Why is there so much animosity and war perpetrated in the name of religion?
First and foremost, there is no religion in recorded history that has ever espoused hatred or war. Rather, people use religion and distort doctrine to serve their own ego-driven, misguided needs. Secondly, it sounds to me that basically your question boils down to, 'Why is there hatred or evil in the world and what are we [good people] to do about it?' My response is that underlying all hatred and evil is fear and intolerance.
People point to crimes against humanity (murder, rape, war, and genocide) and say this is evil. And it is evil, in the sense that these actions defy the Law of G-d and most religious behavioral codes; yet these experiences are merely experiences. They become "evil" experiences when we attach that interpretation to them. Furthermore, the interpretation we attach to these experiences derives from our human experience, experience that for most of us includes the notion of free will.
Evil is not some nebulous force “out there”; rather evil is generated by us, from within, with each free choice we make that is guided by fear, hatred, jealousy, etc. instead of being guided by love. I don't want to invalidate other people’s beliefs about evil and replace them with my own, which may be just as biased and/or wrong. I merely seek to point out the limitations that bind a person who adheres to the belief that evil is “out there.”
Each religion of the world teaches that the true essence of a person is the spirit - not the ego or body. It is the human attachment to ego, the belief that we are individual selves rather than all interconnected, that allows a person [people] to mistreat or dehumanize another person [other people]. People who allow their actions to be guided by fear and intolerance rather than love have lost their way; they are literally misguided, and there are many reasons for which they may have become so - such as being neglected, mistreated and/or abused themselves. But there is a difference between someone who is abused and then becomes an abuser, and someone who is abused but is able to recover from that experience and remain loving. The difference depends on whether a person worships and remains faithful to his "ego beliefs" or worships and remains faithful to his belief that there is something larger and beyond himself of which he is merely a part and that connects us all. This belief that we are all interconnected, which permeates and forms the foundation of every faith system throughout time, is what motivates us to be loving - because that which we do unto others will effect us. Call it karma, call it the Golden Rule, call it fate - it all means the same thing. We are each responsible for our actions, and what we do will have an impact on others as well as ourselves.
So, when you ask yourself, "Why is this happening in the world, or to me, or to my family, etc.," look within yourself for the answer. Ask yourself, have I been loving or am I allowing fear and intolerance to dictate my life? To what extent am I contributing to the "evil" in the world? The opposite of EVIL is LIVE, as in 'live and let live'.
We find ourselves feeling helpless and adrift in a world wrought with evil and we ask ourselves how can G-d (or whatever you believe) allow this to happen? The answer is that WE have allowed this to happen. Evil is NOT something separate from our selves, it is within us, but we do not want to face this reality nor accept this responsibility because it is too hard for us to face the truth about how we all contribute to evil energy in the world.
There are two ways that we can overcome the experience of evil. The first is to transcend our individual ego/body and realize the spiritual interconnectedness of all living beings and realize that our experience of evil is telling us that we need to change within ourselves. As Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Keep in mind that this state of being does not come easily. It involves deep inner work, faith and love but it is well worth the energy investment.
The second way to overcome evil in the world is to be loving. If each person made this one change, there would be no more "evil". Of course, it’s easy to be loving when someone is loving to us. The true test is whether or not we can be loving when someone is unloving or evil to us. We may all learn from the example of Jesus (Yeshua) who did not hate or condemn His crucifiers nor did He see them as evil. Instead, He compassionately forgave them for they knew not what they were doing. When people know better, they behave better. We can all help others to find their way - back to love - if we choose to do so.
It takes a village to raise a child; likewise, it takes a village to raise a religious fanatic.
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