Nothing gets people’s dander up faster than discussing religion.  Everybody has a view, and all of them are right.  My god can beat up your god is what it all boils down to, but people seldom look at it that way.  We’re not hear to change what you believe.  We are here to keep you honest about what you believe.

For instance, most Christians these days believe Muslims are evil.  Likewise, most Muslims believe the same about Christians.  So who’s right?  Would it shock you to learn that neither is right?  Neither is necessarily wrong, but if you dig past the color of clothes and language spoken, what are the main differences between the two?  The sad part is, most of the people on either side of the argument can’t answer that question.  This begs another question.  If you know nothing about another religion, how did you arrive at the conclusion that it is wrong or evil?

God said there is a trinity. We voted on it.

Let’s take Christianity as the basis for the rest of this article.  I’m not anti-Christian, any more than I’m anti-Muslim, but I am anti-ignorance.  How many Christians that you know of (yourself included) know the origins of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity?  All should, as it’s one of the pivotal doctrines upon which the Catholic and Protestant faiths are built.  Pivotal doctrines like the Trinity, which according to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, is “the central dogma of Christian theology” should be known inside and out by anyone who chooses to be called a Christian.

So, it comes time to either know it, or learn it.  This single doctrine, as accepted as it is today, was not always accepted.  It wasn’t until the fourth-century church and the council of  Nicaea that the doctrine became “official,” and even today there are Christians who roundly reject it.  So, with all the controversy, why do some view anyone who doesn’t adhere to the doctrine of the Trinity as a heretic, worthy of death and all the trappings that come with being an evil soul?  Aren’t they all Christians?

The point of this exercise is this.  It’s important to believe something.  It’s more important to know why you believe it.  If your reason for believing any doctrine of any church or group is valid in your mind, it’s beyond reproach, in my opinion.  The problem arises when people believe for the sake of believing.  A great many religious practitioners the world over only practice their faith as a function of what their family has always done, or the predominant faith of the region in which they live has always been.

The single most important thing to take from this article is, if you practice a religion that forbids the study of other religions, perhaps you should question the validity of that faith.  Just like inter-personal relationships which are not built on solid foundations, they can tend to crumble when stressed.  If your significant other is a jealous person, it isn’t because of anything you have done, but because of their own insecurity.  The same is true of a religion which forbids self-study of another faith.  Fear of loss is the cause.  They think you’ll convert and they’ll lose a monthly check.

Think about what you believe, and why you believe it.  You’ll be glad you did.  If you come to conclusions which you feel are valid, they most likely are for you.  If you can’t…  Well…  Watch Eddie and chuckle at the whole thing…