This Christmas season I thought it would be an interesting exercise to restate my thoughts on religion. Over the years I've constantly found myself intrigued, outraged, and empathetic in my views on the matter.
We went to Catholic mass during my childhood, and my extended family includes a wide mix of intensities when it comes to religious commitments. Some of my family say they are spritual but not religious, some are what I would call passive followers of their religion, and some are not only religious but also maintain a belief in the generally supernatural. I personally started doubting the existence of a god around the age of 5, but I was still afraid to cuss out loud at 13. By 18 I firmly considered myself an atheist and now the best label I can think of is agnostic atheist.
I am a follower of reason and scientific thought. When something I believe to be true is found to be false via scientific methods, I change my internal understanding and usually do so eagerly. There is enough wonder and excitement in the natural workings of our universe that I don't see a need for divinity or magic. In my view, man created god, not the other way around.
I believe religious thought is built into human nature as a product of evolution. All living things (including humans) are protected from death through the instinctive powers of survival. When confronted with danger, our fight-or-flight instincts automatically come forth, usually without our conscious ability to alter or prevent them. There is a story of Charles Darwin facing a snake separated by protective glass, trying not to flinch when the snake lunged (he found this impossible).
Additionally, humans have the unique ability to understand the inevitability of death. Some other animals have a basic understanding of this topic (elephants mourn relatives long after their passing for instance), but only humans understand the complexities and nuances of the briefness of their life's existence.
This creates a paradox: We know life is temporary, but it is our organic mission to not die. As humans we feel that this quandary must be addressed somehow and because science leaves us with little ammunition, a far easier solution is coming up with a story to satisfy, or perhaps distract, us. (An interesting tangent on this point: what happens to religion when we have a technological means of living indefinitely?)
This gives those who have died a place to be and those who are living a continuance after death. It provides certainty for the unknowable and wraps it in an easy-to-understand package. This is such a clean solution that I'm willing to bet religion arose as far back as the first organized communication (maybe it even existed before--locked inside the minds of the first humans). The older the legend the more mystical it becomes, which summarizes my opinion as to why there are relatively few religions and why the top five command so many followers. Many Christians enjoy a good laugh at Scientologists, but how different are the two groups really (except for the fact that Christianity's book is older)?
Although organized religion has provided some benefits in the history of humanity, I believe it has caused much more damage than good. Especially in today's world where a few search terms can provide answers to so many curiosities does organized religion seem woefully outdated. In addition to the countless atrocities people have comimtted in the name of religion throughout history, I believe that religion today inspires apathy, entitlement, and a refusal to take responsibility (in both the positive and negative sense) for our actions (as in, "I just want to thank god for helping me score that touchdown," or "it is god's will").
My feelings towards personal spirituality are very different. When your spiritual beliefs help create an internal narrative to center yourself or allow a gain of personal clarity in some way, I'm very supportive. When church becomes a therapy session or promotes unity between people, I think it serves its purpose well. I just think religion shouldn't provide those benefits under the guise of ghosts and gods and magic.
None of us are inherently better or more holy than others. There is just humanity. Rather than living to ensure a good afterlife, I think we should spend our brief time loving, laughing, and learning from each other.
To those I have offended I do apologize if your feelings are hurt. Religion is obviously a tricky subject and as I said earlier, I believe in some way that being religious is human nature. I realize that most people (religious or otherwise) are friendly and compassionate. It is merely my intent to inspire thought on the subject and represent a viewpoint that is sometimes crowded out by larger and louder groups.
That famous quote by Walt Whitman pretty much sums up the book I just finished and thoroughly enjoyed: 
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