The Secularization of the New World

Religion is always getting a bad rap these days. Certainly, if you say a positive word about Islam, you are considered a terrorist. If you say anything good about Jesus, you are considered a fundamentalist. And Hinduism, well, talking about that in a good light just makes you a weirdo. Sure, organized religion, in its particular name, has done some pretty nasty things throughout history. But that is almost always due to some dude’s interpretation of this or that. Or just an expression of some other dude’s massive power.

You can’t really attribute these historically horrible things to scripture (as it is written) or any other religious doctrine. Of course, some of that written stuff is even suspect, after all, the entirety of it was written by humans, so it stands to reason that at least some of it is wiggy. Yet, this suspicion often overlooks the profound wisdom embedded in these texts, which have guided countless generations toward ethical living and communal harmony. For instance, the emphasis on compassion in Buddhism or the call to charity in Islam reflects values that remain relevant, even in a skeptical age. The human creative element in scripture doesn’t negate its potential for good; it simply demands discernment in how we engage with it.