.  Every religion. None is exempt.  How can you possibly refute and justify such behavior?  This history is the very definition of and proof that god, allah, muhammed, jesus, shiva, buddha, or yahweh is not and was not there.  And, if you’re honest with yourself, you know that this statement is true.

A world view based on reason and founded in evidence has no place for myth -Christian, Muslim, Vedic, Buddhist, Hindu, Mayan, Satanic or whatever.  The ability to create and imagine great things is not just the domain of “prophets”, it is also part of science and art and music and literature. Throughout history, science has never changed its logical progression to accommodate myth (religions).  But, myth has tried to incorporate a scientific world view, however belatedly, into their beliefs – to keep their believers involved and current.  Examples – let’s see, how about geocentric vs heliocentric vs not at the center at all for earth or the solar system.  All religions will invariably look at their ‘books’ and ‘the word’, and try to show that their god or allah or yahweh or shiva actually meant to include all those things in his or her world view,  but of course, that’s non-sense.  It’s like looking at Nostradamus today and saying he meant that to be WWII or some such  craziness from five hundred years ago.

My point is this.  We know better. We have the perspective and hopefully useful advantage of history.  We have the obvious advantage of verifiable and repeatable science in things ranging from relativity, quantum mechanics, cosmology (big bang), and the proof of evolution science…..Where does that leave myth?  Relegated to the honored position as a footnote on a violent past?

Our world is a much smaller place today than at anytime in history. Today, we are connected to all people around the planet. People will always cling to their faith, and it should be encouraged – because most find moral value in the teachings of their religious leaders. However, when violence and intolerance is encouraged, then we have a responsibility to act and stop it globally. We must act as one for the sake of our planet, for the pursuit of real peace and unity. Work toward providing sound mythless  education and knowledge all around the planet through the UN.  Encourage your leaders to give the UN the authority to act decisively on this issue.  Get myth and religion out of the way of peace and unity.  Educate. Inform. Teach.

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Our world unified – A modern rational world view http://wp.me/pLtX8-1l

Our world unified as one – A new world view

All people everywhere are connected genetically, morally, ethically, and, as some would say, on a spiritual or divine level.  From a strictly scientific rational perspective, we know with no ambiguity or uncertainty that all people originated from Africa.  But it’s more than that.  We are the same everywhere we look around the world.  The genetic differences relating to skin color, hair type and color, etc. evident in humanity today are less than one half of one percent of the total genetic composition of humans everywhere. In other words, the differences we see on the strictly physical level are truly inconsequential. We are simply and irrevocably the same.  We may look different, we may talk differently, we may behave differently and we have different religious and political beliefs, but we are the same.  And, no one people or any particular belief systems is more right or more wrong than another. We are all humans on this very small rock, the third planet from our sun.  It’s time we recognized this undeniable truth and began to act accordingly. 

How did all the physical differences arise?  Why do we look so obviously different? Roughly 75,000 years ago, man existed as small groups in Africa, possibly no more than several thousand breeding pairs.  An ice age, caused by the Toba Super-volcanic eruption, had just ended leaving only a very small population of humans in Africa.  Every human alive today originated from this small band of people.  The genetic evidence is not debatable.  We originated in Africa.  As we left Africa, moving east and north, we adapted to the environment and to the climate into which we moved.  It took ingenuity and creativity to survive and prosper in these new environments.  Our physical appearance also changed to improve our survivability rate in cooler climate zones.  Skin color changed and our bodies became more compact to make those bodies more energy efficient and better able to absorb much needed sunlight for vitamin D production in areas where there was less direct sunlight.

As we moved away from our cousins in various parts of the planet and lost contact with them, our languages changed too, just as languages are changing today.  Today in our languages there are still threads of that common ancestral connection tying all of us together.

As we travelled and settled in other places, we held on to some of the old ideas and myths, carrying them with us as we moved, modifying them and creating new ones along the way. One such story is the creation and flood myth which first appeared, contrary to popularly held religious beliefs, as the story of Gilgamesh.  This story shows up in one form or another in almost every religion on earth – it’s a story we carried with us out of our ancestral lands in Africa and the Middle East as we settled new lands all around the globe.

Today we are experiencing a resurgence in awareness of our common connection to all people on earth.  Most would say that the internet is the cause of this awakening, but the truth is that when people began trading with other groups exchanging their unique products with each other, the path and future was set.  The internet just makes it even more apparent and real. As transportation improved, making the exchange of products and information more accessible, our ties with others began to strengthen.  Yes, it also caused some strife and wars as ideas, religions and borders clashed, but the historic trend is toward increasing connections and consolidation.  This trend is unstoppable and inevitable.  There is also no reason to fear our increased connections.  The world wide use of the internet, and the ability to translate between languages easily, has in effect brought down walls, barriers and borders.  Our awareness of and pursuit of this common connection is accelerating exponentially, so much that in effect borders walls barriers and fences are nothing more than deceptive illusions maintained by those who have not yet caught on, or who fearfully cling to a past that will never return.

The spiritual or divine connection some claim we have with each other is more of an innate awareness that ancestrally all people on the planet have a common origin, a common source, a connecting place from whence we all came.  It’s an awareness of our common connections with all humanity on earth.  It’s a common way of thinking about the world around us in an anthropological manner.  It’s this type of inventiveness and creativity that all humans share which propels us to create myths, religions, art, literature, architecture, and even theoretical physics.  All these things are from the minds of men and women.  We, through imagination, thought and a brief taste of our connection with all mankind, created all these great things and ideas.  The moment man began to recognize patterns in the world about him, such as ‘the best game seems to congregate near that particular pond at this time of day’, or ‘the stars seem to be grouped in interesting patterns that look like objects we see on earth’, or ‘the best time to plant is during this season, and the seasons follow certain repeating patterns, or a rainbow only has certain colors in a particular order’, that was the moment that the inventiveness and creativity of man began.  That was the moment man leaped from the trees of strict animal behavior, and jumped into the realm of imagination and invention. Obviously, this process occurred over a very long period of time. But it did begin.  The moment that spark of creativity began, drawings, paints, art, and various structural designs that served only aesthetic, myth or religious purposes,  and other expressions of the beauty of the world around us began to show up in caves in dwellings in our communities and towns.

Why then would anyone want to put up barriers to strengthening  our connections? Trying to stop and stifle our growing awareness of our common brotherhood and sisterhood with all others on earth.  It’s simple.  They lack knowledge and they are afraid and they put too much reliance in old myths.  But yet our connections are getting stronger day by day.  We should be taking steps to unite our world rather than drawing lines in the sand.  We should be guiding and developing this connection rather than letting it happen to us regardless of our inaction and without our input. We should be participating in strengthening our global connections.  So, make as many friends and establish as many connections with people from all around the globe as possible.  Share your thoughts and ideas with them.  Talk!  Communicate!  Reach out to your long lost cousins throughout the earth.  And, involve your immediate families as well.  The barriers of nations, religions, politics and ethnicity, though much fought over, are truly illusory.  Those things will fade and change over time, yet our growing connections continue unabated.  The unity of all mankind will occur.  You can either be part of the future, or you will be relegated to the forgotten past.

Do you know what happens to lines drawn in the sand? The winds of change and the hand of time wipe them away. So why attempt such folly in the first place? Why attempt to stop or slow or stifle the path toward mankind’s awakening to global unity?  But, people do out of fear and lack of knowledge.  The key to dispelling fear and anxiety is more knowledge and a global effort to educate all of the world’s people. To show them the irrefutable evidence of our common connections, our common humanity.  Education, one not mired in mythology, but based in rationalism and scientific fact, is the key to not only taking back our local communities from the ignorance and violence of drug abuse but also in bringing our world peace, prosperity and unity.  Education can not only solve local immediate problems, but is also the path to unifying our world.  Just imagine how much more we could achieve by realizing fully our human potential when we work as one for the common good of all people everywhere – stabilizing global economies, working to end hunger and war, promoting prosperity and growth, ensuring the health and welfare of all our brothers and sisters, educating the worlds’ people, etc.

You can say and believe what you will, but our world is inevitably becoming one.  The barriers are illusory. The borders, though physically real, are also an illusion.

Share it! Talk about it!  Discuss it!  Be part of the path, not an obstacle on the path, toward our unity. Educate yourself, then share your knowledge with others.

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Populism Revisited – Pres. Obama returns to his roots.

Of course Pres. Obama is sharpening his populist skills – he’s just refining what he already knew.  Now you’ll see him and the Whitehouse move slightly more toward the center as the more centrist voices cry for some attention.  Governing from the center, or as close to the center as he can move, will help calm the once rising anarchist extremism.  Now we can focus more on tighter institutional controls for wall street, re-building manufacturing, energy and service sector jobs and the structure to properly support those jobs.

Global common connections

We have a responsibility to not only grow our global connections, establishing worldwide friendships and open honest discussion, but to encourage reason and tolerance and peace through those connections.

Myth busted…….coal permits vs inventories

MYTH dispelled – A huge uproar is spreading throughout Appalachia about the feds not releasing new mining permits.  Some have said that the reason miners are being laid off and no new mines opened is because of this failure to release permits.  It is true that permitting has been slowed, but that is NOT the reason mines are slowing production.

A report recently released by the DOE’s Energy Information Agency, shows that in 2007/2008 coal production greatly exceeded demand for that coal.  And their projections showed a decrease in production was coming.  In other words, inventories far exceeded demand.  So what happens when inventories are high?  Orders decline so that  inventories  are reduced.  That means that the coal producers see a very real and dramatic decrease in orders placed for their coal.  What then do the coal companies do?  They begin laying employees off, and shutting down less efficient mines, using this opportunity to streamline their operations.  So then is the problem a lack of permitting by the Government?  No!  The problem is that inventories are too high.  Does this mean that Current permits issued can’t meet demand?  No!  The capacity to fill any anticipated orders is there.  But until inventories drop, orders decline.  Will it pick back up?  Yes! But, not at those previously higher levels.

There is no escaping the fact that about 50% of America’s energy needs are met by the use of coal for power generation.  There is also no escaping the fact that the technology to replace coal as America’s primary way to product electricity is 30 to 50 years off.  So coal will continue to be used for the foreseeable future, and the amount of coal needed and used will not decline but will rather increase over time for a long long time to come.  So, here again, another myth used by those promoting fear is busted……..