A Closer Look at Religion In America Or The Lack Of It…

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By Ron Signore

Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been far too long since my last confession…

Allow me to get a little deep here for a second. Religion is something everyone should have the right to practice. Everyone should be able to believe in something far greater than the life they live. There is a line that should not be crossed in general, and that is imposing your beliefs on others, furthermore, to illustrate, never hold a superiority of their religion over the religion of others.

Our history is flawed with practices of the latter. A popular concept commonly discussed is that every major war in the history of man was over religion. While that certainly be a topic of debate that substantively can be argued for an indefinite amount of time, I am more concerned with the daily reminders in our own country at present time.

While there are religions that claim a need to crusade for their domination, the religions here in America are stereotypically broken off the common Christianity/Judaism branches. In reality, and not to disrespect any specific beliefs of any religion, there are a few minor points here and there that really separate the differences between them. Obviously, the Jewish faith doesn’t believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, but outside of that, the differences are minor points that still stem off fulfilling a life based off the ten commandments.

Yet we forget we live in a country that allows us to be free from religious persecution. We forget that we are a country that is meant to separate church and state, and quite often we use religion as a point that blurs that line. For instance, a strong sense of hate and division in this country from a political climate is the perception that the left is a clan of godless tyrants. All while shouting from the mountain tops that this is a nation under god and indivisible. There are a few pieces of our own pledge of allegiance that can help dissect our own hypocrisy. Nonetheless, the right marches on with a notion of patriotism all be it in defense of a Christian God.

They use these hypocritical arguments for things that distinctly oppose our allegiance to this country. “Liberty and Justice for all,” falls upon deaf ears on the right. What they hear is that your freedoms only matter as long as your belief in what their God decides is proper aligns. Homosexuality, or any part of the LBGQT community for that matter, is a liberty we as a nation to its true core should have zero reservations on allowing. Choosing one’s religion, who they believe in or do not believe in as a faith is another, yet we see a consistent notion that peaceful practicing in faith that isn’t off the Christian faith tree is wrong and a clear opposition to our lives. Acceptance of those practices, including recognized holidays are a consistent battle we see for those liberties. Blatant complaining that our country is ruined by recognizing things that make more of our population feel accepted is another line the right continuously draws as paranoia to losing America.

The truth is that we see civil unrest politically and racially, the stem of the hate is coming from some sort of high position of dominance to what religion means to them with some sort of association to patriotism is the core of our problems. The truth is that these bellows are nothing more than an excuse to hate. If people truly abided by the religious way of life they impose on others, they would realize the hypocritical way they treat people. They are fast to judge and condemn other’s way of life they do not agree with from a pre-disposed image they have from religious preaching, yet when they toe the line on a legal position, the claim that only God can judge (me) becomes the argument.

The truth is people do not realize that in the American land that civil laws and liberties rule our way of life. Granted, they may stem from codes or religious practices of our past, we allow for the liberties and freedoms of all. Once our liberties and freedoms impose or inflict pain on other’s liberties and freedoms, we legally have a foul that deserves punishment. But even that structure is part of the big picture. Our laws are enforced by a police force, locally and federally. Unauthorized agents of those enforcement agencies are not legal. While morality consistently comes into question on what side of the legal line an action is on, we do not have the right to prosecute as individuals or as agents of the law if it is not a regulated law. If these religiously aligned patriots would practice what they preach and let their maker judge their identified offenders, same as their claim their maker is the only one who could judge them, we would have more of a peaceful obedience to life.

Religion should be practiced and should be preached. It should be advertised for the peace it could bring someone and others by extension. It should never be imposed as the superior or inferior way of our nation’s citizens. I do not have to believe in what you believe in, but by no means is it my right to tell you not to believe in what you believe in or that you are wrong because you do not believe in what I believe in. I certainly do not have the legal right from the laws of our land to persecute you physically or hatefully for it. Our laws as a land and the symbol of our freedom should be enough to live peacefully, yet until we help others realize there is a true hypocrisy to their actions and the results being hate that go against their religious beliefs, the longer our divide will continue.

I believe in God and try to align with my upbringing in the Catholicism practice of religion. Many of my friends fall to a different branch of Christianity, or even an atheism view of religion, but as far back as I can remember, we never debated the idea of who’s views were right or wrong. The mutual bond comes from more of a natural social contract we are all part of and that is we look to live peacefully and enjoy as much time on this earth as possible. I wish more would see that as the bigger picture, for happiness is not far off with that view.

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