Religion as a Cultural Expression

 One of the more fascinating aspects of the human condition is religion and or spirituality. How it came about to how it is expressed in all different cultures. Some religions have a holy book or books while some do not. Some have doctrine and dogma, others simply do not. Religion does not develop uniformly in every culture or region. For instance it is now known that early Jews were polytheistic, and with a proper study of the Old Testament one can actually see this and how it evolved into strict monotheism. But this same evolution cannot be applied to other religions as religious development is not uniform across all cultures, for instance the Hindu religion. This is why I have concluded that religion is the cultural expression of the divine. As culture evolves and changes overtime, so too does religion. We can witness a sort of culture war taking place right now in the USA and how it is effecting the overall religious nature of the citizens. There are many Christians turning their back on religion all together, there are Christians who have become more tolerant and accepting, shaping their God into a more tolerant a loving God. Then there are those traditionalists who adhere to a more vengeful God who are actively resisting this cultural shift in the societal fabric as a whole. 

I would argue this change is natural and should be embraced, but to each their own and I have no interest in forcing anyone to change anything about what it is they believe. I am, however, baffled at the idea that people revel in the idea of a vengeful and angry God who would send his creation to eternal punishment for a variety of things. We as human beings could not fathom sending our children to a lifetime of torment over virtually anything, let alone eternal torment. So I think this shift towards a more loving and accepting God is a good thing for everyone. I cannot imagine thinking an infinite being is overly concerned with what finite beings are doing with themselves. I cannot help but think that life after death is not torture, it would be reconcilliation. That itself is love, reconciling with the people we have wronged and who have wronged us. That is love. And we all know that God is love and if God is love, then there is no eternal torment. The idea of this type of justice is derived from human minds, the desire to see someone suffer for their wrongs. After the terrible events in Rwanda, they did not seek this type of justice, they sought reconcilliation. Thus showing us what true love actually is. Seeking punishment for a person who has wronged you does not make you feel better, it does not change what has already taken place and it does nothing to the person who caused the ill. But reconcilliation is a cure that benefits all.

Consider America during chattel slavery. The south vehemently preached that slavery was ordained by God and that black people were inferior, all using the Bible to support this. Unfortunate that this still exists but there are people who use the Bible to justify racism. But overall the culture changed and this is no longer deemed acceptable by the culture at large. It’s a good thing too as I cannot picture a God who thinks white people are superior just for lacking melanin.