Religion of Anger

Religion of Anger

Tony E Hansen

13 Sep 2012

There is at least one item that one should shy away from discussing when in civil company: religion. Assuredly, someone will offend someone else’s different religious belief or opinion.  Yet, the reason that people make this claim is that religion tends to be a deeply personal aspect. The lightest comment by one can be an instant slap-in-the-face insult to another.  The world seems ever more leaning towards finding the insult than light conversations. Considering how easy it is to offend someone here in America on the topic of religion, no one should be surprised that a video insulting Islam would be met with violence. With the recent riots in the Mideast provoked by extremist Christian elements, I could only think of how angry religion has become these days.

There always has to be someone that wants to push the boundaries of what is acceptable and make the rest of the group look bad. The extreme religious factions here in America have made business more difficult and tourism more dangerous for all Americans.  Foreigners have to be thinking how will America insult someone today instead of being that “beacon of light” and hope. Yet, there is something similar of both the crazies in Florida who promoted the crap that provoked the radical violence in the Islamic world as well as the crazies who sought violence as the primary reaction to them. Both follow an almost “demonic” kind of reasoning that insults modern religions. Both disregard any sense of security and justice for the rest.

Despite teachings of compassion and love as the basis for modern world religions, or even their foundations in the golden rule (do unto others as you would have done to you), we see instantly angry reactions from religious folks in all stripes without haste. Religion has turned first to anger “to fire first and then ask questions later.”  These people are rejecting the fundamental teachings and instead worshipping their anger and hatreds.  The promotion of this aspect of humanity is a sacrilege and an admonishment of the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Mohammed, the Buddha, and the many other reverences around the world.

One does not find the merits of organized religion when people (extreme or mainstream) disregard the basic tenets of their religious doctrines.  Instead of promoting the compassion and tolerance of those peaceful doctrines, these people focus efforts to incite riots, destruction and violence at everyone’s expense and regardless of considerations.  Those people disregard facts and any notion of tolerance. They become fodder for spewing hate and more anger within the extreme elements that promote the worst of humanity (those anti-Christ-like ways.)

Unfortunately, these people will also wallow in the misery of their hatred and anger. These people will not find peace regardless of how many are killed or of how many lives are ruined. They are exhibiting actual "gluttony" and “greed” to have all people believe in their perspective of God and religion. These people can be guaranteed to turn blind eyes to genocide and even actively participate in the holocausts.

These elements of Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others welcome shallow showmanship with a disregard of others with the loudest inconsiderate boasts. The Buddha teaches, “the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult; that to discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of courage.” I am not saying that all showmanship, like say Tim Tebow, is destructive because seeing someone who believes in their convictions clearly lets people know what they believe. Yet, showmanship, especially the extreme kind, is clearly at odds with Matthew 6:5, the Buddha and the Qur’an because real faith is within the self that can help guide one’s actions.  Further, consider James 1, "You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness." The Qu’ran (3:134) suggests that those, “… who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good…”

The quick, knee-jerk anger is denounced both in the Bible and the Qur’an, but you would never know that from Robertson’s CBN, Fox or Al-Jazeera reports.  It is almost like these guys are helping to incite the violence in order to have something to report.  “One tin soldier” cannot compete with the constant baiting these shallow “news” outlets and the extreme religious people project. As Dave Mustaine sings, "Ask the sheep for their beliefs, 'do you kill on God's command?'"

The majority of all people do not hold these extreme views or the anger that has been on display. What we need is to reject the religion of anger and be each other’s keeper. To respect each other means not to force others to believe one way, but to allow people to believe. That is the essence of “freedom of religion.” To have faith is to let go of perceptions of truth, to not be idolatrous to that perception, and to let the truth reveal itself. If we base our faith and beliefs in anger, then our religion is anger, hatred and negativity. The religion becomes nothing of what the good people have taught us. If we are more concerned about others’ beliefs, we are foregoing growth in ourselves.  Be willing to speak about your religion and how it enables you, but also be mindful that religion is deeply personal that can be easily insulted.  Steer the discussion away from heated anger and into how we share common interests, both in the spiritual and the physical.  Maybe then we can live in each other’s neighborhoods, and maybe then we can walk in other countries without fear some jerk at home is going to create more anger of religion.

Peace be unto you.