by CR (027)
All forms of fanaticism are reproachful because they can obliterate reason and prevent the use of reasoning. Religious fanaticism is still more harmful because it may lead people to commit the most miserable acts and the most hateful crimes.
No wars in the history of humanity have been as cruel, ruthless, bloody, stunningly wicked and inhuman as religious wars.
At best, religious fanaticism weakens, alienates and renders impotent the human will - and no one considers himself a fanatic, no matter how much he is overcome by fanaticism.
The mythological gods of ancient Greece and Rome, in the imaginative vision of their worshippers, also performed miracles. Hence their authority and prestige among their faithful.
Therefore, there is no appreciable difference between the miracle-working mythological gods and the no less miracle-working gods of the various modern religions. The latter have merely developed and improved the ways of worshipping which have become more refined and stylish.
There is no reason for worshipping and even less for acts of religious fanaticism. A human being, who is essentially a creative spirit, many times meets with failure when he is influenced by the false ideas or miracles and divine assistance.
The truth is, a religious fanatic and worshipper, intead of helping himself, he relents in his efforts to accomplish his purposes, waiting for such divine help.
He does not know how to make use of two powerful forces at his disposal which, if properly utilised, would lead him to success. These forces, which in most people lie dormant and unknown, are will power and the power of thought.
References
[1] Christian Rationalism, 1st Edition, Rio de Janeiro 1984
[2] Compilation, paraphrasing, translation from original texts in Portuguese
No comments:
Post a Comment