Organized Religion

I was asked recently about religion, and I wanted to expand on what I have previously said in the blog. To put it in one sentence, I am very deeply spiritual and also very deeply anti-religious. I have always felt extremely connected with existence, the universe, nature, mankind. And the notion that we are all part of a Oneness speaks to me and often speaks through my writing. I am fascinated by the philosophical perspectives on the Oneness- meaning of life, meaning of everything, the big questions. And I have studied quite extensively religious and non-religious philosophies alike. However, the notion of organized religion is extremely troublesome to me. No one, and I mean no one should tell anyone what to believe in and how to believe in it. This, to me, is fundamental, it's the essence of faith, not only, it's the essence of being human. Each person should decide in his or her own right. It's needless to say important to expose oneself to what others have come up with, but only to deepen one's own understanding, not for the purpose of adopting dogmas and indoctrinating others. I realize that the majority of people likely don't care or don't want to figure it out on their own, and organized religion fills in that niche by offering a solution that is popular enough to give people an incentive to partake. It's sort of like this, one needs a glass of water, and instead one gets soda and it's either Coke, or Sprite, or Root Beer, etc. This solution is not only limited, it costs, and it costs a LOT. Organized religion to me is the bane of mankind. Throughout history it's been an instrument of enslavement, war, and suppression. Deprivation, death, and destruction. No other social construct, no other institution has resulted in more human lives lost. And for that, I have no sympathy, no forgiveness, not even pity. And before anyone accuses me of wanting to burn down all churches, I want to make something very clear, I don't believe in violence. And I recognize the good, however minuscule when juxtaposed against the ills, that's come out of organized religion. But I maintain my position that the scales aren't even, and that dismantling the apparatus, the institution of religion is instrumental to our evolution. I do believe that somewhere between inaction and extremism there is a perfect medium. This said, I doubt I'll see a world without organized religion within my lifetime but I do think eventually that will come to be, and what I will do with my art and with my life is talk about it, share this view.