Matt Hard
English IV
K.O.B
March 6, 2013
Wasting
Your Own Time
I would like to start off by saying that I never
understood religion or the people who believe so heavily in it. Some people say
it gives them answers to the bigger questions and is the central meaning to
life, which throws me off a little. Personally, and please don’t think I am
going to try to convince you of anything, I always understood Science to be the
underlying principle on why things happen, and I was always told to live my life
my own way and just be happy, which is what I view to be the meaning behind
life.
Growing up, my parents always dragged me along to church
with them every Sunday, like most young children. Back then I had no
complaints, I mean, you wake up on the weekend, go somewhere to play with other
kids and read stories, then go upstairs with the grownups and get free
doughnuts before going out to lunch. Who could complain? I only started having
a problem when I heard people arguing and bickering about other religions and
creeds. Up to that point all I knew where stories from which to base your life.
I had been under the impression that religion was a guideline, or a basis of
which to get your morals. A few years later, when I got to sit up with the
grownups, I really disconnected from church. I felt like I was being forced to
go somewhere where people were telling me how to live my life and that it was
all towards this higher power who made things happen. This had gone against
everything I knew and I was no longer comfortable going.
Thankfully my parents understood that I did not want to
be there and that it was not beneficial for me to go. I am grateful to have
parents who understand that religion isn’t for everyone. And I must say, ever
since I stopped spending my time going to church, thinking about a higher
power, and praying in general, I have been so much happier. Life seems so much
easier without religion. From where I stand, religion has caused so many
complications and has wasted so much time people could have been productive.
Wars would have never had been fought. Lives never lost. Politicians would
waste less time arguing. Progress would be so much easier. Religion just seems
to add so much fuss and so many problems. When people follow religion, they
usually end up thinking they are infallible because of the ‘better’ life
choices they decided to make. Sometimes it irks me so much that so many people
can waste their time living a life they can’t immediately justify.
As for blindly following religions, I understand people
use the argument of faith. That’s great and all, but I do not see why people
feel the need to follow religion. Science has given us so many answers and has
been proved. It has been the pinnacle of advancing technologies that stand to
better the human race, and are not supported by religion. As I said before, my
point is not to get into someone else’s beliefs, but rather explain why I don’t
feel a need to believe in religion. I don’t see a point to religion when we
have a working explanation of why and how things work, granted we don’t know or
understand entirely why.
Additionally, I can completely understand why people have
a problem with science. Some fear science because with the advancing understandings,
there is a greater risk of the destruction of the human race. In turn, I would like
to offer that religion can do the same. Arguments over religion lead to mass murders
and even death of third parties who are in neither feuding religion. What is even
more concerning is that holy wars a slow and have no real conviction behind it other
than belief and faith towards someone you don’t see. In Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, we see both science and religion
killing the masses. Ice-Nine, a product of science, kills most of life on Earth.
In the same token, Bokonon, leader of his own religion, manages to kill of most
of the remaining humans.
Really to conclude, I would just say that religion and
science should not be compared. The juxtaposition between the two is insulting
to science. People working in the field have done so much work by way of
research, experimenting, and discovering, that religious scholars could not
even comprehend. Religious figures, mainly the ones higher up and ‘closer to
god’ sit around and can speak with the one and mighty. If this is true, why do
we have pressing concerns in the world? The whole god making a world full of
choices and opportunities doesn’t fly for me. They are not trials, and
tribulations, but likely outcomes determined by science. Magic is great and all
for children, but sometimes you need to grow up and try to comprehend a basic
understanding of biology, physics, and chemistry to be well informed and make
your own purpose in life.
I see where you're coming from--both religion and science have their flaws. I know this contradicts your last paragraph, comparing the two. But what sort of bothered me about your last paragraph is that you separate religious figures from people, as if they are too dumb to understand scientific thinking, but they are people nonetheless. I completely understand how you felt feeling out of place in church and not necessarily agreeing with what they say, I too felt pretty out of place at my old church moved to a new one which fit my needs. I guess what I'm trying to say is that religious people are still people, some are more in your face than others, but there are plenty of intellectual religious people who understand the impact science has made to their lives.
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