There are a lot of religions in the world and most of them preach something that I have problems with. I'll never tell someone that they don't have the right to believe in anything they want but when it becomes apparent that that person's actions, informed by their religious beliefs, is impacting someone else negatively I have a huge problem. As I understand it, religion is something we choose, right? It's not a genetic thing. Yet generation after generation is indoctrinated into a religion they essentially have no choice over. Maybe later as an adult they can decide to switch faith but until then they're pretty much living under someone else's rules. I can accept this idea from a parental point of view but I just can't from a religious one. Perhaps if I grew up with religion I would have a different POV. But I didn't, so I don't.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Religious "Freedom"
There are a lot of religions in the world and most of them preach something that I have problems with. I'll never tell someone that they don't have the right to believe in anything they want but when it becomes apparent that that person's actions, informed by their religious beliefs, is impacting someone else negatively I have a huge problem. As I understand it, religion is something we choose, right? It's not a genetic thing. Yet generation after generation is indoctrinated into a religion they essentially have no choice over. Maybe later as an adult they can decide to switch faith but until then they're pretty much living under someone else's rules. I can accept this idea from a parental point of view but I just can't from a religious one. Perhaps if I grew up with religion I would have a different POV. But I didn't, so I don't.
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erm..."his parents aren't seeking treatment for HER"?
ReplyDelete:X
~Angel
and on another note, I grew up with religion, and I STILL don't agree with things like this.
ReplyDeletehaving faith is one thing, but these people need to think of it like this: if the person is meant to die because of their illness, then why did their God allow a treatment to be found?
why did They (the God/Goddess or Gods/Goddesses) allow things to grow in the world THEY created/control that could be joined together with something else that THEY created/control to be made into a cure/treatment?
just a thought.
~Angel
Oops. Nice catch. That's what I get for late night scripting...Thanks.
ReplyDeletelol, we all have those moments~ at least it got caught early, yes? :D
ReplyDelete(plus, it's rare for me to actually be helpful, so I try to take advantage of it when I can:P)
~Angel
good comic, man. I'll never understand these crazy religious people who think that only "prayers" can solve health problems, poverty or something. um, no, you douche-bags, you're supposed to fix. it yourself!
ReplyDeleteGreat comic. But you hit upon one of the so called "truths" of our age. Religion, can empower people to overcome great disasters that can emerge into their life. It can also set you down a path that can mean death to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteRemember one person's religion is another's barbaric beliefs.
Love your comic.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to ask where do you draw the line between religion and worldviews? After all don't all parents teach children their worldviews? Isn't a worldview that has no God not just another religion, a religion that puts its faith in people?
@seonghuhn: For much of human history, culture, worldview, and religion were the same thing. Only in fairly modern times have we had the opportunity to willfully change our religion (thanks to Jesus inventing evangelical religion and the pluralization of Christianity in the Reformation)
ReplyDeleteWhen religion stays personal does not cause any obvious and undue harm to others it's a beautiful thing. When religion becomes institutionalized and imposes it's beliefs onto yours, even when deep inside you may not feel the same way, then it becomes a problem. The Roman Catholic church denounces homosexuality but I'm willing to bet there are a lot of Catholics out there with gay friends or are gay themselves. How does one stay involved with an organization that considers their sexual preference a moral evil?
ReplyDeleteThen again, a problem shows up that a "non religious" upbringing can have negatives as well. So is it religion or your culture that is causing you to behave a certain way or make certain decisions.
ReplyDeleteIn olden days in Japan, a family would bring their aged and ill parent to an isle and leave them to die, Shima-Okuri. This practice had nothing to do with religion, but it was part of the culture. I find the idea of dropping my Grandmother off on an isle to die is ill advised just as much as the parents doing nothing to help their diabetic daughter. Of course I know of a diabetic mother and daughter who eat junk food everyday, but they are on medication. What is up with that!?
I am not sure about this concept of choosing a religion as opposed to choosing your culture. You are born into a culture, just as you are born into a religion. You have the option as an adult to keep your culture, move, try to change it, or hide in your room. Even an agnostic must come to the realization that "religious rules" are merely "human's rules" that have a different title and perhaps a long history.
A recent discussion came up at work about using drugs for children with ADD.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the POV of people deciding not to "drug their kids" as opposed to those who are trying to "attain peace". There are people for and against medicine to control children with ADD which has nothing to do with religion.