On Religion (Christianity mostly)

Never really believed in institutional religions, with it's heavy text and divine guidance making us all sinners before we even know how to pronounce that word and let alone understand it.

I used to be very skeptical about Christianity (be it Protestant, Catholic), Judeism or Islam. Not that I favour Buddhism, Hinduism or Zen, because the level of knowledge I have on all parties is pretty slim, but my skepticism is built around how worshippers of faith can be so blinded by the churches wrong doing in the past.

The crusades, buddhist monks slaughtering nonbelievers, the inquisitions, bishops going to Africa and telling Africans not to wear anti contraceptive devises (which results in the wider spread of aids).

I understand the God's / gods' words, once they touch down on earth, it is interpreted by earthly people who twist the wisdom into its own use and benefit. But again, how can believers be so blind about how corrupted institutions use it to its own benefit in the past. They may have apologised and made people who were real defenders of faith, saints, but that does not make their wrongdoing in the past correct and people should really stop donating their money to churches so they can continue with their elaborate decorations and ride around in nice cars.

But a recent conversation with friends and professors have changed my rushed criticism on institutional religion.

L: "It's basically a good teacher / good friend, I actually can think more rationally and critically of things around me when I attend church services, plus we can never know all the truths and follow our moral principles when tested, so it is nice to have rules in life that governs us."

I agree to a certain extent, as long as its not used on a macro level so that wars will be sparked by religious zealots, I'm fine with it. Easier said than done, like many things in life...

I then asked my history of art lecturer how she reconciles her faith with all the corruption and wrongdoings of the church which is so explicitly placed before her research material.

Dr. B: "We Christians know about the mistakes the church made in the past, but this is like the Nazi and the Germans. The Germans acknowledge that they've made mistakes in the past, but they still live on, being proud to be Germans."

So I guess born a Christianity in a European setting is similar to having filial piety in Chinese families. As Chinese, it is a cultural thing to have close ties with your family and you're meant to take care of them until they die of old age. And as Chinese, we know well that Confucius was adopted simply because one Han emperor decided to embrace it into state 'religion' / ways of living and got rid of all the hundreds of philosophical thinking at the time solely because it would be easier to govern people if we all believed in Confucius thinking. Yet we still appreciate Confucius concepts of governance, family, friendships and work ethics to a certain extent in the contemporary world.

For some sensitive religious humour (my friend's recommendation)

Go for Billy Connelly on religion.

Spoiler alert on swearing about religion.