The Crux of the Problem is Faith Itself
  by Len Schwee

The history of faith starts with Abraham who lived among shepherds and camel drivers in the bronze age. Ever since, people have considered their faith true and sacred, a precious gift, and a great virtue. Some of our leaders have suggested therefore that radical Muslim extremism is not a religion.

However, children normally adopt the same faith as their parents, and it consists of the opinions, customs, morality, and traditions of their parent's church. In other words, faith is the acceptance of the opinions and practices of others. The acceptance of other people's opinions is often very risky. So it is no wonder that many people believe strange things from a young age, and consider them true and even holy for the rest of their lives.

Abraham is an early figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, yet these are very different religions. Also, as time went on, these religions have split into thousands of cults with contradictory opinions and practices.

Today, we have a faith for everyone. We have faiths in stone cathedrals, glass cathedrals, brick churches, mosques, synagogues, store fronts, and sheds. In church one can roll, rock, sing, speak in foreign languages, remain silent, or even play with rattle snakes. One can take the bible seriously and literally, seriously but not literally, literally but not seriously, or ignore it completely. Some prefer to read the Koran or the Talmud. Some churches like birth control, some don't. Sometimes several wives are allowed, sometimes one, sometimes none. Some fell from a higher state, some ascended from a lower state, and some did both. We have priests, ministers, deacons, preachers, rabbis, imams, and mullahs. Some wear robes and hats, some don't. Some faiths have committed mass suicide. Now we are fighting a faith that uses suicide to produce terrorism. The one thing that all faiths have in common is tax exemption.

If faith were verifiable, it would not have fractured so. Unverified information acquired from another is hearsay. But far too many radical Muslims and their children believe that their brand of hearsay is true and sacred, a precious gift, and a great virtue. It is a religion to them.

The best solution ever devised to control the divisiveness and delusions of faith has been the separation of church and state. We are united politically in the US, but not religiously. Every time a politician uses the term God, he offends Muslims and atheists. When he praises all faiths, he is inconsistent and unaware. If he praises one, he offends all others. There is absolutely no place for religion in the politics of the United States.

While little consistency can be found in faith, an abundance can be found in science. Any faith that disagrees with science deserves to be rejected and disrespected since science is based on evidence. Science tells us nothing about a supernatural order of which most faiths appear to have knowledge. But where does that knowledge come from? Is it based on evidence? No, it is not. In fact, if there is a God, atheism is probably more understandable to Him than the falsehoods of the many faiths. He certainly can easily forgive an atheist who will ask upon meeting Him, "Where was the evidence?"

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