Religions and Their Dark Side

You see, I am not a defender of religions. I'm not a religion apologists who will retaliate when people says that religion is the cause of bloodshed throughout the human civilization.Or "God" is the causes of human destruction and suffering. Or "religions" causes war.

To a certain extent, the sayings are true. To a certain extent.

And when I talk about religions, undeniably I am putting Islam, my own faith  in the category as well.Sad as it is, all religions, whenever they are attacked by people claiming that their religion advocates violence and discrimination, woo, they spring into defensive-obsessive mode.

Hindus, a long time ago, when the Westerners attack the caste system, them Hindus argue that it is a socially functional system that protects the harmonious society , and so, the Dalits status (untouchables)  are definitely not discrimination. Nowadays, most young Indians in India themselves find this defence absurd. Judaism was thought to discriminate non-Jews, especially with the word "gentiles" or "goyim" used to refer to non-Jews. Some unenlightened friends of me use this term to tell how evil "Yahudi" are, because goy refer to " anjing/ dog".  Or does it? Face the fact that "goy" simply means "nation" or "people from other countries". Check the Hebrew Bible. The early "surahs" (it is called "books") in Hebrew Bible refers Jews and non-Jews as " goy" themselves, and God promised Abraham that his descendents would create a "goy gadol".  However, indeed some Jews whenever they are angry with non-Jews, they would use a "goyim" remark in contempt. However, it is by any means not different than we Muslims say "kafir", which supposedly carries a neutral notion to using "kafir" as sign of disgust, or "kafir lahanat" , to make it worst.

Medieval Christianity have oppressed the rise of intellectuals during the Dark Ages and in fact it continues until the Renaissance era. Christian scientists who discover contradicting theories that may jeopardize the church's stand faced a terrible fate. Nicholas Copernicus , for example. Islam also has faced criticism for their seldom changing definition of "jihad". And these two religions are known for their crusade wars,one described as "holy war", and one described as "jihad fi sabilillah". Muslims sometimes define "jihad" as "defending the country and the faith", but history reveals that "jihad " also means this: war launched against other non-muslim s territories to expand the Muslim empire , so they can either get more money from the jizyah or ghanimah, or gain more believers". From that, Islam sound bad because it launches bloodshed to other people for the sake of their religion and money. And, it is also worth noting that Muslim empires was so rich before because most of the wealth come from other invaved countries, and so, that's why at the near end of Turkish caliphate, they are poor because their territories slowly declared their own independence. But, doesn't that create a bad view about "jihad?" . Well, I don't know.

So does that true that  indeed, religions are the problems that haunted humanity for so long then? Well. Not exactly, but not truly undeniable either.

Jews defended themselves that throughout the Hebrew Bible , it can be found that there are many passages that God asks the Jews to be kind to non-Jews, as well as passages that deemed contradictory to this idea. This "kind-to-strangers" passage are used extensively by the Jew scholar Philo of Alexandria to formulate the philosophy of Logos during the Roman era. There are enough love message in Christian Bible regarding love for humanity. "Love your enemies" is an often-quoted Jesus saying that reflected this,as well as his sacrifice for the sake of human salvation, regardless whether they are believers or not. Our Muslim histories are well filled with how kind the Prophet Muhammad is, helping Jews, feeding them etc.

But what I believe, that though at some points of history, religions ( or what the apologists would say, the believers of the religions, not religions per se) bring calamity and trouble, they have also created such a positive impact to humanity. In Asoka's time, it was not military-based war which becomes the empire's method of expansion, it's the faith of Buddhism that is spread by the empire missionaries . Yahweh Judaism has become such a tool of unity and has given the spirit to the Semite people in the era where pagan Jews who worshipped Baal are oppressed  significantly. Pauline Christianity has created such a fraternity that resist the cruel pagan Romes who persecuted them, and so much  impact Christianity has done to the world. Islam also, has contributed significantly to the world, which I need not mentioning here as well.

Besides, Communists, capitalists knows no religion, but they did  almost equally disastrous impact on mankind as well, ayte?

I'm open to criticism. Thank you.