With all the religious bigotry going around, I am beginning to see some widom
in the words that "Religion is the opium of the masses" attributed to the late
Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin.
I am not an atheist. I am a practicing Catholic. But I see dangerous
elements of fanaticism in many religious beliefs, including intolerance of the
beliefs or non-beliefs of others. To poor
unsophisticated people, religion is the ultimate salvation from their
miseries. They worship unquestionably, praying to statues and other religious
icons as though they are a personification of God, rather than symbolic visual
aids. At times I admire the blind faith of these simple people, as it is so
simple and uncomplicated. But unscrupulous political elements and sometimes
religious heirachies take advantage of these poor people to further their own
nefarious activities.
To me religion helps reinforce one's moral compass. I am not what has been
called a
"cafeteria Catholic" picking and choosing what I want to believe. But
neither am I a moron
to unquestionably accept every mystery because someone over the years has
pronounced it to be the unquestionable Truth. I am after all a rational
thinker.
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