Preach Tolerance

Why do we still believe in a higher power when such atrocities have been committed in His name?  I agree with Sam Harris who in his video Why We Should Ditch Religion said “We should be talking about real problems like nuclear proliferation, genocide, and poverty… and that’s not at the center of our moral concern” Watching these issues evolve over the years is frustrating. While people ignore human suffering they debate over issues of differing religion that have no answer. However, We don’t need to ditch religion.

Religion could be the glue that holds people together instead of tearing society apart. Robin Marantz Henig said in his article Why Do We Believe “92 percent of respondents believe in a personal god… with a distinct set of character traits” It would be unrealistic to ask people to ignore these feelings. I agree with the common sentiment that our brains are wired to believe. I disagree that we should try to force our beliefs onto others. People must respect different interpretations of spirituality.

People look to believe in a perfect world like heaven or an omniscient being such as God, simply because they want someone who can understand them. It may also be an evolutionary trait to bring humans together to survive. No matter what the personal reason “there seems an inherent human drive to believe in something”- (Robin Marantz Henig Why Do We Believe). Because one person believes in something does not mean they are right or wrong, it’s simply a belief. Religious beliefs can be widely different but all should be respected.

            If humans were able to find an alternative way of thinking about religion the world would be a much better place. People should understand that we need to deal with the answerable questions here on earth, for example poverty, genocide, and global warming all require immediate attention. Proving ones religious belief is unnecessary and impossible. Religions role is to keep people together in a community and hold people to high moral standards. Religion should teach people to show compassion, and resilience in the face of life threatening changes. People can exist coherently with different views as long as each one values tolerance. If tolerance were preached more frequently peoples reactions to other beliefs and values would be much less extreme. A world of tolerant humans would be able to tackle the tough problems of the 21^st centaury head on.