SimplyMaggies

Last night I watched an episode of “30 Days” entitled “Religious Perception”. I must say I do like this show because it touches upon sensitive issues most people would prefer not to discuss thus forcing the viewers to examine their beliefs. Moreover, it challenges the stereotypes surrounding a specific issue and it enables the viewers to see both ends of the spectrum and allows them to come to their own conclusions.

As for “Religious Perception”, it left me quite stunned, although I really shouldn’t be, knowing what I know about Christians in general. I even considered myself a Christian once but I don’t believe in labels anymore…

Watching that show last night, I’ve come to a realization that (contrary to a popular belief) Christians are a very intolerant people. It is ‘my way or highway’ mentality and it strikes me as odd (to say the least). Didn’t Jesus teach love, acceptance, tolerance and equality for all people, no matter who they are, where they come from and what they do? And knowing that the God they so fervently believe in has a specific message, yet they somehow fail to implement that message in their lives, is a bit mind-boggling.

I’ve met Christians from various nations and I used to tend to think Catholics were the least tolerant of all. However, I’ve come to realize that American Christians (whatever their choice of religious denomination) are the most narrow-minded and the least tolerant. A scary thought when you consider the fact that a general belief is that USA is a country of freedom and tolerance. But is it really?

According to the American Constitution, the state and church are supposed to be separate. Yet every dollar bill boasts a phrase “In God We Trust”—a clear violation of that law. Furthermore, if an American citizen does not believe in any God and, say, wants to form a group or an organization for the purposes of gathering and discussing one’s beliefs (as if in a church), the said organization cannot get federal funding because one of the conditions is a belief in some supernatural entity.

To make things even worse, many American Christians believe evolution is not science but a theory (one of many) of the origins of life. Mind you, a theory means there is no scientific proof. However, scientists have proven this one years ago. The most disturbing thing is that in some states certain Christian groups want creatism (God created the universe and everything in it) to be taught at schools right along evolution since they believe these two views are philosophies.

I have never thought I would come to the conclusion that a country the rest of the world thinks of as a land of freedom is so behind the times. Luckily for me, I got my education in Europe and there is no doubt in both school system and church as to the scientific side of evolution. And surprisingly, the Church (Catholic, in the case of my country) managed to find a middle ground that supports both views without excluding one or the other.

It leaves me wondering why American Christians are so afraid of science or any free thinking, for that matter, and why are they so intolerant of everything non-Christian?

Some people would (most likely) get quite upset (to put it mildly) at this kind of statement. However, when one thinks about it and examines the action humans have taken over the course of history in the name of whatever god they chose to worship, the same statement does not seem as outrageous anymore.

It seems there is a thin line between a deeply religious person and a fanatic and once that line is crossed, it breeds wars, killings, chaos (or simply out danger) and so forth. Just look at the last few years with the Middle East at its heart or the few hundred years of the Holy Inquisition in Europe. There are plenty more atrocious examples of how dangerous religion can become. But the worst thing is that all these crimes against humanity were, are and most likely (unfortunately) will be committed because of some made up stories people believe are the undeniable truth.

Centuries ago when men didn’t understand where they came from, what caused diseases or what happened to the sun when it disappeared behind the horizon, the only explanation their minds could phantom were the stories of gods and some divine power behind these incredible things we call the world. It is true for the myths of ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians as much as for the more contemporary religions such as Christianity, Judaism or Islam. And while it was fine 2000 years ago to believe literary what the prophets were saying, in the XXI century it simply borders on ridiculous. Having a rich background in science how is it possible that there still are people out there who believe the Bible stories literary? For whatever reason otherwise intelligent people choose to ignore the logic and reason and blindly believe the biblical myths and legends actually took place. And this is dangerous…

I read a very disturbing blog a while ago and even though I thought of myself as on top of this whole global warming issue, I found the information shocking. The blog deals with the water situation in Brisbane, Australia last summer. And unfortunatelly, it was pretty bad. They couldn’t water their gardens, had to take four minute showers (and yes, the water was set to turn off after that period runs out! Imagine that next time you stand under the running water in your bathroom!) and were only allowed to use 140 liters of water per household per day, which really is not all that much. The worst thing is that if it does not rain this summer (starting in December) in Australia, things will get a lot worse for the citizens of Brisbane… It may get to the point of not being able to take showers or even flush the toilets!!!

You probably think “What does some city in Australia have to do with me?” Well, it does because ultimately, we are all connected. After all, we all live on the same planet… And it really gets to me when I see people having their outdoor lights on during the day (there is absolutely no need for it!) or even all night long for that matter. You are asleep so why the hell do you have to have that light on?! Or people watering their lawns in the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest. It simply makes no sense! And it is extremely frustrating to me, because I know somewhere else in the world people are suffering because of others’ stupidity and inconsideration!

So I am asking you, next time you take a long shower or have some extra lights on (that really are not that necessary), think about Brisbane and put yourself in their shoes. I am sure you would not like to have your shower reduced to four minutes and live with a real possibility of not being able to take any the following year.

And if you’d like more information on how to green your life and make a difference so Brisbane won’t happen to you, go to ecogreentips.com and find out how.